What follows is a short story from Rosemary’s past. After talking with her, I have taken our discussion and turned it into a series of small stories highlighting the incredible life that she has led. Direct quotes from our discussion are highlighted in quotation marks. All else is a retelling written by yours truly.
It was that time of year. The sun was shining and the countryside of Scotland was calling. The family piled into the car, squeezing in alongside their clothes and gear and cookware. After all, Rosemary and Bill didn’t holiday in the fancy hotels will all meals provided. They went as far away from the cities as they could find.
It was great fun, but it meant Rosemary having to pack the big pots and pans in order to be able to feed the big family.
So they all managed to find a space in the overly packed car. Even though it was summer, they were heading to Scotland. And in Scotland it rained twice a week, once for three days, once for four…
Sorry, bad joke.
Anyway, they had plenty of clothes for the trip and at least two pairs of shoes each, one for walking, one for anything else.
So after all the gear was packed in the car, Bill took the shoes and stuffed them into a giant black rubbish bag and tied it to the road.
They set off.
“Um, mum,” one of the kids said.
“Yes,” said Rosemary.
“Should the shoes be flying off the top of the car like that?”
Ok so maybe the conversation was a little more panicked than that, but either way Rosemary and Bill turned to see the motorway littered with all the shoes. As well as a poor motorcyclist having to weave in and out to dodge the assault.
Bill pulled over quickly and was about to get out when a police office happened to stop by.
“Stay here,” he said. Then, in what must have been a very comical site, he and the motorcyclist slowed down the traffic – there wasn’t quite so much in those days – and got to work picking up all the shoes they could find.
Surprising, most were still usable. But a few of the children found themselves having to find new shoes if they wanted to join in on the holiday walks.
Stay tuned for more stories from the life of Rosemary. Please note: these stories will not necessarily hold any chronological grounding. They are designed as snippets of understanding into the life of Rosemary and while some will hold chronology, others may not.