Llanelli Turk 'Cariad'

Chapter Two . Tea at Bethan's

Main Pic: - "I think the quarry was an ancient swamp, about, let's see... 'Upper carboniferous.' Say... three hundred million years ago."       

Chapter Two

Tea at Bethan's

The next morning was glorious. Jack Frost had been busy in the night, as there was glistening frost everywhere. Tried to open the window, but it had jammed because of the frost. Started to breathe out warm air on the jammed bit, shoved, and the window cracked open. I just wanted to breathe the cold fresh morning air. The sun was burning bright low in the sky, as it had just got up too. The sky was blue with no cloud. Not even one little fluff. I love mornings like this, so clean and new.

The starlings and sparrows were in conversation, while the jackdaws and magpies were grooming themselves as if they were to start the day by having an interview. Bluetits pecked away at the spiders webs that glistened on the lawn.

I hoped my mother had taken in the milk I thought, as the tits love to peck through the silver top to get to the cream at the top of the bottle. There were many seagulls' over-head making their way to the rubbish tip. What energy this view from my window gave me. I got out of bed and washed army style. Golly- gosh - the water was cold! Thank heavens the wash was only from the lower neck up. Got dressed before mother's normal drizzle-gray call of, "Leo! Are you up yet!" No need for ups-a-daisy this morning. I thought.

Scoffed my breakfast, and then asked mum if I could go to school by bike. 'No', came her speedy reply, with a, "It's not summer."

"Yes it is mum," I said, knowing of course that it was mid-winter and just seventeen days away from the shortest day of the year, which happens to be my brothers' birthday.

"Mummy, look at it." I said, while pointing to the window. "Over here mum." I held mother by the bottom of her woolly cardigan, and walked her over to Father's barometer.

...Must admit I was manic for some reason, maybe because of the dreams I had had about Mavis's big-ones, or simply that the morning was so glorious. In any case, I wanted to go to school on my bike. I knew that days like this last maybe for a few days. I mean, that the day will not cloud over. Well, mostly not anyway, - but, yet again. One can never tell down this way.

"Look mum, the barometer points to the sun."

"Yes and where is this one pointing to?"

"Twelve."

"And here it says what? - Where is the red liquid?"

"Nothing, I mean zero."

"Yes. Exactly, it says zero-nothing, which means that there's no temperature outside. It's too cold. Sorry, but you can't take your bike."

"Oh, Mum, please! Tommy O' Shey, Hugh Hughes and Kieran Dunne take their bikes to school, even when it's raining.

Why can't I?"

"They catch colds all the time, always coughing and have runny noses."

"Please mum, only today I'll dress warm, - two jumpers, and two socks."