by Al McCartan
Vonnie Lace was the owner of Aunt Lavender’s General Store on the southern end of Kikacro.
Aunt Lavender had two main claims to fame.
One. She was the inventor and purveyor of Lavender Biscuits – biscuits that have graced the high tea tables of Canberra and Sydney, and, tasted by the GG and PM.
Two. She was the stalwart of the local CWA and had been since 1957.
Oh! I forgot to mention, Vonnie was the Kikacro Chronicle’s Agony Aunt and in her role as columnist with that worthy paper, dealt with the lovelorn, lonely, wayward and wicked – so I guess that makes three claims to fame.
Vonnie loved experimenting – anything to bring customers to her store especially those who were passing through to the more trendy Bilangalow and thus onwards to Canberra. She also loved to walk.
It was one of those mornings where the air was clear and cool. A great day for being alive, she said to herself as she strolled past Rolly Downs’ garden. She stopped and looked at the rose bushes, Rolly’s pride and joy.
Something was different this day. Normally Rolly meticulously removed all of the dead blooms and leaves and carefully pruned his bushes.
Not so this day. On the ground was a heap of dead flowers and dried leaves – untidy. Rolly would never have tolerated that.
Rolly was a widower and had been in Kikacro just a few years. He kept pretty much to himself and as far as Vonnie was concerned, he had no close friends she knew of apart from his next door neighbour, Linda Henson, a pretty widow in her mid sixties.
Linda loved roses too, and it was she and Rolly who took out prizes in the Bilangalow and Kikacro shows. Her garden was like Rolly’s, dried leaves and rose blooms, most unusual in both cases.
Mmm, something is afoot here, Vonnie said to herself and adopting her best Miss Marples demeanour, knocked at Linda’s door.
It was opened by a young man, a stranger to Vonnie.
“Hi, how can I help you”, he said with a smile.
“Hello, I’m Vonnie Lace, a friend of Rolly, next door, and Linda. I was just passing and noticed that both rose gardens are – shall I say – rather the worse for wear.”
The young man smiled. “Of course, you don’t know. I’m Glenn Stewart, Linda’s nephew. Aunty Linda and Rolly were married last week. They’re honeymooning in Europe. Before they left, Rolly told me not to worry about the gardens – Aunty Linda is selling her house and moving in with Rolly.
The honeymoon is serving two purposes – a holiday, of course, and Rolly is searching the best nurseries in order to get some good seeds. As for the roses and dry leaves, I’ve been tasked with collecting all the dried rose petals and giving them to the lady at Aunt Lavender’s store. I believe she kiln dries them further, adds perfume and sells them alongside her lavender. Aunty Linda says the perfume is just out of this world.”
Vonnie smiled. “I’m Aunt Lavender and I’d love to help you collect all the petals.”
© Al McCartan
This entry was posted by Al McCartan on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Theme of the Month.
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