The Happy Wanderers

By Margaret Grant

The Happy Wanderers is based on actual memories of the 1950s, when children were allowed so much freedom. This work of fiction explores the characters, relationships and escapades of six special friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781326477059

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Published by ScruffyRed Press

Kilmarnock

www.scruffyred.com

The right of Margaret Grant to be identified as the author of this work, has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act, 1988. ©John Grant, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-326-47705-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any other form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publishers. This book may not be lent, hired out, resold or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the publishers.

Designed and typeset by ScruffyRed.com

Cover design © John Grant and Son

To contact the author: -

[e-mail]

Version: November 12, 2015 8:02 PM

Synopsis

The Happy Wanderers is based on actual childhood memories of the 1950s, when children were allowed so much freedom. This fictional book explores the characters, friendships and escapades of six special friends.

Thanks

A special thanks must go to my husband John and my son John, for the front cover illustration. Thanks also to my son John for publishing. I am very grateful to my sisters - Lorna, Rowena and Joan - for their invaluable contributions. By recalling so many hilarious events and interesting characters from our childhood, they have given me enough material for several books.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.

Marion C Garretty

Acknowledgements

I have written this book for my grandchildren: -

Joseph Adams

Holly Lumsden

Calum Grant

Nina Adams

Isla Grant

Strath Lumsden

Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

It’s double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble if you’re blessed with twins.

Unknown

Chapter 1

Rosie! Sally! Get in here this minute! I want a word with you two. Mr Dunlop was leaning out of the window of number twenty-four, his face screwed up in anger.

From the pavement, they stared at him in disbelief. When their mild-mannered dad looked this cross, they knew that they were in deep trouble. How did he find out? they whispered.

This was an all-too-frequent occurrence for madcap twins, Rosie and Sally Dunlop. Born during the population explosion after the Second World War, they had the choice of so many playmates at home and in school, yet for the most part, they preferred each other’s company. Like most twins, when they joined forces in a naughty project, they ended up in double the trouble.

They didn’t look like twins. In fact, they didn’t even look like sisters. They were such complete opposites that people described them as Chalk and Cheese.

Rosie was the more serious and responsible one who believed that it was her duty to look after Sally. This was entirely due to the fact that Sally was such an outrageous daredevil. Rosie was the taller, with long brown hair, usually worn in pigtails. She had an oval face, greenish-blue eyes and a dimple on her chin. Unlike her extremely messy sister, Rosie was tidy and very fussy about her hair. Her pigtails had to be just so, tied with ribbons, in a perfect bow. This was her only vanity, as she didn’t mind getting her clothes a little dirty or crumpled, as long as it was in a good cause - fun. She was artistic and an avid reader, but above all, loved singing, dancing and listening to music on the radio. Her dream was to become an all-round entertainer when she grew up.

In the meantime, she played a mouth organ at every opportunity, encouraging her sister and friends to sing along. This was especially true when they were out and about, having one of their regular adventures. Every time she slipped the mouth organ from her pocket, she smiled, looked at each of her friends in turn and asked, Any requests? Sister Sally, always ready with a wisecrack, replied, Yes, don’t play it. No matter how many times Rosie heard this response, she couldn’t stop herself from laughing. With their shared sense of humour, the twins could insult each other without giving offence. When they found something to be really funny, they often fell together in hysterics.

Despite her youth, Rosie understood that music could raise their spirits when they were having a bad day. After a singing session, she’d ask, All feeling better now? Their happy faces always provided the answer she was hoping for.

By comparison, twin sister Sally was small for her age, with a round, angelic face. Her shoulder-length hair was auburn with soft, loose curls. Unlike Rosie, she took little or no interest in her general appearance. If the truth be told, she deliberately made herself look messy to annoy her sister. For example; every night before bed, when Rosie was folding her school uniform neatly over the back of a chair, Sally watched in silence. She then coughed loudly to attract Rosie’s attention. Ahem. Keeping eye contact with Rosie for maximum effect, she rolled her own school uniform into a ball, chucked it on the floor from a great height and jumped all over it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she followed up by kicking it around the bedroom, laughing all the while. When the clothes were sufficiently crumpled, she lost interest. Now resembling a bundle of rags, they were left on the floor overnight. Giggling at Rosie’s obvious horror, she jumped into bed, and fell asleep straight away, totally unconcerned about looking like a scarecrow in the morning.

Everyone admired Sally’s beautiful big brown eyes and the golden freckles which covered her face. Everyone, that is, except Sally, who hated freckles with a vengeance!

She was a whiz kid with her mum’s second-hand sewing machine, and was unrivalled at remodelling unwanted clothes and curtains. Aware of this talent, friends and family donated old items, which she stored in a case under her bed, until they were needed.

Her friends greatly appreciated her particular skills, when their clothes were ripped during any rough and tumble. No matter how spick and span they looked when they set off on an outing, they habitually returned in a grubby and shabby condition. Thanks to Sally’s attention, their parents were none the wiser regarding missing buttons, fallen hems, tears and holes. Luckily for them, their mothers were so used to coping with the dirt, that they no longer seemed to register that.

Like so many girls, Sally loved her weekly comic which she shared with Rosie. She was especially excited when it was delivered with a freebie ring, despite the fact that it would be missing within a matter of hours. You see, because she was so small for her age, it was usually too wide and during ball games, flew off her finger, never to be seen again. She had a passion for climbing trees and would scale heights which were far too daring for other kids.

To encourage her obsession with netball, her dad had fixed a basic netball hoop to the back wall of the house. As a result of constant practice, Sally could throw a ball higher and more accurately than anyone else around. Always prepared for a game, she never left home without a ball, of which she had many. Due to her extremely untidy nature, they generally rolled about the house and garden, an accident waiting to happen.

Because of her very loud voice, she was aptly nicknamed Foghorn by her mother. Despite this, she refused to sing or recite in public, always encouraging a willing Rosie to perform in her place.

The girls had a secret mission; to find a substance which could destroy Sally’s freckles. Their investigations took them on wild goose chases through chemist shops, outdoor markets and Bring-and-Buy sales. Although they searched high and low, the perfect product was never discovered.

Rosie would have preferred to use her pocket money to buy books, ribbons or save a little in her piggy-bank. Nevertheless, she was often coaxed to part with some cash when Sally saw an advertisement for an expensive new freckle cure.

The quicker we find a cure, the sooner you’ll be able to fill your piggy-bank, Rosie, Sally argued, while Rosie just shook her head.

One of these so-called cures was named Freckless. It promised to eradicate all freckles overnight. In wild anticipation, Rosie helped Sally to rub the foul-smelling cream on her face before bedtime. They were so excited that they hardly slept a wink all night. Are you still awake, Sally? whispered Rosie at midnight. Yes, because I can’t wait to see what I’ll look like with no hideous freckles. If it works on my face, then I’m going to buy more and cover my whole body. Those freckles on my arms and back are as big as cornflakes, she said, shuddering in disgust.

Rosie had a sudden premonition. Mum and Dad will have an absolute fit if your skin suddenly changes to blank white, she warned. Too late, a little voice in her head was whispering that perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

As it turned out, her worries were unfounded. After a long night of tossing and turning and dreams of flawless complexions, the girls were devastated to see that every freckle was in its rightful place in the morning light. Undeterred, Sally repeated the process nightly until the jar was empty. Needless to say, the freckles still stared back at her from the mirror on the last morning. What a tragedy!

On their way to school, Sally was unusually quiet. Aware of her sister’s disappointment, and wanting to cheer her up, Rosie pulled the mouth organ from her pocket. Any requests, Sally? she said. She couldn’t hide her smile as she waited for Sally’s usual cheeky reply. Yes. Don’t play it. Rosie’s infectious laughter immediately restored Sally’s high spirits and they fell together, laughing.

Alas, Rosie had once again wasted a large part of her pocket money on rubbish, instead of putting it in her piggy-bank. Being interested in the natural world, she was keen to buy a microscope. She had read that they could magnify tiny particles and living things, dozens of times over, until they could be seen by the naked eye.

On the other hand, Sally was so focused on destroying her freckles that she didn’t care how much money was wasted, and was determined that