oth contentedly sleeping in their cot in the second bedroom of our little home. The fire is banked down for the day and a bowl of bread is set to rise on the hearth so the smell of yeast is wafting from the door on the heavy moist air. Just a normal, quiet village morning.
I’ll sit here for a while longer catching up on my diary and then I had better go and get ready to feed the twins and get lunch ready for Gavin when he comes back in from patrolling the fields.
James is fading fast now and I can see that the cancer is taking a huge toll on his body. He refuses to give in to the pain and bravely fights each day to get through and although I see the pain in his eyes he refuses to take any pain medications unless really pushed. The twins are the light of his life and we visit for a short period most days. James holds their tiny bodies and talks to them, smiling all the while. Poppy always gets his share of smiles . T wo tiny faces light up when they hear his voice and their heads turn towards him . Little eyes light up as they spot one of their favourite people and they begin to smile long before they are placed in James’ arms.
The sun is rising higher in the sky now and fingers of shadow are playing across the tops of the roofs of the village as the paperbark trees start to shade the houses and then reach out across the grass. The shadows dance slightly as the trees sway with the breeze and the smaller branches flutter and wave. There is warmth in the sun today and I turn my face to the sun for just a few moments as I sit here and revel in the autumn weather. Another two months and winter will be upon us once again, rain, cold and winds will be a part of our lives for several months. During that time tools will be repaired, fishing nets rewoven and long dark evenings will be spent talking in front of a blazing fire. In many ways winter is a time of year that I love as the long dark evenings bring families close together and many games are played to w ile away those hours.
Chapter 7
My quiet writing time is suddenly shattered by the sounds of an alarm from the landward tower. Ernie is banging on the metal "bell" and calling out to warn of the presence of strangers on the flood plain.