Chapter 39
39
Bonfire night came and went peacefully. Jade was always relieved when 5 November was over. Most animals were scared of fireworks but luckily Duck Pond Rescue was far enough away from the nearest organised display for it not to be too disturbing for her charges. They were also far enough away from most houses for bonfire parties in gardens not to be an issue.
That would change when they had a housing estate next door to them. Although news on the development had gone ultra-quiet lately.
Finn had spoken to Bridie about it and she’d confirmed that Rural Developments were currently looking at plans to clear and remove the invasive plant species, but that this was a long-term project. Jade felt slightly guilty about the damning survey that Ursula had produced, but not guilty enough to say anything. After all, it wasn’t as though Ursula had lied. There was Japanese knotweed on the site and there was bamboo. Rural Developments would have to do something about both of these plants before they could proceed, no matter what the extent of the infestation.
Ursula was at the sanctuary a lot lately. She mostly helped out with dog walking and she’d bonded with Milo, big time.
‘As soon as I’m retired, which will be at the end of December, I’d like to offer this one a home,’ she said to Jade one morning as she stroked the greyhound’s fawn coat, and he leant against her legs, lapping up the attention, clearly besotted with her.
‘Why don’t you take him home for weekends now?’ Jade suggested. ‘Have a trial period. He’d love that. And you can bring him back here when you’re working.’
‘Could I? Could I really do that?’ Ursula’s face lit up and she dropped a kiss on the greyhound’s head, and he wagged his skinny tail in response, clearly equally happy with the plan. ‘I’d need to get him a basket and some other bits and pieces first. But I’d love that.’
‘He’d love it too. And there’s no rush to take him home permanently. You can always bring him back with you when you come.’
It was a match made in heaven, Jade thought as she watched Ursula encourage Milo into her hatchback a few days later. The old greyhound looked pleased as punch, sitting proudly upright and looking out of the window as Ursula drove out of the main gates.
The only drawback was that Milo’s mate, a sweet little bitch called Candy, pined for him when he wasn’t there. But in the end this was resolved because Ursula, who wasn’t unaware of the dogs’ strong bond, said she would take Candy too.
Dawn and Jade both had tears in their eyes when Candy and Milo went home with Ursula in late November.
‘That’s perfect,’ Dawn said. ‘She’s brilliant, isn’t she, and those two dogs adore her as well as each other. She’s got a log fire so they’ll have their own hearth at Christmas. How fantastic is that. And talking of Christmas, what are your plans for the festive period? I’m happy to come in on Christmas Day and Boxing Day if you need me.’
‘I wouldn’t hear of it. You go and enjoy your grandchildren and that lovely new pup. I’ve got plenty of help.’
Dawn bent to stroke Monet, who was a shadow at her side when she was at the sanctuary. She and Jade often joked that the sanctuary hadn’t as much rehomed Monet but gained another permanent resident because Dawn spent so much time there.
No doubt Milo and Candy would be the same because Ursula spent a lot of time there too. Jade loved the fact she got to see the animals she rehomed. Ben and Chocko were also frequent visitors of course, and when the pups saw each other they played and played.
It was true what Jade had told Dawn about Christmas. She would have plenty of help because as well as the surplus of volunteers who came in at Christmas because helping a charity was a nice altruistic thing to do, Ray and Dorrie were coming down from Nottingham to spend the holiday period with them. Dorrie was brilliant with the animals and Ray enjoyed helping with the dog walking. The pair of them were both besotted with Banksy too, and everyone was looking forward to the reunion of all three pups in the holiday period.
Ray and Dorrie were arriving on the 20th and staying till New Year. Sarah, Ben and Callum were coming for lunch on Christmas Day and they were providing much of the lunch too, a turkey for the meat eaters and a very posh nut roast, homemade by Callum, for Jade and anyone else who fancied a break from the meat-eating traditions.
Sarah, Ben and Callum were seeing her adoptive parents the day after Boxing Day and then heading to Dundee for New Year, which was a big celebration in Scotland. It would be all go.
But Christmas Day itself would be like any other time at Duck Pond Rescue. At least it would be as far as the animals were concerned. They didn’t care what time of year it was. They still needed feeding and watering and exercising.
The atmosphere was very festive. In the first week of December, Finn and Callum sprayed the reception windows with artificial snow, and Jade, Sarah and Ben made blue, green and red paper chains and pinned them up in reception, crisscrossing the ceiling, much to the delight of Mr Spock, who regularly pulled them down for entertainment and waited with glee for someone to put them back up so he could do it again.
Jade had done her research on what was toxic and what wasn’t for parrots at yuletide and had bought a six-foot growing Christmas tree, which was in a tub outside the reception door, just in case Mr Spock decided to eat the decorations or got hurt on its sharp evergreen spikes.
The tree glittered with lights and wooden painted decorations of animals, many of them donated by volunteers. By mid-December, reception was jampacked with tubs of Christmas chocolates and biscuits.
Jade had bought loads and everyone who came by added to the pile. Several people brought in donations of animal food too – these ranged from the pensioner who’d bought two extra tins of Turkey Doggie Dinner to Reg Arnold, their food supplier, who’d delivered a duplicate of Jade’s regular feed order and had refused to charge her for it. Jade had totally changed her opinion of Reg, who she’d once thought was tight fisted and mean minded.
Mr Spock had learned how to say ‘Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year’ and repeated it every time someone new came into reception. This could get wearing when it was busy.
Mickey loved Christmas because everyone gave him treats when they thought Jade wasn’t looking. Even Diesel seemed to be catching fewer mice than usual. Or if he was catching them, he wasn’t bringing bits of them into reception to frighten unsuspecting volunteers.
On the day before Christmas Eve, Aiden and Kate called by to drop off a bottle of wine and a big box of chocolates. In return, Jade and Finn gave them a bottle of port – Jade knew her vet was partial to a glass of port – and some red berry-scented candles, which Kate proclaimed were her favourites.
Thankfully Aiden was fully healed from his escapades in Venice and the couple stayed for mince pies and mulled wine, which Jade had been doing for the volunteers for the last week or so.
Jade didn’t think she’d ever looked forward to a Christmas Day more. A proper Christmas Day when everything would happen at the right time. Christmas dinner, present opening, watching the King’s speech, and best of all, feeling part of a loving family.
She hadn’t forgotten the letter that had been returned to her, but with Finn’s help she had managed to get some acceptance around it. She would always be a part of Finn and Ben’s family. This time next year, she and Finn would be married. They would start their own family, and in the meantime she was surrounded by love. It didn’t get much better than that.