THE STATIONMASTER'S DAUGHTER

Chapter 8

The weeks flew by. It would soon be Easter; our first visitors were expected. Everyone wanted to come and stay now that we were near the sea. The first ones to come were Auntie Midge, Uncle Gordon and Jennifer. I was quite looking forward to them coming until I realised that I would have to share my bedroom with Jennifer. Neil would move into my parents' room and Auntie Midge and Uncle Gordon would have Neil's room. With no transport other than the train, we still hadn't managed to get to any beach so far. The first Saturday they were with us, we all caught the train down to Padstow. It was a lovely quaint town with a busy fishing harbour, and lots of gift shops, cafes and of course, fish and chips. Uncle Gordon bought us fish and chips for our lunch; his way of saying thanks for having them to stay. After all, it was a cheap holiday for them.
 
In the evenings, the grown-ups would play cards, seated around the table in the kitchen, and us kids would be allowed to play in the sitting room.
 
There was never anywhere to go on a Sunday, as there were no trains, so it was either go for a walk or stay around the house.
 
We decided to take our visitors for a walk along the railway tracks on the Sunday. It was something they would never be able to do at home. The gaps between the sleepers were a bit too big for my little legs, so I would walk at the side. Neil and Jennifer were carried on their dads' shoulders. It was very enjoyable, just enjoying the peace and the quiet and looking at the scenery. In places, where the bank wasn't too steep, we could scramble down, climb over the fence into one of the fields and wander across the countryside.
 
The next visitors to arrive at Whitsun were both grandmothers, who came by train and stayed a couple of weeks. My mother obviously wanted her mother to come and stay, they had been very close, but my father wanted his mother to come and stay too and insisted they both came at the same time. Neil was moved yet again into my bedroom so the two grandmothers could share his. I don't have many happy memories of their visits. The two grandmothers didn't like each other very much and were always bickering. My mum and dad always seemed to be arguing. They should have visited at different times, but my dad realised that his mother-in-law would be visiting more than his mother as my mother didn't get on with her mother-in-law. I was always pleased when they left, although my maternal grandmother spent a lot of time with me, helping me to knit, sew and embroider.
 
Several months after we moved in a strange smell developed in the hall, we couldn't understand where it was coming from. The large cupboard under the stairs didn't have anything in it that would produce the awful smell, it was a complete mystery. After a week or so of this smell, we discovered what it was. One of the lower stairs gave way when my dad stood on it and he fell through! We had wet rot. Water had been seeping through the exterior wall and rotted the wood on the stairs. For a week or so I had to be lifted over the hole to get up and down the stairs until it was fixed. We also had to make sure that neither of the cats disappeared down under the stairs.
 
Soon it would be the summer holidays. Us kids couldn't wait, but the real excitement would begin with the arrival of the first of the extra trains run in the peak holiday season. My father would have the dates and the countdown would begin, weeks, then days, then finally hours. These special trains would never stop at our small station, so it was important to be on the platform ready, because if you blinked you would miss it!
 
We would all gather on the platform, the signalman would get the message that the train had left Tresmeer. The signal showed the line was clear. We all wanted to be the first to hear it, then the first to see it as it came round the last bend. The shouts would then start up.
 
'I can hear it.'
 
'No you can't, it's too soon.'
 
'Yes I can, so there.'
 
'I can see it.'
 
'There it is, I saw it first.'
 
Nearer and nearer the train came; suddenly with clouds of black smoke and white steam, rattle of wheels and shriek of whistle, this monster of an engine would roar through the station pulling carriages full of holidaymakers all bound for their summer holiday. The driver and fireman would give us a quick wave, also the guard at the back.
 
'Did you get the name?' One of us would shout.
 
'I think I got the number,' shouted another of us, 'but how many carriages were there?'
 
'12, I counted 12,' would come a reply.
 
'It's a new number,' came yet another voice.
 
Then just as suddenly as it began, the excitement was all over. Until the next train of course.