Changing Seasons. Summer V, part 2.

Summer V, part 2 “I know it’s Saturday and all, but I still kind of feel like a kid again, sneaking into the playground! All we need is Ludo Meithers here and it’d be the four of us again, up to mischief.” “Hey, we was never getting’ up to anythin’ too bad! Just harmless pranks.”
Bess smiled at Tom Tench’s quick defence of their younger selves.
“Just harmless little things like puttin’ frogs into people’s desks…and pretendin’ we was ghosts in the bank manger’s garden…” “Pure as the driven snow, that was us,” Artie agreed. “Leastways, no-one ever proved anything against us.”
“This hopscotch grid is still in the same place. How many times must it have been repainted? Bet I can still beat you both!” “I’ll take you on,” Old Tench said enthusiastically. “Bet you I can beat you.”
“Bet you can’t,” Bess said, watching him critically.
“You know what?” Artie said. “I still kind of feel like Miss Kirk will appear from nowhere and ask what we’re doing here when there’s a perfectly good park across the road.”
“Or say that seein’ as we’re here, we can help her an’ get washin’ all them windows. Lost a whole day to that we did, one summer. Remember?”
“Teachers shouldn’t be in school in the holidays.” The park across the road had seen better days.
“Now this is kind of sad,” Artie said. “The school – that felt cheerful. This is…well, it makes me feel kind of old when I look back at how it used to be.”
“We could improve it though,” Bess said thoughtfully. “All of us together – everyone, I mean. I reckon everyone here for one day could get loads done. And then a painting party – Clara could head that up – and the whole place would be transformed.” “We could do something about these gardens too,” Artie said.
“Useter be real pretty, they did,” Old Tench agreed. “I remember sittin’ here with my Mary tellin’ her she was as pretty as the roses. Tell you somethin’ good though – come over there with me.” “So what we looking at?” Artie asked.
“Flowers,” said Old Tench simply. “Ain’t been none here for years. But since folks started comin’ back, since the children started gardenin’ over there at the school – I’ve been noticin’. Birds is comin’ back. There’s more insects. I reckon the birds is spreadin’ the seeds. And all the waterin’ folks is doin’ too – there’s more stuff growin’ up now outside of folks’ gardens.” “I’ve been watchin’ this happen, watchin’ them spread. They’ve gotten right over to here now. From the school, I reckon.”
Bess looked down at the flowers by her feet. “They’re kind of like a message aren’t they? Like a promise that things can grow again, can be rebuilt. Re-found even.” “Not much left to show that this was the old fairground, is there?”
“Sure ain’t,” Old Tench said in reply. “We had good times back then, didn’t we? I allus liked the fall one best. Somethin’ to look forward to after bein’ stuck back in school for a while.”
“No-one could beat Ludo bobbing for apples.”
“I know – he had a real knack for it. Tried to scare Bess here with the haunted house first time she went to it. She ended up scarin’ me, droppin’ peeled grapes down my back!”
But Bess wasn’t really listening. She was looking across the road. “What happened to the library?”
“Lee Popeman Enterprises, that’s what!” Old Tench was quietly angry. “Course, it happened after you and Joe was gone. First they bought it from the town. All secret-like. Then they sold all the books as would sell, threw the rest in a skip, sacked the librarian…she rescued all the ones she could. Mostly old ones – them’s the ones as is in the library now. Then they started wreckin’ it.” “That’s when everyone started figurin’ that company weren’t up to no good at all. that’s when everyone started refusin’ to sell anythin’ to them. Any company that’ll destroy a library – they ain’t on the side of the angels. That’s why people started wantin’ to hold them to account for all that pollution. Pushed a lot of the waverers over against them.” Old Tench paused.
“An’ I guess that’s why I decided to stay and make them go on payin’, even if only in a small way.” Archie went to the doorway and looked at the wreckage of what had once been a fine building. A bit awe-inspiring as he remembered it: all high oak bookshelves and a lot of hush. But it had been destroyed on purpose and all the books taken away. Lee Popeman Enterprises had been trying to take the heart out of the town. “Well, I reckon Clara’s done a real good job on this house,” Artie said to Bess. “That Clara, she’s a real worker.”
“I’ll just go check iffen her garden needs waterin’,” Old Tench called over his shoulder as he went round the back of the house. “And Clara’ll be havin’ neighbours too,” Old Tench said. “I hear as she’s plannin’ to move into her house real soon. Nice to know there’ll be others livin’ nearby.”
“They’ve made a good start on the outside,” Bess commented. “Is this Lucie and Leo’s house?”
“No, Amber ‘n Rafe’s. Lucie ‘n Leo’s is next door. Artie, I’ve got an idea about this here estate…” Bess left them to it and went to look next door. Amber and Rafe had been repainting in the same colour. Leo and Lucie had obviously had other ideas. Can’t blame them, Bess thought. That pink’s not a very nice colour. Someone had planted flowers already – Lucie, Bess reckoned, with her artist’s eye for her surroundings. It was nice to think that Clara would have neighbours. Clara’s life had been lonely enough before she came here. “So this is my kinda idea,” Old Tench said. “These here are genuine Sears catalogue houses. I figure as people’d find them interestin’ too. We could tidy up the gardens, ‘n this one we could make into a kinda show home.”
“Why this one?” Artie asked, following Old Tench up the steps.
“Cause it never got altered none. Bathroom’s still out in the back yard. Old Jack Pettigrew never saw the need for an inside one ‘n neither did his son. Young Jack never changed a thing ‘bout the house either.”
“Never changed his clothes neither from what I remember!”
“’Cept on Sundays, ‘n then old Ma Watson’d get his dirty washin’ from the week afore. She took in washin’ for a few of the single men as worked at the factories, remember?” Bess headed for the kitchen and couldn’t believe her eyes. “I don’t think anything’s been changed in here since the house was built!” “I don’t think anything’s been cleaned or painted either,” she went on. “But I think you’ve got a good idea there, Tom. It’ll be another reason for people to come and visit. How’s Rafe and Leo getting on with tracing the former owners? Either of you know?” “Can’t say as I’ve heard anythin’,” Old Tench began,but Artie interrupted him.
“Now I do know something! I saw that Leo yesterday – returning my address book, and yours too, Bess – and it seems like they’ve tracked down just about everyone, what with the names and addresses we had between us, and then ones that other people had. So they’re on to looking at valuations now. It’s like they said: most people had given up all hope of getting anything for these houses, so anything’s better than nothing. They've bought the two they're going to live in, so that kind of gives a starting price for the others to be measured against as well.” “And that’s Minnie’s latest. It’s going to be a souvenir shop and the bathrooms for the gas station all in one,” Artie said.
“Smart,” Bess agreed. “So the kids need the bathroom, see the souvenirs…”
“Drinks as well, in a chiller cabinet,” Artie added. “She knows what’s what, Minnie does.”
“And she’s planted trees on the street too, put flowers by the shops.”
“Even been prettyin’ up the gas station,” Old Tench added. “Take a look. And she ain’t even runnin’ that.” Minnie had added flowers there too. It had been Clara, Lucie and Leo who’d restored the outside of the petrol pumps – and Lachlan and Frank who’d restored their innards.
“They figured as they wanted to keep the vintage look,” Old Tench explained. “Leo and the rest of them, they’re goin’ to run this place with Marcus ‘n then sell it on once it’s thrivin’.” Appropriately enough, they finished up at Minnie’s shop. Bess started chatting to Chas – mostly about Sal, but she was keeping a grandmotherly eye on Chas as well. Old Tench was debating buying a magazine, and Artie and Minnie were filling in the gaps in each other’s knowledge.
“So I was chatting to that Leo yesterday and he says they’re going for a Spring opening…”
“Amber was in two days ago, buying paint by the gallon. They’re planning to move into their new houses any day now. Then they can really get finished off up at the gallery without trying to live there at the same time. She was saying they all need some studio space up there, and then they’re hoping to rent out some more…”
“They’re hoping that they’ll be able to get some more artists moving in as well – maybe on to the Arbuthnot estate…”
“I guess we’re all going to be real busy round here getting everywhere tidied up for Spring. I’d better get Dan started on the last of the shops on this street. And see if Chris and Caleb have got time to do a bit more gardening…” I stayed, Old Tench thought. I stayed just so that company’d have to keep payin’, keep providin’ clean water and free power, ‘n they couldn’t be wrigglin’ out of their obligations. But now look what’s happenin’. ‘N it wouldn’t be happenin’ without I’d stayed. Reckon that was one real good decision I made there.

The magazines are by Sandy at ATS 3
The kitchen stove pipe is by Cyclone Sue at TSR.

Changing Seasons. Summer V, part 1.

Summer V, part 1 Who would have thought that two extra children would have made such a difference to the school? Every room was in use now – thanks in no small part to the Prestons, who had cheerfully put aside work on their own house and farm for a couple of weeks here. And used their network of friends from their former life to scrounge equipment for the school. The other children knew that when there was a science lesson going on, Honey had to be in there all the way through the lesson. Fletcher had abandoned colouring and was deep in a book again. Harper was in the library, very slowly typing a bit more of her story about the Wuggles. “I’ll type for you later on," Honey had promised. “You can just tell it to me and I’ll type it in for you.” But for now she was soldiering on determinedly on her own. This was how Amber did it, so she could too. And Mason and Taylor were painting in the clean and decorated art room.
“And when we get round to needing more space,” Molly Preston had said, “we can always build on the playground. There’s room enough there.” “This is really interesting,” Richard said happily. “I love science. I wish we could do it all day.”
“I like it too,” Janet piped up. “But I wouldn’t wish to do it all day. I want to do other things as well.”
“Well, after lunch we’re doing dance again, remember? So you’ll get your wish even if Richard doesn’t get his.” “Is Lucie coming over again?” Janet asked.
“No, she’s busy today. But she will come again when she can.”
They finished off with a wild, fun, free-for-all dance, a session full of music and laughter and joy, before all the children headed off to their various homes. “Who’s this beautiful woman looking at me? How was your day, darling?”
The change in Frank since they had sent Maddie packing was really noticeable, Honey thought. It was like a stone being lifted from over a spring of fresh water: the old silent, reserved Frank was now so much more free and easy. “My day was lovely, and coming home to you made it even better.”
“Well, Mrs Enstein, what shall we do next?”
“Well, Mr Enstein, I have some ideas…” With Maddie gone, life felt full of promise. Frank hadn’t realised how far down his spirits had been until he felt them lifting. Two years’ time and they’d think about starting a family: that would give them time to get the house and garden sorted, this old wreck restored and sold, the school running smoothly for someone else to take over for a while…and now they had each other, they had friends, they were part of something that was bigger than themselves: a town coming back to life…This was good. He could hear, faintly, Honey’s music coming from upstairs, as he poked the settings and got into a rhythm. He’d got a reputation to keep up! Chas was getting fitter and faster, and Frank wasn’t minded to be beaten by him. Feel the movement, the balance, the poise, Honey thought. This was all coming back to her. They weren’t going to be turning out any prima ballerinas, but she and Lucie between them could do basic classes.
I need some better clothes for this, she also thought. I’ll move that up the priority list, put it on there as a school need, rather than a just-for-me need. They were slowly getting back onto their feet financially after Maddie’s raid on their savings, but they still needed to budget carefully. “No! No! How could you do that to me?”
“Aha!” Frank said. “It’s all that time I’m spending with Chas – don’t you know that all English men are mad about football and it’s catching?” “I’ll get you yet!” She had to get better at this game! But Honey didn’t really mind losing – it was worth it to hear Frank laughing. “Oh, I don’t know,” Bess said. “I kind of like the oil lamps. Reminds me of coming here when I first got married…”
“You don’t want to go keepin’ them oil lamps. They’re a heap of work – I remember havin’ to spend part of my Sat’days polishin’ them when the sun was shinin’ outside. ‘Sides, they’re a fire risk iffen you’re not careful.” “Don’t worry, they’re going,” Molly said firmly. “Frank’s booked to come and do our wiring as soon as he’s got a free stretch. Well, redo the wiring. What’s in here at the moment is more of a fire risk than those oil lamps. And we are really careful with them.” “I quite like going to bed by torchlight,” Richard said. “It makes me feel like an explorer – a naturalist or someone like that.”
“I don’t,” Janet said. “I can’t read in bed by torchlight.”
“No,” Bess said, firmly but kindly. “It’s not good for your eyes.”
“So when’s Frank coming?” Janet asked. “Or should I say Mr Enstein? But that sounds wrong.” “Hmm, that is a tricky one. Honey is definitely Mrs Enstein to you at school. But should Frank be Mr Enstein?”
“Don’t reckon as how he’d thank you for it,” Old Tench said, grinning. “But you could try it on him and see iffen he likes it. You got this room lookin’ real nice now.”
“Grandma is really clever with her sewing machine. She made all the curtains…”
“Miles and miles of hemming! Next thing I’ll be doing is curtains for all the bedrooms. Especially once we’ve got lights in all the rooms. Doesn’t matter so much when you’re doing everything by torchlight…”
“Talking of bedrooms,” Molly cut in, “it’s bedtime for you two as soon as you’ve finished eating.” “Well, I was in Minnie’s store earlier an’ spotted these so I thought I’d bring them with me, kind of to say thank you for havin’ me for a meal. Real kind of you.”
“Tom Tench, you didn’t have to do that and you know it. But it’s a real nice thought just the same,” Bess said, while Molly simply got up from her seat and said, “I’m coming closer.” “Didn’t want to get them out earlier, just in case you didn’t want Janet and Richard havin’ chocolate just afore bed. That Marianna said it leaves her kids buzzin’ like Blake’s bees iffen they eats sugar too close to bedtime.”
“Ten out of ten,” said Molly. “But it won’t affect me!” “Yes, we’re aiming to get the farm running at a profit again. We’ve got enough in the bank to tide us over the setting up costs – hopefully! First thing will be to get the pastures greened up again – and we’re thinking of going for milk production. Specifically for cheese making – artisan cheeses: another local product to go with Blake’s honey and Marcus’s wine.” “Do you know, I swear I remember these teacups.”
“You do. You and your Mary and me and my Joe, taking tea on a Sunday afternoon before the evening milking. They’ve been packed away for years but this seemed like the right time and place to get them out.”
“More ‘n once, takin’ tea with you two, as I remember. You an’ my Mary still wearin’ your pretty dresses from church that mornin’, chattin’ away…”
“And you and my Joe talking fishing. Mostly about the ones that got away from you both…”
“All four of us courtin’, and Joe findin’ it easier to invite you over with me and Mary rather than just by yourself…” “Artie and I, we were plannin’ to go out for a walk together tomorrow, just kinda lookin’ round the place. You want to come too, iffen you’re free? Talkin’ bout old times – it’s kinda nice thinkin’ on them now. Ain’t so sad as it useter be.”
“That sounds like a real nice idea. And this tea should be brewed by now – let’s get it poured. Never did like coffee last thing at night, but tea’s kind of settling, I think.”

Frank, Honey, Maddie and house were made for me by Hidehi as a lovely gift.
I’ve tweaked them slightly to fit the scenery of Two Lakes, so if you’re going to play them, they won’t look quite like this. I’ve tweaked Maddie’s personality too…
Link here for the house:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9351879
And for the family:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9351878

The teacups and teapot are by Sandy at ATS3

Changing Seasons. Spring V, part 3

Spring V, part 3 “Julie’s found an outlet for your beeswax – I knew she would, she’s got such a network of people she knows! He’s the guy who does the wooden boxes, so he’ll use your beeswax in his polish: gives a nice pedigree to the boxes. He wants to know what you’re calling it, and do you have any artwork for a label, or a logo or anything like that? And maybe he’ll be able to sell it too, which would bring you in a bit more money; it all depends if he had time to make extra polish and put it in little pots and so on…”
“Minnie, do thank Julie for me. Would she like a pot of honey as well?”
“She’d love that. She’s real fond of honey. Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your place? I mean, you could do tours like Marcus and Chas and so on, but you’ll need something for people to look at. A ‘visitor experience’. Have you thought of planting wild flowers, give it a kind of meadow/cottage look?” “Lucie could probably help you with that,” Rafe chimed in. “She might well have some good ideas for the outside of your barn – you’ve seen what she’s done on the outside of the art gallery.”
“That would be great. Thanks, Rafe.”
I’m learning – fast – from Miss Kirk’s advice and my own mistakes. Other people’s ideas are worth listening to. I swear brute force is the only thing this irrigation system understands. I seem to remember Marcus saying something very similar about theirs… Which means I’d better hand-water as well. I wonder if Lucie will come up with a make-over for the barn? She came and did some sketches – and reminisced about her scenery-painting days in high school, and went away muttering about cottages and beehives and so on. And I’ll go and see what Minnie’s got in the way of flower seeds. Minnie’s got plans for this street. She’s talking trees next, between the shops. And she’s got designs on the old DIY store next, though she thinks that’s going to have to be a total re-build. Souvenirs, I hear, bang opposite the gas station, so nice and obvious to visitors. There’s a proper gardening section in this new DIY store now – I might buy some veg seeds as well as some flower ones. Not to grow commercially – not this time! – but just enough to feed myself. My bee meadow is looking better. And Lucie’s had some amazing ideas for the outside of the house. I can’t afford them quite yet, but I’m working on it. Soon…And the honey’s selling nicely and Julie’s contact in Newborough is taking all my beeswax. And in between, I can work for Marcus for extra cash. Though I’ve got less time now, and I’ll have even less when I start my new pasture. There! Like it? That’s the beginning of Lucie’s transformation idea – we make this place look like a lovely cottage, with a cottage garden and bees – very idyllic. I’ve also thought of a name for my honey. I was thinking of Victoria and Albert Honey after my grandparents, but Amber pointed out that there was a museum in London that might object. Albert’s Honey sounded too old fashioned. Victoria’s Honey doesn’t really go with my hairy legs… So I’m going with their surname. Smallcott Honey. And actually, one of the roots of that name is ‘small cottage’, so it’ll go with the general look. And I’m changing my name too. I think Blake Smallcott is going to be a lot happier than Blake Jones ever was. Six toddlers did feel just like full time teaching! God job I had all that practice, Patience thought, as she cuddled Faith close. To their total surprise, Faith’s hair was definitely reddish, unlike Barnabas’s dark curls or her older sisters. Justin had turned out as dark-haired as Barnabas – and as noisy and determined too! Mercy, on the other hand, looked very like her sister, from what Patience could tell. There wasn’t a lot of hair there yet! The house had come a long way from when they moved in, three and a half years ago. Some of that progress, it was true, had been fuelled by the urgent need for space to accommodate three more children! Hope and Joy were playing happily with the dolls’ house she’d made for them, thanks to Minnie who’d given her the cardboard boxes. They’d definitely be ready for school soon – and it would be good for Barnabas to be out of the house! And mixing with older boys too. He was beginning to think that he ruled everything, though she’d noticed Hope and Joy working together to keep him in check more than once. The play room – with the baby gate – had proved to be a life-saver. It meant that the younger three didn’t spoil the games of the older three – and the older three didn’t tread on the younger three. It was fine having all six of them playing together when both she and Euan could be there too, but when it was just one of them and six children this made all the difference.
They didn’t have much money – again! – but there were plenty of hand-me-downs for the younger ones. It was quite nice seeing the outfits getting worn again actually. Meal times definitely had a school dinner feel about them! But eating early in the evening worked for the children, suited Euan – and Patience was determined that they would sit down together once a day at least. “Nabus, be tidy,” Hope said from Patience’s left. And judging from the look on Barnabas’s face – and the position of his hand – he had been contemplating mischief. He still wasn’t averse to the odd food fight.
But we’re doing okay, Patience thought. I enjoy the children, we both do, food fights notwithstanding. The older three would be four at the beginning of October, and would start school then, which would give Honey nine children to teach. And there was a girl who looked so much happier than she had done a few months back! I’m really glad Maddie’s gone, Patience thought. She was sucking all the life and joy out of Honey, and it’s nice to see it coming back again. They could actually both be in the workshop together! This was amazing, Lachlan thought. He must remember to tell Euan that things did change eventually. The children were playing safely and happily inside and he was here with the woman he loved so much, doing something he loved and watching her do something she loved too. Finally – finally – they had reached a safe and secure harbour. “That looks good, Mason. Tell me about it.”
“It’s a Wuggle,” Mason said. “It lives on the planet Potreb and eats pink candy floss. Harper asked me to paint it for her.” Harper left off playing with her building blocks and came over to tell Lachlan more about the Wuggle.
“You see, Wuggles are very important to the eek – eek – e-kology of their planet. Their pooh really helps the plants grow well. But no-one knows that and they don’t like the Wuggles because they are big and noisy.”
How had he managed to produce a child who could think up such a sophisticated story? Harper was ‘Five and three quarters now!’ as all four of them said at one time or another, but she could already make up stories. “Tell me more about the Wuggles. What do they like doing when they’re not eating pink candy floss?”
“They like to have parties. That’s why they’re so noisy. And the others say that they frighten the birds away and stop them singing and so they want the Wuggles to go away.” “I’ve nearly finished painting my Wuggle,” Mason said as they sat down to eat. “Can I have a bit more time after tea, please? I know just what I need to do next.”
“You can,” Marianna said, recognising his feelings. “A little bit of extra time. How was school today?” “Brilliant,” Taylor said, as Lachlan put some food onto her plate for her. “And tomorrow, we’re going to do dance stuff. Miss Glaze – no, Mrs Enstein – says we’ll do it in the afternoon in the dance studio and us four can just come back straight here instead of going back to school. Dance is fun, but it’s also good for your body, it helps make it strong and move well and if you want to be an astronaut you need a strong body…”
Astronaut, huh, thought Lachlan. Well, that was a new one on him! “I like the Wuggle, don’t you? How did we produce such amazing children? Must be your creative genes coming out in them all.” “Yours too, darling, yours too,” Marianna said. “This has been a joint effort. I couldn’t have done it without you. And they wouldn’t be who they are today without you.” “Really?" He had thought so earlier today, but he wanted to know what Marianna thought as well.
“Really truly," she said, smiling at him warmly. "Look at us. We’re a happy, thriving family, Lachlan. We’ve battled through the worst and won the battle. And we’re both creating again! Come and have a quick look at my stained glass design for the church windows before we go to bed.”


Blake and his house were made by Jessabeans. Link here for Blake
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9352926
and here for the house
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9352888
which I tweaked slightly to fit in with the landscape and the story.

Marianna, Lachlan and the children and the Old Forge are by AlphaFen (now known as AlphaFFrog) and can be found here:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310543

The plates, jug, cutlery, toaster, kettle and other kitchen touches are by Sandy at ATS3. So's the gardening stuff in the store. And the cardboard dolls' house.