Thursday dawned a bit overcast, British summers! You can’t guarantee the weather for two days on the trot! With Ally helping out at Sylv’s Salon and Bernie at her Gran’s for the day, after an early training ride, Rhod and I joined Mad at her place.

“Hi guys”
“Hi Mad”
“Hiya” Rhod agreed
“What are we gonna do? It looks like it’s gonna rain later” I queried
“How about coming and giving me a hand with the shopping,“ Mrs suggested from the doorway, “with the Americans coming I’m sure I’ll need to be stocked up”
“I suppose you’re going to Sainsbury’s?” Mad asked
“Well, tell you what, how about we go to Meadowhall, I can do Sainsbury’s there then we can do the shops, maybe the cinema?” Aunt C offered
“Sounds better than sitting around all day” Rhod mentioned
“Yeah, that sounds okay” I agreed
“Looks like you’ve all agreed” Mad started
“Well?” I started
“Sounds good to me too” she finished
“In that case we’ll leave in about half an hour” Mrs P stated.
“I’ll show you the pictures from the weekend” Maddy enthused

 
“Wow Drew, you really did meet J.K.Rowling” Rhod exclaimed
“I did say! Didn’t you believe me?”
“Well it did sound like a bit of a tall tale” he admitted
“Pity I had to be dressed as a girl at the time” I remarked
“What do you mean pity? You make a very nice Hermione” Mad told us
“Come on kids, let’s go!” Aunt Carol stopped the conversation before I could get all uppity.
“Coming” Mad answered

 
Well I think I’ve told you about Meadowhall before. Because we were hitting the supermarket first we parked round by the west entrance instead of the more usual East end at Debenhams. I’m not going to bore you silly with an account of supermarket shopping, suffice to say, Mrs P filled two big shopping trolleys! I mean, that is a serious amount of food! Rhod and Mrs P took the trolleys out to the car and Mad and I went to claim a table at Massarella’s, the coffee shop hiding under the escalators. The aromas of the fresh coffee always make me sort of drowsy so I wasn’t really concentrating.

 
“It’s quite exciting isn’t it?” Mad started
“What is?”
“Dur! The girls coming tomorrow”
“I guess, I wish I had a lad coming though” I moaned
“Oh come on Drew, Britney seems really nice”
“I never said she wasn’t, I just wish that it was a boy that was coming”
“Hmmpf” Mad snorted
“Sorry we were so long, I didn’t realise there was so much there.” Aunt C mentioned as she and Rhod grabbed seats, “have you ordered?”
“Yes mum” Mad replied

Right on cue our coffees arrived, the waitress unloaded the drinks and left us.

 
“Are you two organised for your visitors?” Aunt Carol asked
“Yeah Dan’s sharing with me” Rhod told us
“What about you Drew, you’ve got two girls coming haven’t you?”
“Yeah, Britney and her sister Deborah or Debbie, something like that” I answered
“So you won’t be sharing then” Mrs P stated
“Not likely, I’m moving into the spare room and they’re having my room because I’ve got more space”
“Poor Drew” Mad commiserated

 
We finished our drinks and headed upstairs to Smith’s. I reckon just about anyone can spend an hour in there! Books, magazines, Cd’s, well you get the sort of idea. I went to look for the new Terry Brooks book, Mad went to check out the music department, Aunt Carol went to look for a cookbook and Rhod set off to browse the magazines. We each migrated around the store and as if carefully choreographed all arrived at the tills just about together!

“Lets have a look to see what films are on” Mrs P suggested
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that” Rhod mentioned
“What?” I asked
“Scooby Doo, but it’s a bit childish” he moaned
“Well I’m game if that’s what you want to see.” Mad’s Mum told us.
“Cool! Mad?” Rhod enquired
“Why not, might as well make the most of having you here Mum!”

Rhod was really chuffed that we were going to see the film, Sylv never seemed to have a moment off work and apparently his Dad thought the film ‘immature’. When we left the cinema two hours later we were all laughing, especially Aunt Carol! Wooooooo, Spooky Island rocks and SMG was brilliant as her purpleness, Daphne.

 
“Come on, let’s get you home” Mrs P stated.
“Oh Muuum!” Mad pointed towards the shops and pouted
“You can come over next week with Sabrina” her Mum suggested
“Ooh goody!” Mad smiled and did a silent clap
“Girls” I mentioned, which earnt me a hard stare from Mad, Rhod said nothing.

 
We walked through the centre to get to the car, then had to dodge the rain to cross the car park. After leaving the car park and joining the almost constant queue of traffic for twenty minutes, we eventually reached the motorway and headed back home. Mrs P dropped Rhod off at home first and then took us back to Peters Towers.

Mad and I unloaded the car while the parental unit put all the stuff away.

“Phew! Thanks kids, you want tea now?”
“I can wait, how about you Drew?” Mad queried
“Whenever thanks”
“Okay we’ll wait until Mr Peters gets in then”
“Come on,” Mad started dragging me out of the kitchen, “lets finish looking at the Obicon pictures.”

 
The official Obicon site had loads of pictures, attendees, events; a page devoted to J.K.Rowling’s visit and loads of other stuff. It was great fun going through and spotting ourselves in the pictures and we were happily discussing our personal favourites when Mr Peters got home.

“Ah checking out the weekends pictures” he stated leaning over to look at the screen
“There’s a good one of you here Dad” Mad told him as she retrieved it from the cache
“I look quite dashing as The Doctor” he put on an attempt at a Tom Baker voice that reduced the three of us to tears!
“I suppose there are lots of pictures of you two on there?”
“A few Dad, Gaby, I mean Drew has got more than me though because of the Harry Potter thing.”
“Come on you three, tea’s nearly ready” Mrs P informed us

 
A warm pasta salad followed by strawberries and cream later, Mad and I returned to going through not just the Obicon pictures but Mad’s already burgeoning file of Con pictures. I stayed until just after eight when I realised Mum was due to phone tonight.

“See you tomorrow”
“Ten at the bus stop” Mad confirmed
“‘Night”

 
I got home to find Dad already talking to Mum on the phone.

“He’s just come in now…okay I’ll let you know…take care, love you…yeah here he is”

Dad handed me the phone.

“Hi Mum”
“Hi Drew, you okay now?”
“Well I’ve still got a few bruises but I feel okay”
“How did your weekend with the Peters go?”
“Great!” I started and spent the next ten minutes telling her all about it
“So you got through wearing skirts and dresses again then?”
“Well I sort of forgot what I was wearing, everyone else was in costume and no one took any notice” I admitted
“Changing the subject, did you ride on Tuesday?”
“Yeah I did another 24 and Mad did a short 29!”
“You’ll have to look to your heels if she keeps this up” she joked
“Dad said you came second at the weekend”
“I lost it in the photo, less than a tyre width”
“Wow!”
“Are you guys all sorted for your visitors?”
“I think so Mum, I’m gonna use the spare room and Debbie and Britney will be in my room”
“I hope it’s tidy then?”
“It just needs a hoover in the morning a change the sheets and stuff”
“Don’t you dare show me up!” this from the least house-proud woman I’ve ever come across!
“No Mum” I sighed
“Okay, I best get off this phone, take care”
“Yes Mum”
“Bye Drew”
“Bye Mum”

I put the phone down and after making Dad and me some Horlicks; I retired to my bedroom for the last time for several weeks.

 
“So he tries to wipe his hand” Rhod was trying to explain one of the highlights of yesterdays film to Ally and Bernie.
“You need to see it really” Mad advised
“Yeah probably” Rhod allowed

 
The bus taking us into Mansfield was running a bit late but we were still well early for our bowling booking. Early enough that we had time to hit BK for a shake first! The Superbowl was packed, it’s a good job Bernie booked our lane on Wednesday, we wouldn’t have got in ‘on spec’!

With less skill than enthusiasm we had a great time and I even managed a strike out! Mind you we nearly got turfed out when Rhod started doing Fred Flintstone impressions! In the end Bernie won our mini league, maybe one day I will get the hang of it and not have to rely on luck! Instead of going round Mansfield as we usually do, we headed home to finish getting ready to receive our American ‘cousins’.

 
“Good you’re back” Jules stated
“I said we were coming straight home afterwards”
“Yes but you’ve said that before and ended up not getting home for hours”
“I guess,” I admitted rather sheepishly
“Well you can start with the vacuum in here”

 
No rest for the wicked! It took us nearly three hours to finish cleaning and then moving my stuff into the spare room.

“Well kids, the house looks nice” Dad mentioned when he got home, “what time are we supposed to be at the school?
“Mr Wood said six o’clock” Jules volunteered
“Just time for a quick shower then” he told us heading upstairs
“I thought we’d never get done Jules”
“I still don’t see why we had to move all your clothes”
“Well just in case”
“Not again!”

 
We got round to the school five minutes late but we weren’t the last!

“Everyone’s here I see” Mr Wood noted, “as soon as we’ve got you paired up, you can go, I’m sure they will want to get settled in as soon as possible. Now tomorrow we have organised a welcome party at the council offices, I’m sure you and your families will all be there! There’s nothing organised for tomorrow otherwise so you can get to know each other. Well it looks like they’re here”

We all turned to watch the coach pulling into the car park.

“Right, if you kids want to come over, we’ll get you paired up then we’ll sort out the luggage”

 
A guy who was obviously in charge of the American party stepped down and Mr Wood went over and introduced himself. We couldn’t hear what was said but while the driver started unloading cases the students dismounted and gathered around their official.

“Sabrina Jones”
“Here”
“You’re with Madeline Peters”

Mad waved and Sabrina was soon hugging Maddy. The rest of the party was dispersed in short order; the Walters sisters were the last students waiting.

“If I’ve got my sums right you two are staying with the Bond’s”
“That’s us,” I volunteered, “Hi Britney!”

Jules greeted Debbie too and we joined the meleé at the cases, Dad came over and after the introductions we took ourselves, guests and luggage across to the camper for the short trip home.

Maddy Bell 14.01.04