Oh what a day!!!!

As I was saying in my last blog, my friends and I had enjoyed a couple of trouble free trips to our local orchard---picking apples and pares. I was ten at this time. Being very clever ---sneaking in and out like ninjas or so we thought. Little did we know, the owner of said orchard had seen us on our second trip and it seems that scrumping whether  you're a ninja or not, was not going down well with Mr. Davies (owner of orchard). After planning our third trip to restock our tree house with much needed fruit (we were also Robin Hood and his merry men part time) we arrived at lunchtime as we knew or thought we knew everyone would be eating. We also made the biggest mistake of all which was climbing the same tree. As I was in mid pick, I heard this voice from below saying "now then young Jim what will Joe have to say about this?" (I never knew that was my grandfather's name at that time). I realised straight away that it was the village bobby (policeman). He said "now you can all get down here" so I and my mates Mark and Paul (they were brothers) climbed down to meet our fate. "Now" said the bobby as he gave us each a slap round the face "you two can go home" he meant Mark and Paul. "Why them" I asked--another slap was the answer "because you and me young Jim are going to see your grandfather Joe!" (the penny then dropped oh sod) .



We arrived at my home about twenty minutes later having walked in total silence when my gran answered the door. She said "hello Fred" he said "hello Louise is Joe in?" my gran just looked at me and said "I will get him". At this point, I was thinking this is going to be so easy. My grandfather had never raised a hand to me or his voice so I was expecting, at worst, being sent to my room for the day (wrong). "Hi Joe" said Fred as my grandfather appeared at the front door. He explained what had happened at the orchard even the slapping he gave me. Joe said nothing but when Fred had finished he said,  "okay I'll see you Saturday at the pub with a little extra" (I will explain in next blog).  He said thanks to Fred and told me to go to the living room and wait.

After an hour, he came to me and in his usual calm manner said "this is what you will do for the next two weeks of your school holiday and if you say one word it will be extended for the rest of the holidays. You will get up, clean out the chickens and collect the eggs, muck out the rabbits and put in clean straw then go back to your room and do not come down unless it is time to eat." 

You have to remember in the 60s a bedroom contained a bed, wardrobe and my books which were confiscated.

The worst two weeks of my life so far!!!

So much for easy!