\u201cOh dear, I think we might be lost,\u201d says Nanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy wakes from her daydeam and turns sharply to her grandmother. The faint ghost of a smile removes any tiny spark of fear that they could be in danger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh no! What are we going to do? How\u2019ll we get home?\u201d Poppy plays along. Nanna was always getting lost on these back roads, but miraculously seemed to find her way home before dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll try down here,\u201d says Nanna, turning left onto a gravel lane at yet another set of cross roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There seemed to be way too many roads to choose from, and no real reason for them to exist. It was ages since they\u2019d been through a town. Where are all these roads going? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHeavens to Betsy,\u201d says Nanna, \u201ca few signposts wouldn\u2019t go amiss!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The warm air blowing from the open car windows felt delightful on Poppy\u2019s face. It brought with it the sweet smell you only get from freshly cut spring grass. Nanna encouraged Poppy to take notice of her surroundings, especially the changing smells of the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTell me Popsie, what\u2019s the point of all these people driving around with their windows up?\u201d Nanna says once again. \u201cThey might as well watch the television with the sound turned off. Or eat their dinner through a straw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy squints a bit, as she tries to think how you\u2019d eat your dinner through a straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe smells and the sounds are just as much part of the picture as what you see with your eyes,\u201d and she waves her hands around, as if rounding up all the bits and pieces of nature into the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The road is rough and narrow. Hedges along both sides temporarily block Poppy\u2019s view of the countryside. But she could tell from the deep earthy smell of manure that they were passing a dairy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy\u2019s focus returns to inside the car. She studies Nanna\u2019s face carefully, looking for any signs that they were in fact lost. Poppy loved that face more than nearly any other face in the world. It wasn\u2019t what you\u2019d call a jolly face, like the old people in picture books. If you drew a picture of Nanna\u2019s face and put it in a picture book, it would probably be accompanied by black robes and a witch\u2019s hat. Poppy imagined drawing the slightly hooked nose, pale watery blue eyes and long silver hair pulled back into a loose bun revealing rather large ears. It didn\u2019t give off the homely look that her other grandmother had. But curiously enough, it was this grandmother that Poppy felt closest to and loved the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Homely-looking Granny seemed to have all her niceness just on the outside. There didn\u2019t seem much niceness on the inside at all. Poppy felt unwelcome and unloved at Granny\u2019s place. There was never any funny conversations over cups of tea and biscuits, like at Nanna\u2019s. And rather than sharing her philosophies of the world, Granny would look for ways to put Poppy down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPoppy, what a funny name! Sounds like something you\u2019d call a dog,\u201d Granny would frequently say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when asked where she\u2019d like to go this day, that her parents had to go to a meeting, Poppy quickly made it known Nanna, not Granny, thank you very much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOoh, windows up,\u201d says Nanna. There\u2019s a dust cloud ahead, created by a mob of sheep being herded down the lane. It\u2019s one thing enjoying the fresh air, quite another having your car filled with sheep dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two wait patiently as what seems like hundreds of freshly shorn sheep baa and slowly make their way around the car. A black and tan Kelpie runs back and forward, amongst the sheep, with alternating barks and tongue lolling out. Then a man on a grey horse follows up behind. He\u2019s wearing a dark blue singlet and a filthy Akubra hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfternoon, Maggie,\u201d the man smiles and waves at Nanna with an arm that\u2019s nut brown to just above his elbow where it sharply changes colour to white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy wonders how it is that everyone seems to know her Nanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the way of the country Popsie. Everyone knows everyone. Trouble is, everyone knows everyone else\u2019s business too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The travellers continue on, chatting amiably and fostering their in-jokes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a house for you!\u201d Poppy points to an abandoned cottage sitting alone in a paddock. The roof is half caved in, and sheep wander in and out of the gap where the door once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou could do that one up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nanna was always looking for houses to do up. The more dilapidated the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes but that looks too good. What about that one?\u201d She points to what is basically just a chimney surrounded by rusted iron and crumbling foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh yeah, you could make that really nice,\u201d agrees Poppy grinning at Nanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy is fascinated with the way the loose skin on Nanna\u2019s upper arms hangs low, and jiggles as they bounce along the bumpy road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow old are you Nanna?\u201d asks Poppy, not for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth,\u201d says Nanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The girl gives the old woman what she\u2019s been told is a \u201cwithering look\u201d. Mouth set, head on one side, shaking slightly, eyes looking up under her eyebrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh you look just like your mother when you do that!\u201d exclaims Nanna and the two laugh hysterically. This old joke is always so hilarious and Poppy tries to work it into the conversation whenever she can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They stop for a bottle of Fanta and a bag of mixed lollies at The Toddle Inn. Not an inn at all, just a petrol station with a little milk bar attached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a play on words,\u201d Nanna explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poppy isn\u2019t sure if she understands or not, but nods sagely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon the scenery becomes more familiar and Poppy realises they are nearly home, but arriving from a different direction than usual. Coming down the long driveway to her house Poppy wriggles in her seat and tries to ignore that odd feeling in her tummy. Things hadn\u2019t been the same at home lately. Her parents, seemed to be a bit weird and extra polite. And Dad had been spending a lot of time with Granny and Gramps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jenny and Richard, Poppy\u2019s Mum and Dad have arrived home as well, and are just getting out of the car as Nanna pulls up at the front of the wide, low house.
\u201cHello darling,\u201d Nanna greets Jenny with a hug, held slightly longer than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHello Richard,\u201d says Nanna, hands on hips. She won\u2019t be giving him a hug, it\u2019s clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, yes. Hmm, hello Maggie,\u201d he replies, looking at the ground. He shrugs and walks off towards the sheds. He\u2019s wearing his only suit and proper shoes. It seems strange to go to the sheds dressed like that but Poppy is finding a lot of things strange at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did it go?\u201d Poppy overhears Nanna asking her mum in a low voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mother just shakes her head sadly, her eyes glistening in the late afternoon sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then in a forced cheery voice she thanks Nanna for having Poppy for the day, and gives Poppy a big cuddle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t thank me darling, I\u2019m not the hired help. Poppy and I had a lovely time, didn\u2019t we Popsie? She should stay the night with me next time. It seems there might be quite a few next times? Lucky for me.\u201d Nanna says with raised eyebrows. Mother gives Nanna a withering look, and says something through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nanna does side eyes at Poppy, and they both start giggling again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cOh dear, I think we might be lost,\u201d says Nanna. Poppy wakes from her daydeam and turns sharply to her grandmother. The faint ghost of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[9,8,11,10],"class_list":["post-424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-amanda-gambas","tag-mountain-ash-chapter","tag-story","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pff1uY-6Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3871,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3871","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":0},"title":"Inheritance","author":"Maggie McLaren","date":"October 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"All the men died,\u00a0or lefton fields of blood and to distant shores. Heroes and angelshaunted newborn babies' cries,bruised women's tender hearts,left silent spaces unfilled and denied,unshed tears, grieving bones, lost souls. All the men died,or left,into the silence of self, feelings frozen,women stayed,bore daughters, disconnected,and traumatised.\u00a0 Daughters of fathers absent,Struggled,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Memory Book"","block_context":{"text":"Memory Book","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=120"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/hugo-jehanne-LOHVrTsdvzY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3492,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3492","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":1},"title":"A Girl, A Lion and a Sailor’s Hornpipe","author":"Amanda Gambas","date":"May 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cHey! What the hell are you doing in here?\u201d To say I\u2019m surprised to find a lion in my usual hook up place is underestimating it. The lion doesn\u2019t seem happy to have his afternoon nap interrupted. \u201cI was sleeping and minding my own business,\u201d he growls loudly. \u201cThat\u2019s not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Amanadalion.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Amanadalion.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Amanadalion.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Amanadalion.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4478,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=4478","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":2},"title":"Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty","author":"Mountain Ash Chapter","date":"May 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh don't kid yourself - Liane Moriarty may be \"populist\" fiction, but she writes brilliantly. The literary awards may go to men writing without punctuation, as she refers to in this novel, but Moriarty's grasp of human beings and what drives us to make extreme choices is unparalleled. Nine Perfect\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/9781405919463.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":577,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=577","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":3},"title":"Mouth","author":"Helen Jahn","date":"February 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The baby stared, as babies do. A look of disbelief in its shiny dark eyes. A look that verged on outrage and those eyes were firmly on the older lady\u2019s face, like a tight thread pulled them together. Of particular interest to the baby was her mouth.; a large mouth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/marcin-jozwiak-bvoVcHpzL-Q-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3781,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3781","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":4},"title":"Book Week","author":"Elissa McKay","date":"August 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Book Week all across Australia, which means parents are putting Harry Potter spell-themed snacks into lunch boxes and frantically scrounging up costumes late at night (note to children\u2019s authors \u2013 we need more children\u2019s books with heroes wearing pyjamas, please). But the best part of Book Week is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dollar-gill-0V7_N62zZcU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3560,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3560","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":5},"title":"Caf\u00e9 Confusion (a true story)","author":"Jim Reiher","date":"June 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We were standing, waiting to be served, at the front counter of a beautiful colonial-style caf\u00e9. The glass shelves beneath the benchtop were filled with the most tempting assortment of pastries and cakes you could ever imagine. It was a sugar explosion, full of diabetes-inducing delights. On top of that,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Memory Book"","block_context":{"text":"Memory Book","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=120"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/celine-ylmz-L2ost-ZEmK8-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/arun-clarke-vqM7-YkPOUI-unsplash-scaled-e1638856308393.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":436,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions\/436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}