The signature music of the six-o-clock news was always a reminder that the supper should be started.
David and the live-in farm help would soon be coming in, washing off the dust from the fields and eagerly pulling up chairs to see what she had prepared.
Jan picked up the remote to turn it off, but as she glanced at the television set she stopped, riveted by the sharp contrast of the images on the screen and the view from her sitting room window.
Outside, the beautiful countryside was bathed in a golden evening glow.
Shades of green and gold rolling like waves to the twinkling blue sea on the horizon.
The gulls were swooping over the recently ploughed fields and calling to each other with glee at the feast they had found.
A man was walking along the footpath near the stream whistling to call his dog to heel.
A first bright evening star that she thought must be Venus was shining like a Christmas bauble that had been placed on top of the fir tree near the barn.
A tiny crescent of moon appeared above the Bluebell wood. The last rays of the sun seemed to kiss the wild flowers in the top field and cast silver shadows across them.
The wild flower field was another idea from the EU. David got subsidies for leaving a field free to grow wild flowers. Also the bright yellow rape seed and the maize would have been unheard of in her childhood. Jan came from farming stock and she had loved bringing her children up on the farm.
Jan used to tell the children all sorts of stories about the little creatures that she imagined living around their farm, elves, pixies and fairies, talking hedgehogs and moles. Her children Heather and Mike would listen spellbound and beg for more, never tired of listening to her weave her tales until their eyelids grew too heavy and she would kiss them tenderly. As she left their room she always looked up at the night sky and made a wish for her family, that it would always be safe, strong and loving.
Jan looked up at the new moon and made that same wish, the one she had been making for as long as she could remember.
She looked back at the images on the television. The newscaster was talking about a desperate situation, desperate measures, desperate people. The camera zoomed in to a man strapped underneath a lorry, a group of men sitting on the grass, another group jumping on the top of a lorry. A young woman interviewed some motorists sitting in their car with worried expressions. They told her they kept the doors locked, they were afraid people might jump in their car. They looked hot and scared just like the men on the grass.
The newscaster walked over to a group of men. One of the men spoke English and he explained that he was looking for a way to help his family, he had two small children, he needed work to look after his family. He seemed to echo the wish that Jan made as she looked at the moon.
Jan took out the casserole she had made that afternoon and put it in the oven, then she prepared the vegetables from her garden and laid the table. She put a vase of sweet
peas in the centre of the table and cut thick slices of her homemade bread.
The news had changed now and there was talk of the referendum about the EU. Jan sighed heavily. When she had met David at a Young Farmers dance he had had a sticker on his car saying 'Farmers say No'. That was back in the seventies. That time the Referendum was whether to join the EU. Back then it was called 'The Common Market' .
Jan used to tell the children all sorts of stories about the little creatures that she imagined living around their farm, elves, pixies and fairies, talking hedgehogs and moles. Her children Heather and Mike would listen spellbound and beg for more, never tired of listening to her weave her tales until their eyelids grew too heavy and she would kiss them tenderly. As she left their room she always looked up at the night sky and made a wish for her family, that it would always be safe, strong and loving.
Jan looked up at the new moon and made that same wish, the one she had been making for as long as she could remember.
She looked back at the images on the television. The newscaster was talking about a desperate situation, desperate measures, desperate people. The camera zoomed in to a man strapped underneath a lorry, a group of men sitting on the grass, another group jumping on the top of a lorry. A young woman interviewed some motorists sitting in their car with worried expressions. They told her they kept the doors locked, they were afraid people might jump in their car. They looked hot and scared just like the men on the grass.
The newscaster walked over to a group of men. One of the men spoke English and he explained that he was looking for a way to help his family, he had two small children, he needed work to look after his family. He seemed to echo the wish that Jan made as she looked at the moon.
Jan took out the casserole she had made that afternoon and put it in the oven, then she prepared the vegetables from her garden and laid the table. She put a vase of sweet
peas in the centre of the table and cut thick slices of her homemade bread.
The news had changed now and there was talk of the referendum about the EU. Jan sighed heavily. When she had met David at a Young Farmers dance he had had a sticker on his car saying 'Farmers say No'. That was back in the seventies. That time the Referendum was whether to join the EU. Back then it was called 'The Common Market' .
Jan switched the television off and went to look at her computer to see if either of her children were on Skype. Heather was in Australia doing work experience as a Physiotherapist. They spoke to each other every day and it did help a bit but Jan was still counting the days until Heather came home.
Mike was studying at the nearby Agricultural college. He was full of ideas to improve food production in a healthy way for both people and the environment. Mike had inherited his father's love of the land and right from the age of seven had had a stall selling produce from his own little vegetable patch. Mike was spending the Summer in Hungary working on a project called WOOF, nothing to do with dogs but an organization promoting world organic food .
A stamping of feet and happy chatter heralded the arrival of the men and Jan went to serve up their meal. They practically pounced on the rich delicious casserole and creamy mashed potato.
It was later as she was dishing up generous portions of Apple Crumble and clotted cream that Jan noticed that Piotr, the new Polish worker was quieter than usual and kept checking his phone.
' Everything alright Piotr? Any news from home''
She laid her hand on his shoulder.
Piotr looked up. His eyes looked unnaturally bright.
'My grandfather is very unwell and my mother wants me to go home. I know this is a difficult time for you with the farm work and I don't know what to do.'
David reached across the table and handed Piotr another helping of the Apple crumble.
'Tell you what Piotr, there are storms forecast for later in the week. What do you say that we work through the night and get the fields ready, then you can get one of those cheap flights that young people know all about. Oh and tell your grandfather that he's got a wonderful grandson.'
With that, David picked up his spoon and carried on eating. Piotr gave him a broad smile and then tapped away on his phone.
Jan fought back tears. Her heart swelled with love for her husband. He worked so hard and never said much, but when he did his words seemed to her to be pure gold.
In the dying dusk Jan looked out across the fields. She'd cleared away and given the men flasks of coffee laced with a dash of brandy to keep them going through the night and chunks of her best fruit cake. She could see the lights of the tractors moving steadily around the fields. The new moon lit up the hedgerows. She could even make out the lights of the fishing boats on the distant sea.
Jan thought of her daughter in Australia, her son in Hungary, Piotr longing to hold his grandfather one last time, the desperate people trying to cross the sea, the way the world seemed so small in the shadow of the vast sky above it and how the view held so much history. Just by looking at the view she could tell so many stories of the past, not just her own people but from around the world.
David had told her that his maternal grandmother Blanche had stood at that window watching her handsome young husband, his grandfather Archie march away in his smart new uniform, to come back a different man, a broken man haunted by terrible dreams for the rest of his life.
His other grandfather Arthur had stayed behind to look after the farm always considered an essential duty.
David's mother had stood watching the sea hoping that her husband would return safely from every dangerous mission to keep invaders from their shores. He did come back and was treated as a hero. David remembered him doing a victory roll in his Spitfire on one of the major anniversaries of the battle of Britain diving and swooping over the fields of his home to the delight of all the local children.
The farm had been kept going again by David's grandfather Arthur, helped by young women from London and from Italian and Polish workers.
Afterwards everyone thought that that would be that, everyone could get back to business, enjoying a sort of peaceful unity at last.
The world though seemed to Jan like the fields before her, forever changing, producing different crops and different challenges, some good some not so good.
She remembered a saying from her French class at school by Proust that had stuck in her mind. Something about the real journey being the way you look at something.
The voyage of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.
She thought again of the main items on the News, of the view in front of her. We have to keep on looking at the world with new eyes so we can do our bit to make it a better place for everyone.
In the early hours of the morning David crawled into bed. She could feel his weariness as he settled down next to her. She stroked his cheek and snuggled up against him, then her voice no more than a whisper moved towards his ear.
'That was so kind of you David, we can ask my nephew Brian to help until Piotr comes back, He's always happy to be with you. Everyone is.'
David sighed and turned towards her.
'My grandfather always told me there are three things that a human being has to learn to do. Eat properly and get along with other people.'
He shut his eyes and rolled over.
Jan touched him on the shoulder,
'That's only two, what's the third one?'
David's voice came husky and low.
'Get a good night's sleep.'
'My grandfather is very unwell and my mother wants me to go home. I know this is a difficult time for you with the farm work and I don't know what to do.'
David reached across the table and handed Piotr another helping of the Apple crumble.
'Tell you what Piotr, there are storms forecast for later in the week. What do you say that we work through the night and get the fields ready, then you can get one of those cheap flights that young people know all about. Oh and tell your grandfather that he's got a wonderful grandson.'
With that, David picked up his spoon and carried on eating. Piotr gave him a broad smile and then tapped away on his phone.
Jan fought back tears. Her heart swelled with love for her husband. He worked so hard and never said much, but when he did his words seemed to her to be pure gold.
In the dying dusk Jan looked out across the fields. She'd cleared away and given the men flasks of coffee laced with a dash of brandy to keep them going through the night and chunks of her best fruit cake. She could see the lights of the tractors moving steadily around the fields. The new moon lit up the hedgerows. She could even make out the lights of the fishing boats on the distant sea.
Jan thought of her daughter in Australia, her son in Hungary, Piotr longing to hold his grandfather one last time, the desperate people trying to cross the sea, the way the world seemed so small in the shadow of the vast sky above it and how the view held so much history. Just by looking at the view she could tell so many stories of the past, not just her own people but from around the world.
David had told her that his maternal grandmother Blanche had stood at that window watching her handsome young husband, his grandfather Archie march away in his smart new uniform, to come back a different man, a broken man haunted by terrible dreams for the rest of his life.
His other grandfather Arthur had stayed behind to look after the farm always considered an essential duty.
David's mother had stood watching the sea hoping that her husband would return safely from every dangerous mission to keep invaders from their shores. He did come back and was treated as a hero. David remembered him doing a victory roll in his Spitfire on one of the major anniversaries of the battle of Britain diving and swooping over the fields of his home to the delight of all the local children.
The farm had been kept going again by David's grandfather Arthur, helped by young women from London and from Italian and Polish workers.
Afterwards everyone thought that that would be that, everyone could get back to business, enjoying a sort of peaceful unity at last.
The world though seemed to Jan like the fields before her, forever changing, producing different crops and different challenges, some good some not so good.
She remembered a saying from her French class at school by Proust that had stuck in her mind. Something about the real journey being the way you look at something.
The voyage of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.
She thought again of the main items on the News, of the view in front of her. We have to keep on looking at the world with new eyes so we can do our bit to make it a better place for everyone.
In the early hours of the morning David crawled into bed. She could feel his weariness as he settled down next to her. She stroked his cheek and snuggled up against him, then her voice no more than a whisper moved towards his ear.
'That was so kind of you David, we can ask my nephew Brian to help until Piotr comes back, He's always happy to be with you. Everyone is.'
David sighed and turned towards her.
'My grandfather always told me there are three things that a human being has to learn to do. Eat properly and get along with other people.'
He shut his eyes and rolled over.
Jan touched him on the shoulder,
'That's only two, what's the third one?'
David's voice came husky and low.
'Get a good night's sleep.'
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