Chapter 74

An early start and then they were walking to the Quayside to get the boat for Tresco. Louisa had found it a bit of a struggle to get up, but the thoughts of seeing something new, had her up eventually.

Boarding the boat she was helped to her seat and quickly donned her life jacket. Martin took his seat and they waited for the boat to get underway. As they went out into more open water the sea became a little rougher and they had to brace themselves as the boat tossed. Louisa smiled up at him and commented on the hopefully, shorter journey time.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, for the moment. I'll be glad when we dock, though." She looked out across the water, hoping to see some wildlife which would provide a distraction to the slight rolling feeling which assaulted her senses.

Before long they were ashore and making their way towards the Abbey Gardens entrance.

Martin went and purchased their tickets, together with an information booklet and map. Entering the gardens they crossed to a seat and studied the map, deciding which way to tour the gardens so as not to miss any of the important sights.

Wandering around they marvelled at the wide range of trees and flowers. Martin said that there were some 4,000 species represented in the garden. The common trees they saw, oak, elm, sycamore and poplar had been planted by Augustus Smith, the original owner of the islands. He'd hoped they would provide shelter against the winds. Later Monterey Cypress and pines were added to increase the shelter.

The 20,000 plants there now, were from more than 50 different countries. Hosts of succulents, tall palms, flame trees, King Proteas and blue echiums were just a fraction of the flora to be seen. They read that there was a succession of flowers blooming throughout the year. Many were visible weeks ahead of those on the mainland, owing to the warmth and shelter of the island.

"Look Martin!" exclaimed Louisa, pointing to a couple of red squirrels. "You don't see many of those around Portwenn."

"Yes, the grey squirrels imported from America to provide a pleasant contrast, only succeeded in driving out our native reds, which now live mainly in the north of the mainland."

They stopped occasionally to admire a feature or plant, had a sit on one of the benches to have a cooling drink and gradually, made their way to the Abbey ruins.

The remains of the Benedictine Abbey which was built in 964 A.D. are exceeded by the Priory of St. Nicholas which itself was built in 1114. Louisa took pictures of Martin who was interested in examining the architecture. The arches and windows which remained of the Abbey walls gave them an insight into what the building had looked like.

"It's fascinating to think that these ruins have been here for more than 1000 years, isn't it? I doubt whether some of our modern buildings will be here that long." Martin's opinion of modern-day building was not exactly a ringing endorsement of the methods used.

They stopped for their picnic lunch and then strolled on to the Valhalla Museum, where housed at this site, were 30 ship's figureheads taken from boats wrecked around the Scilly Island shores. They were regularly painted and made a fascinating footnote to the history of the Scillies. Martin took photos of them, and Louisa took ones of him. Luckily another tourist offered to take a picture of them both, standing in front of the figureheads.

"Joan will be pleased with a copy of this," remarked Louisa.

Eventually it was time to head back to their boat and they ventured back to the entrance along a slightly different route. They turned a corner and were lucky enough to see a few golden pheasants walking along the path in front of them. The birds stopped to peck at the ground until, espying Martin and Louisa, they hastily ran into the nearby vegetation.

Louisa smiled up at Martin, "We've been lucky to see those."

"Hmm." Agreed Martin.

On their return to St Mary's the sea had calmed somewhat, and Louisa was able to enjoy the journey without too much trouble.

Once back onshore Martin took her arm and they went into The Quay where their table had been reserved. Louisa went to use the toilets and Martin phoned the theatre to see about obtaining tickets for the Fisherman's Friends concert. He obtained two tickets for Tuesday's performance and also, they were two aisle seats. A godsend when you are 6' 2".

Having ordered their meal, they reflected on their day agreeing that Tresco had been a really enjoyable experience.

"I know we agreed not to move to a newer house, Martin, but if we did would you like a garden? The grounds we've just been to certainly seemed so picturesque. To be fair I'm not sure if I'd make a good gardener, but I'd like to have a go at some point."

Martin's face wrinkled at the thought of the germs and bacteria lurking in the soil. "No, I don't think I'd enjoy it. We could employ a gardener though. To take care of the lawn mowing and heavy digging," he offered.

Louisa shook her head. It looked as though that was one area in which she wouldn't be able alter his views.

Their food arrived, duck for Louisa and, inevitably, sea bass for Martin. As they ate, their talk wandered from how they would cope when Junior arrived, to what Joan would make of the new arrival and back around to their itinerary for the last few days of their holiday.

Martin realised that Louisa was tiring fast so suggested they get the bus back home. A quarter of an hour later they were picked up by the bus and were soon back in their apartment.

Louisa put the kettle on for a last drink before bed. "I've really enjoyed today, Martin, so thank you."

"You're welcome. I've had a good time too. It was a novel experience for me to wander without an express purpose other than enjoying the scenery and the company!"

Once she'd finished her tea Louisa announced that she was going for a shower before going to bed.

"I'm going to catch up on the news first, but I'll not be long before I join you," he promised.

When he at last came to bed he saw that Louisa was already asleep. Climbing carefully into bed so as not to disturb her, he switched off the light and soon was asleep himself.

He awoke suddenly, not entirely sure as to what had roused him. It was still dark and he listened for any noise but all he could hear was Louisa's quiet breathing punctuated by her light snores. Martin half-smiled to himself. When had he become so inured to her snoring that it didn't bother him at all? In fact he had become used to it fairly quickly after they were married and he experienced it on a regular basis.

He turned over and went back to sleep. A nudge in the back caused him to wake again. He wondered what had happened but thought that perhaps Louisa had just altered positions.

Pushing his pillow into a more suitable resting place he was on the verge of nodding off when he was again prodded back to consciousness. "Louisa? Are you OK?" he asked quietly.

There was no reply and he turned over to look at her sleeping form. He switched the light on to see her better. "Louisa, what's wrong?" he asked a little more loudly.

She began to wake up and grimaced before shielding her eyes from the light. "What? What's going on? Why are you awake," she demanded.

"I thought there was something wrong with you. You poked me in the back," he explained.

"No I didn't, Martin. You're dreaming."

"I definitely felt you prodding me. In fact that was the second time you've done it," he was almost indignant.

I didn't touch you because I was fast asleep," she explained.

"Well how else do you explain it?" he almost snarled. "There's only you and me in the bed!"

At this remark Louisa's face changed and her eyebrow went up signalling a question. She looked at him, and waited.

Martin stared back at her, and then it was as if a lightbulb went on in his head. "You mean…?" He stretched out a tentative hand. "May I?"

Louisa nodded and felt his hand on her abdomen. At first, he detected nothing and she moved his hand over her belly. He then became aware of a distinct thump under his hand.

His eyes went round as he felt Junior move for the first time. "Oh Louisa, that's extraordinary. I know I should be used to this, as a GP, but I've always stayed detached from the ramifications. Does it hurt when the baby kicks you?" he asked.

She looked tenderly at him, seeing the love and concern in his face. "No, usually it is quite a soft feeling. Junior is beginning to be more active though, I've definitely felt an increase in movement, lately. Perhaps in time when the baby is bigger the kicks and thumps will register more."

Martin leaned across to kiss her softly. "I love you."

She smiled tremulously at him. "I love you too. Now you know who's kicking you, what do you think?"

"Overwhelmed, and awed," he said. "In fact I now feel part of the process. It was hard for me not to have that connection with Junior that you have. I felt a little left out."

She patted his hand, "Well, now you're a fully engaged partner in this little enterprise. Nothing will be the same again."

He gave her a tentative smile and asked, "Will you turn over and let me hold you for a while?" he reached back and switched off the light.

She nodded and then turned to her other side. Martin inched closer putting his hand again on her abdomen whilst spooning up to her. He kissed her shoulder and said "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Several more times he felt the baby's movements but after a while sleep claimed him.