Very hot morning in Pat & Brian's garden sheltering in the shade of the porch we listened to many different stories on the word Ramshackle.
Pat's, Jamie's journey from the States and bonding with their Uncle.
Sally, Gypsy Black Jack's caravan and Ben playing near the quarry.
Ann, Brecon Beacons in the storm and a refuge manned by ghosts.
Sue a widow who makes a new life for herself by buying a boat
Sheila, a holiday cottage that despite appearances was spotless.
Joan, a boys holiday with grandparents and wood carving.
John,A husband has a fling then becomes a detective.
Brian, A hedge layer and a good lunch.
My effort was about a holiday in Wales.
"When the day broke" is next month's
Joan Read was the winner
Ramshackle
Ramshackle what kind of word is that 10 year old Danny Green said to himself, his mother had just called his bedroom this, that's two words put together if he remembered right ram meant to barge into something and shackle was something that slave traders used in the olden days well at least that's what they said on the history channel. So how could his bedroom be this, he hadn't as far as he could remember rammed anything and he had no chains whatsoever so what did his mother mean.
Ok his bedroom was a tip, but then he hated cleaning, if he did he could never find anything, but as his grandparents were visiting this weekend, he supposed he better make an effort. He started by hanging up his coats folding his jumpers and putting away his trainers but all the while he was thinking about that word he got the cleaner from the cupboard and started to hoover as he knocked into the wardrobe he thought this could be the ram part because he had done that before. When he had finished he decided to look through his drawers to see if he could find anything like shackles all he found was a pair of handcuffs that were part of a game he had been given when he was 8 years old perhaps this is what his mother meant for the second part of the word but why did she put the two together he just didn't understand.
At last he heard the door open down stairs, it was his father home for lunch, he ran down to meet him, but before he could say anything his mother said lunch is on the table and woe betide them if they were late. Whilst they were eating he was about to talk to his father when the phone rang it was an emergency call from the fire station his dad was a voluntary fireman so he had to go straight away luckily they lived quite close. Danny was very proud of him, so much so, that he was going to be a fireman when he was old enough. His father gave them both a quick kiss and rushed out the door so Danny was still left wondering about ramshackle.
He began to ask his mother questions whilst she was washing up "was the garden a ramshackle" "certainly not" was her reply "what about the utility room" he said "for goodness sake Danny the only ramshackle place in this house is your bedroom". Danny went back to his room and decided that he must be a terrible boy if it was only his room that was affected by this. He sat on his bed and was still there when his mother came up to ask him if he wanted a drink she could see that something was wrong "what's up Danny why are you not on your play station" he told his mother all about it and was surprised when she laughed out loud she said "you silly boy if you had looked it up you would have discovered that ramshackle is a very old word but all it means is that your bedroom was a mess but looking at it now its um shall we say pristine" and she went back down stairs still laughing. Danny thought pristine oh no not again, where did I put that dictionary?
