The post War years were tough on Britain; although on the "winning" side, shortages and rationing continued well into the 1950s. But, life went on. It had to.
Michael and Jeannine (better known as Jenny) met at a dance in the suburbs of London in 1946. He had just been de-mobbed, she was a telephone operator. He asked her for a date and she said she would think about it. Before the end of the evening she made up her mind and had arranged to meet him outside the local cinema the following Saturday. The film showing was Great Expectations and the critics had been singing its praises.
Afterwards, as he walked her home, she said, "I thought that the film was marvellous, but I can't image living anywhere as barren as those Kent marshes."
"Oh, I don't know. I think you can probably get used to it after a while. It would be quiet and away from the madness of the city."
She looked sideways at him, wondering how he could speak with such certainty.
They talked as they walked and learned about each other -- up to a point. Although Jenny was prepared to talk about her time as a Land Girl, Michael would only say that he was in the Army, based somewhere in Scotland. Try as she might, she got no more out of him. His mystery intrigued and attracted her. She had no reason to mistrust him or doubt that he was anything but honest.
A year later they married. A year after that, George their son was born.
*****
In 1949, Michael decided that he had worked for long enough in the insurance industry. He had long harboured a dream which he now shared with Jenny. Bored being a housewife and mother (the Post Office would not take her back -- it was their rule) and totally devoted to her husband, she listened as he explained what he planned to do. The arrangements were well under way before Jenny plucked up enough courage to tell her Mother Amanda, one Sunday afternoon.
"Mummy," She said. "We've got something to tell you."
"You're pregnant again at last!" she exclaimed, jumping to the wrong conclusion, her face lighting up.
"No Mummy, we aren't having another baby. We're moving."
"Oh. Oh, well that's god Darling. I always thought that your place was a bit pokey. Three bedrooms will make it easier for Georgie to have a little brother or sister. Whereabouts are you going to?" She hoped it wouldn't be too far so that she could visit fairly often.
"Um, the Shetlands."
Amanda paused for a moment. At first she was trying to work out what part of London Shetlands was in. And then realisation dawned.
"You mean Shetlands, as in Scotland?"
Jenny nodded.
"But what will you do there?"
"We're going to become sheep farmers."
"But you don't know anything about sheep! Michael works in an office!"
"Actually, Michael knows quite a bit about farming. His family were farmers until they died." Amanda already knew that he had lost his parents to a freak accident when a downed Me110 crashed into their house in 1941."
"But what about you? You've never been on a farm in your life. You were born and raised in the city. Besides, when will I get to see little Georgie?" Tears were forming at the corner of her eyes.
The pleading and begging for them to stay continued for most of the next three months, but eventually the day came and the Michael, Jenny and George left in a Removal van for Scotland. They didn't have many possessions, just some furniture, bedding and clothing. They promised Amanda to write often and send pictures of George (which was going to be a bit tricky as there were no shops, pubs or post offices on the island -- they would have to travel many miles to the mainland).
*****
Discovery Island was named so long ago that nobody knew how it got its name. The farm was at its southern end and consisted of a number of outbuildings and pens and two cottages that stood side-by-side. Michael and Jenny occupied one and Jim (the resident farm hand) the other.
The sheep were allowed to graze on the rest of the island, being moved from area to area as needed. Six square miles was a reasonable area to cover and so they used a couple of ex-Army Land Rovers to get around. Amazingly, after only four short years they were making a go of it. With help from Jack the farmhand, with the necessary expertise, they quickly grew the flock and were able turn a modest profit from the wool and the meat. Georgie had grown strong and healthy, thoroughly enjoying the outdoor life. His Mother took care of his schooling, using a radio to link them to the mainland education authorities for guidance and oversight. Everybody was happy.
Except Amanda. Widowed during the war, she hadn't once seen her grandson since the family left for the Scottish Islands and had begun to feel very lonely. When Jenny asked yet again that she come and stay for a visit, she finally gave in and made arrangements to leave the security of London for the far reaches of the British Isles. The journey was pretty arduous -- she took the night train to Aberdeen and then had to stay in a hotel the next evening due to inclement weather. The ferry left the following morning for Shetland. After another overnight stop, from there she caught the Island Mailboat to Discovery.
As the boat neared the jetty, Amanda could see both Jenny and Georgie waving to her. She smiled broadly and waved back, excited at the prospect of meeting her five year old grandson -- and seeing her daughter again.
The skipper of the craft skilfully manoeuvred the boat until it bumped gently against the jetty. A member of the crew casually stepped across and secured the bow, then walked to the stern and wrapped a second rope around a bollard that then held the boat in place. A third member of the crew first lifted a box onto the wooden planking and then transferred Amanda's suitcase alongside it.
"Anything for us today Jenny?" he said.
"Not today, Roy." Jenny picked up the three pieces of post from the box and handed it back to him.
Turning to Amanda, Roy said, "Here you go Lass. I'll help you across."
Amanda took his hand and stepped gingerly from the boat to the jetty. The tweed skirt she was wearing was just a little tight for the stride and as a result rode up her thighs, displaying a hint of stocking top.
Jenny smiled at her Mother as she quickly adjusted her skirt -- typical of the woman to insist on being dressed correctly at all times. Amanda stepped forward and hugged her daughter briefly, giving her a peck on the cheek. She stepped back and marvelled at just how well she looked -- even though she was only dressed in trousers and a scruffy jumper. And then she looked down at George, sinking down to her knees, careless that she might catch her stockings on the rough planking.
"And you must be George! What a strong, handsome boy you've become," she exclaimed delightedly. You won't remember me, but I'm your Grandmother. You can call me.."
"Hello Granny!" he interrupted excitedly. "Welcome to Discovery! I've been looking forward to seeing you for so long!"
Amanda was very impressed both by his manners and his apparent self-confidence. Something she hadn't been expecting. He was the only child on the island and without friends of his own age she had held concerns that his development would be held back.
"Come on," he said. "We'll take you to see the farm."
With that, he promptly grabbed the handle of Amanda's suitcase and attempted to lift it. Her eyebrows lifted visibly when, not only did he lift it, but then proceeded to carry it along the jetty.
"Such a strong boy," she murmured to Jenny. "What are you feeding him on?"
"Porridge in the morning, lots of vegetables from the kitchen garden and of course, lamb," Jenny answered.
The two women linked arms and followed along. Amanda looked back over her shoulder and saw that the Mailboat -- their only physical link with the outside world was already moving away from the dock.
The vehicle was parked fifty yards up the track and was already facing away, so George put the suitcase down and opened the back door. By the time the women got to him, he was struggling to lift the heavy bag in. Strong as he might be for his age, it was just a little too high for him.
"Thank you, my big little boy. I'll do that shall I?" Jenny said.
With the suitcase safely stowed in the back, George ran round to the passenger side front door and opened it for his Grandmother to get in. It was a slightly awkward manoeuvre due to the tight skirt, but she still managed to achieve the objective with an amount of dignity.
After a relatively short but slow journey along rough tracks, steadily climbing away from the coast, they arrived at the farm. It consisted of two joined cottages, a number of out buildings including stables, three pens for sheep (which were currently empty) and an area given over to vegetable growing.
Amanda got out of the vehicle and looked at the cottages; they were low in height, but although they appeared to be one storey in construction, a second floor had been built into the high-pitched, tiled roofs, with windows to provide light to the interior. Turning to look back at the way they had come, she gasped at the panoramic view; it was a beautiful day with little cloud to obscure the brilliant blue sky. The sun glinted off the waves, which was only disturbed by the faint white wake of the Mailboat that was by now far away near the horizon. The air was clean and pure.
"Mummy," Jenny called to get her Mother's attention. "As you know, we've only got two bedrooms in our cottage, so I hope you don't mind, but we've put you in the other cottage with Jack."
Amanda hadn't thought about the sleeping arrangements; living in a four bedroom house herself, it hadn't occurred to her.
"Jack?" she questioned.
"Yes, he's our farmhand come shepherd. We would never have been able to survive without him. Don't worry, he's perfectly OK with it and you'll have the privacy of your own room. It has a small kitchen downstairs next to the sitting room, but we always eat together in our cottage. The bathroom is more modern than ours. I know you'll have to share with Jack, but I hope it's not too much of a hardship?"
Amanda was silent for a moment -- perhaps if she had known in advance, she wouldn't have come. However, now she was here...
