Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador Page 3

  End of Chapter Four

  LAST FEW WEEKS IN SOUTHWOLD – CHAPTER 5

  We had lived in Southwold for about two years and had made many new friends during that time. Shelley found areas to explore along the Suffolk coastline to have her regular swims. Not far away was a lot of Forestry Commission land leading up to many bird sanctuaries; it was beautiful yet remained rugged. The wildlife areas were always popular with the many visitors and this went right along to the North Norfolk coast.

  It was common to see lots of bird watchers around most of the year. Shelley was always getting into trouble by running into the gorse bushes and chasing the birds away and on several occasions we were taken to task by people brandishing their telescopes at us. It was not meant. After a while we decided to leave the areas to the birds and concentrate on walks through the forests.

  In the thick of these wooded areas, which often went on for miles it could sometimes become very frightening as the trees became very dense. One day we let Shelley off the lead and carried on walking but after a while Christine wondered where she was. After repeated calls nothing happened. We re-traced our tracks calling all the time. It was late afternoon and the sun was low over the horizon and it was becoming dark. Before too long the trees became silhouettes and the peat paths which showed the odd patch of white sand were harder to follow. Both of us were now in panic mode clapping hands and calling repeatedly, but still no sight of Shelley and she had been gone now for almost two hours. We decided to go back to the car and get the torch and return to the pathway.

  Where we had parked the car was in a small wooded area designated as a Forestry Commission car park. On our return there were no other cars. To our surprise fast asleep by the front tyre was Shelley, soaking wet and covered in white sand and bits of heather. She had obviously had at some stage lost her way but had enough sense to make her way back to the car. The sea was well over a mile away and she must have gone to the beach for a swim and got disorientated in the process. I think we had all learnt our lessons on this occasion. To this day I have never let a dog off the lead in woods unless I can see her.

  One of the nicest surprises we had was when Rick and Daphne Bath-Jones who managed the Swan Hotel decided to give us a nice farewell dinner. We had some friends staying Chris and Celia Pearson from Holdsey Bay. I met them many years ago when I lived in Hythe when Chris was in the Army. They were a fun couple and he played a great blues and folk guitar to which there was a mouth organ attached. I lost touch with them for many years and then found them again living on the Suffolk coast. Chris had left the army and was an Assistant prison governor at Holdsey. They had been to us before and had now requested they come for that weekend. Unknown to us they had set up the dinner with Rick.

  It was suggested we go to the hotel for a few drinks and to our surprise when we got there, there were about twenty people including a couple of other friends of ours from Hythe in Kent. It was a great evening and even Ralph Tuck came along, Jack also and Martin the fisherman. The food was great and there was a nice little speech and some flowers for Christine. We carried on in the bar until late then made our way back (walking in torrential rain) continuing our festivities at home which Shelley enjoyed having been given a nice chew by Daphne. It was the only time that we had complaints from other residents in the property. We did apologise the next day. I think Chris got a little carried away with his singing and likewise I with some Jazz records on the hi-fi.

  The next day we all returned back to the Swan and had a typical Southwold Sunday walkabout from one pub to another this time with Shelley in tow opening one packet of crisps after another taking centre stage!

  Time soon went and we packed up most of our own items ready for the move to Eaton Socon. Biddy Denny kindly did the removal for us at a very special rate which was typical of the many friends we had made there.

  I decided to pop out for a last drink and stayed out too long resulting in a lift back with the local police in their car alongside Shelley. Those were the days when one knew the police on a personal basis particularly in a small seaside resort – after all it was raining and they did not want us to get too wet. They even came in for a coffee sitting amongst piles of boxes on the floor which somehow I don’t think this pleased Christine too much.

  The next morning there was a loud knock on the back door at 7am and it was Jack with a couple of nice cooked pheasants and a Tupperware box full of salad. In his normal gruff voice he said “good luck, keep in touch and enjoy the attached “adding, “please return the Tupperware box” knowing very well it would be an excuse for us to return.

  The blue painted furniture van arrived at 8a.m and I was suffering a little from the night before so kept quiet in the corner. I was also upset at having to leave Southwold and its wonderful community. We went in convoy; Christine left early to get the keys from the estate agent in St Neots and I escorted the removal van over.

  The new property was in a small cul-de-sac situated close to the A1. There were about twenty houses all semi-detached. We liked them because it was quiet and had easy parking as well as some local shops at hand and a pub within a stones throw. It was also ideal for me in my new job near Cambridge and Christine could still work with Ralph as she was now travelling a lot more anyway.

  When we arrived at the house the previous owners were just leaving and asked if we could kindly forward their mail whilst at the same time giving us some stickers with their new address. They wanted to leave some vehicle bits in the garage for a week until they could pick them up – we saw no objections.

  We paid them some money for the carpets we had purchased and off they went. It was not until we started to look around the house that we realised that they had not cleaned it properly and to add insult to injury had cut the cable flex of every light to the ceiling taking the bulbs with them. I checked the garage and it was in a mess full of oil and rusty car parts. Needless to say the sticky labels went in the bin, a phone call was made and the items in the garage were taken to the tip.

  It was not a nice first night; the house really looked shabby and we slept on the bed in a couple of sleeping bags surrounded by boxes of our belongings and furniture that were not put in the place that we wanted due to the fact that we had to clean the carpets and walls first. Why do some people have no consideration for others when they move out of a property? A few hours work to make it presentable would not go amiss.

  Shelley was confused and could not settle at all sleeping on the end of our bed quietly moaning and wondering where the sound of the sea had gone to only to be replaced by the hum of traffic going up and down the A1 in the distance and neighbours leaving early for work.

  Unknown to me at the time, there were going to be a lot of changes in my life due to this move and it would have a major effect on my future and Shelley’s for many years to come.

  End of Chapter Five

  A NEW HOUSE AND A NEW LIFE – CHAPTER 6

  It took several days to get the house cleaned and sorted to suit our requirements – it did spoil things. To leave the light flexes cut cost us extra money in getting an electrician in to rectify the problem.

  With that now behind us I started my new work at Cambridge and spent the first couple of weeks on different product training courses whilst Christine worked with Ralph taking Shelley with her.

  The house was ideal as a first purchase and we were pleased we had finally got onto the property ladder. It had a small back garden giving Shelley some space and a small patio which she made her home. We had one slight problem and that was a small fish pond next door. Shelley’s love of water became too apparent and before we knew it she was in the pond removing most of the water lilies and causing the newts to have major panic attacks.

  It was a nice introduction to our neighbour John. After a slight confrontation and a rebuild of the fence, followed by a few cans of Lager life returned to normal.

  Trying to find a suitable regular walk was a slight problem as we had not done our homework before
the move. No beach and no immediate fields resulted in us having to keep Shelley on the lead and walk her up a path across a flyover over the busy A1. On the other side was a park but that had a notice stating ‘dogs must be kept on leads at all times’. It was a concern but with both of us working and travelling we knew that she would be with either of us most days.

  Once my training was completed I started to work on my new sales territory staying away from time to time. This was ideal as Shelley could travel with me. My priority question when booking accommodation was ‘Do you take dogs?’

  In those days there was the excellent ‘Trust House Forte’ chain of hotels. With several hundred establishments in the group with many right out in the countryside (dogs accepted). I started to use them on a regular basis rest assured staying over with a dog would cause me no problems.

  Shelley always enjoyed her travels and it was to play an important and sometimes amusing part in our lives over many more years.

  On the home front Christine was finding her job with Ralph a little demanding and sadly she made the decision to look for pastures new. As it happened a vacancy came for a PA to one of the managers for the company I worked for. Without any hesitation she applied and before I knew it she was under the same roof as me.

  The area we lived in was fine but I did really miss the coast and we both had to admit that the people were not as friendly as those in Southwold. The village served as an overspill for London giving easy access down the A1 to the city.

  We decided to venture further afield for our entertainment. Cambridge was nice and we often went to the cinema and had a look around the shops. To the west was some nice countryside and after some effort we found a great pub. The landlord and his wife loved dogs and Shelley was made very welcome showing off her skills with packets of crisps (she only liked plain ones).

  One day they mentioned about a ten mile sponsored walk so we decided to give it a go. What surprised us was the fact that Shelley got more sponsors than we did. It was planned for a Wednesday night in the heat of the summer. The walk went through farm land and woods including a field of potatoes. Shelley had a great time picking up the left over ones and bringing them back to all and sundry. Perhaps she realise how many packets of crisps one potato made. We completed the walk in style and Shelley got her just reward (a box of doggy biscuits to take home) whilst we all partook of a few beers. If I remember she collected well over £100 for the RSPCA.

  I was still travelling a lot and my area had extended to most of the country. Chris and Celia who we knew in Southwold had moved to the Lake District where he was working for the Prison service. I made a couple of trips in that direction and stayed with them on both occasions taking Shelley.

  It was during this period that Christine started to make excuses about visiting her family in Hythe and I also found Shelley was not getting the attention she used to from her. We were both in the dog house yet again!

  I remember discussing this with Chris and Celia when I stayed with them. They gave me advice but reading between the lines it did not look too good for the relationship. It all came to a head one day when Christine left her diary on the armchair and Shelley knocked it onto the floor with her tail. I picked it up and there was a marker on one of the pages which read; “leave John to-day and return to live with mum.” I was stunned; when she came in I confronted her and she said in the nicest way that as far as she was concerned the marriage was over and she would be leaving me on that date marked in her diary. I tried to talk her around but sadly it was to no avail.

  I went away for a couple of days taking Shelley and on my return I found all her personal things had gone and a long letter saying I could keep all the furniture and Shelley. I of course would have to sell the house as there was no way I could pay the mortgage.

  It was not my week a day later I had a call to say that my father was very ill he passed away after a short illness (which he kept from us). On the Friday of that week I was called into the office at Cambridge and told that I had also lost my job relating to a query over my expenses!

  I went to dad’s funeral at Hythe and it was also the last time I would see Christine. The service was nice and well attended dad having been a councillor. Back at the house a neighbour had laid on some refreshments giving me an opportunity to see many of my distant family. My mother had passed away about 14 years ago and dad had remarried. As is tradition in Lincolnshire (where dad was born) the will was read. To my surprise ‘I’ his only son and heir had not been left one penny; all had gone to my step mother. What a couple of weeks it had been. I however was to learn a lot later in life that my father had made a small provision for me.

  Of course I was very up-set and very low – no wife – no father – no job and no money. On my return to Eaton Socon I locked myself away with Shelley and became a recluse for several weeks just listening to jazz and drinking a lot of wine.

  There was a knock on the door one evening and I opened it to find a very nice gentleman standing there. He asked if I was John Periam to which I duly replied ‘yes’ and he issued me a letter saying it was a summons .I opened it to find that Christine’s father had taken out a court injunction for £4,000 being the deposit he had given us to purchase this house. This just about topped it all.

  I returned to the lounge and had several large Gin and Tonics and went to the bedroom with one intention in my mind to end it all. I even started taking some aspirin and was crying in an uncontrollable manner.

  Suddenly I heard this loud bang and a yelp followed by more noise of wood being scraped. It was Shelley! I had not been a good owner for the past few weeks and she must have been aware of my problems. He concern showed and she had tried to make her way up the highly polished wooden stairs falling through the gap onto the floor below. She had another go and before I knew it she was on the bed beside me licking the tears away from my face and thrusting her paw into my hand. I fell asleep and woke late the next morning to find her cuddled up beside me on her back with all four legs in the air snoring.

  That was the day I decided to change my life. At the first opportunity I put the house on the market so I could consider making a new start with Shelley. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. It had to be pastures new, not pastures old.

  It was going to be a challenge with lots of adventures for us both and a lot of fun. There would be a lot of highs and lows. I or rather we would make many new friends whilst establishing a bond between man and dog.

  One of my favourite ‘Classic Comic Series of Books’ I read when I went on holiday with my parents to Broadstairs as a child was called ‘Call Of the Wild’. It was the story of a working relationship and trust built up between John Thornton and his dog Buck who were drawn to follow their inevitable destiny.

  It had been etched in my memory for many years and I even purchased the real book later in life. They also made a film of it which I have to this day. There was something about it that made me want to share my bond with Shelley the same as John Thornton did.

  With this in mind I decided to visit some close friends and family to seek their advice and help! Those friends turned out to be Chris and Celia in Cumberland.

  It was a long drive and Shelley spent most of her time asleep on the front seat of the car. We stopped a couple of times at some excellent transport cafes. I have always used these; a hangover from my days on the road. The more lorries that are parked outside the better the food is. Having Shelley along always meant we got a warm welcome and her experience at casting her sad eyes towards the kitchen resulted in some nice tasty samples.

  Over the years many of these cafes were purchased by a company called Little Chef and it became a lot harder to find them. Many lorry drivers often took their dogs with them for company. This resulted in many discussions about life on the road over a half pint mug of hot tea.

  We arrived in Cumberland late and were made very welcome by Chris and Celia. Both were avid dog lovers and no where in their house was out of bounds
for Shelley.

  Chris was an Assistant Governor at the prison and he had roistered duties. He had planned it so he had plenty of time free to spend with us both. He was such a kind and caring person and his many years of experience in the Army meant that he was a good listener.

  I stayed there about 5 days and the both worked hard to encourage me to start life again. I was not the first person nor would I be the last to go through a broken marriage. They had a social night in the club at the prison and it was great to hear Chris playing the blues and singing once again. Shelley was allowed in and she spent most of her time under my stool at the bar asleep.

  I was also show around the inside of the prison. I of course had no wish to be an official resident but it was nice to be visitor. Once again the respect Chris was given in his role by the inmates showed. He had time for them and stopped to discuss any problems introducing me.