'Oh lovely.' she said over breakfast. 'I expect it's from Bluebell. You're better at reading small writing than I am Jenny, read it out will you dear.'
Jenny read aloud:
'Dear Miss Mawpin. It is with deep regret that I write to inform you of the impending closure of the Countryside museum. We wish to return the exhibit labelled 'Miss Birdie Stump' to you, this coming Friday, at approximately 11am. If this is not convenient please kindly inform us by return of post.
Yours Faithfully
Ivor Musty. Museum Curator.'
Ma and Jenny sat in silence looking at each other. This news had just spoilt their whole day.
'Oh Jenny what are we going to do now.' sighed Ma.
Jenny looked worried.
'Birdie won't live in the house with us, will she Ma? I don't like her and I know she doesn't like me either.'
Ma sighed again.
'No, Pinny's the only one I ever want to live in our house and Pinny hates Birdie. Pinny's bitten her several times.'
'Where will she live then Ma?' asked Jenny.
'In the barn I suppose.' said Ma, thinking of all the trouble and arguments that Birdie always caused even on her short visits.
'I can't put Birdie outside, she's too old.' then Ma smiled weakly. 'Plus Birdie can even scare the poor robins away. Luckily she's coming back Friday just as Pinny goes to the boat show so that will keep the two of them apart this weekend at least.'
'Couldn't Birdie live with Aunty Bluebell or Aunty Primrose instead?' hoped Jenny, crossing her fingers and wishing.
'Oh no.' said Ma. 'Bluebell is like our Mother, she's very strict with her gang and Miss Birdie doesn't like being told what to do, it would be like tying two cats tails together in a sack, the fur would soon fly, and as for poor little Primrose, well she has enough to do with her large gang without us giving her any extra work. No Jenny, this has always been Birdie's home so we'll just have to sort something out ourselves.'
Ma had asked Miss Peel's daughter if she could buy any marmalade that might still be in her Mother's old shed where the fire had happened.
'Oh please just help yourself my dear.'Citronella Peel had said. 'I can't stand the stuff. Take anything else you want from the cottage too, have it all for free. The old place is going to be pulled down soon and I don't want anything.'
So as it was still the school summer holidays Ma asked Jenny and her friends to take the pram and go and find as many jars of marmalade as they could.
While Billy looked through the remains of the dirty burnt out shed, the silly triplets had a look in the cottage kitchen. The roof had fallen in on the main part of the cottage but the kitchen was a lean-to at the back and was perfectly safe. There was still a small amount of furniture inside, some curtains and a pantry stacked with jars of jam, pickles and marmalade. Suddenly a wonderful idea jumped into Jenny’s head.
The children put all the jars they could find in a huge pile and then used the pram to take it back to Ma. They had to make two trips as there were over a hundred free jars of marmalade for the scarecrow's suppers, plus enough Jam and pickle to last the whole village a life time. Ma was absolutely thrilled and said the children must take lots of the jam and pickles home to their parents. Then Jenny whispered her idea to Ma whilst everyone had a picnic lunch in the garden. It had to be jam rolls and sausage tarts, because Ma had got the two muddled up the day before. Ooty spend at least an hour deciding, in between mouthfuls, whether he liked sausage tart dusted in icing sugar or not, by the time he decided it was no.. he’d already eaten it.
Ma thought Jenny's idea sounded fun.
'Right you lot.' said Jenny. 'I've had an idea and Ma says it's OK, so what do you think about us cleaning out the garden shed this afternoon and making it into a club house. We can use all the things from Miss Peel's cottage and it'll be drier than the hedgerow camp in the winter.'
'Wow Jen that's an excellent idea.' said Billy.
'More than excellent Bill, it's brilliant.' squealed the twins, 'come on let’s go and have a look now.'
The shed was at the back of the garden, quietly tucked away behind the tall frames of runner beans. The roof was sound and inside it was not too bad, mainly spiders and flowerpots.
Ooty checked it out for mickies but only found a fat frog taking forty winks in a watering can, so he chased it out and gave the shed the all-clear. Peg dealt with the spiders, she was the only one who liked them and carried them all carefully outside. Then Jenny and Bill gave it a good sweeping out while Meg washed the window and they all helped to bag up the rubbish. Then it was off back to Miss Peel's cottage. The three girls raced through the orchard laughing and screaming as they pushed Billy in the pram. He was screaming too, clinging on to the sides desperately trying to stop himself from bouncing out. Ooty was glad to walk this time. The sausage tart in his tummy didn’t fancy a pram ride.
First they took the two pale blue kitchen chairs and put them in the pram. Then a small yellow stool and a handy fold up table was balanced on top. Billy climbed into the sink and got the kitchen curtains down and the twins put some cups, plates, nic naks and pictures in an old basket and a few cardboard boxes. It was a struggle getting it all back to the shed but everyone was so excited, they were really enjoying themselves.
Jenny washed the red check curtains in Ma's water butt and hung them on the washing line while the others arranged the furniture and Billy nailed up the pictures of poodle dogs and horses ploughing. A wooden fruit crate was dragged from the orchard to use as another seat. The club house did look good.
'Sid would have loved this.' said Meg when they had finished tidying up.
'Loved it? laughed Billy ‘He would have moved in.'
'I hope we do see him again one day.' sighed Peg.
'Yep, he was the best mate a man could have.' said Billy looking around for something else he could nail with his hammer.
Ma brought the children out some drinks of lemon squash to see how they were getting on.
'Heavens above.' she declared. 'If I'd have known I was coming to Buckingham Palace I'd have worn my best hat.'
'We've got curtains too' said Jenny excitedly 'they're on the washing line. Can my friend's stay to tea Ma, so we can have our first shed club meeting tonight?'
'Of course.' said Ma. 'But all go and ask your parents first and take some jars of pickles and jam with you.'
That evening the four contented friends all crammed into the club house to enjoy eggs, chips and bacon with strawberries and cold custard for pud. Ooty just had a plate of bacon and custard.
Billy had nailed the dry curtains to the window frame, he loved nailing things, and Ma had given them a clean red tablecloth and hung a small paraffin lamp from the roof.
'Right now, quiet everyone.' said Bill tapping his knife on the table.
'As this is the first official meeting of the shed club I think we should all say thank you to Jenny for making it all possible.'
'Billy and the twins then clapped and Jenny went bright pink.
'Next.' Said Billy. 'I would like to propose a motion – That means ask a question in proper club language. So I would like to ask the new shed club if we can have a new member, because now that Sid's gone I'm the only man left and I feel a bit out numbered.'
'Who's the new member then Bill ?' asked Peg.
'Spike.' said Bill.
'But you had a fight with him last week didn't you?' asked Meg.
'Well we had a bit of a scrap,' admitted Billy 'but I won and now we're mates again. He's not a patch on Sid as a best mate but I'm guessing he'll want to try out for the job once he hears Sid's gone.'
'We'll need to vote on it.' said Peg. 'That's the proper way to run a club.'
'I know that.' said Bill 'I know all about running clubs. So members, if Spike can join the shed club, raise your hands and say aye.'
Everyone raised their hands and said aye.
'Motion carried.' said Bill. 'That's the prope
r club thing to say again. I'll tell Spike he's in tomorrow - and to bring his own chair.'
John Johnson hated his name. He said it was stupid having the same name twice and made him sound like he had a stutter. He preferred to be known as Spike, which suited him better anyway because his white blonde hair was as spiky as a hotchie. He was really pleased to be allowed to join the shed club and brought an old beer crate with him as a chair, but then he upset Billy straight away by asking Jenny to the midsummer ball.
'Tough.' said Bill. 'Jen's already going with me.'
'Told you.' giggled the twins together both nudging Jenny.
This was all news to Jenny, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to make Bill look silly in front of Spike plus she desperately wanted to go to the ball anyway.