Jennifer Jane's summer holiday Part 2

It was only two days after Jennifer Jane had seen the giant when dad came home from the office and said, "I hope you've finished packing, Mary. We're going to start our holiday tomorrow."

This was a joke really, because mother had been packing for several days and the stack of cases and bags in the hall was getting bigger and bigger. Jennifer Jane was very excited but at last bedtime came and she was soon asleep.

Next morning she woke up and rushed into her parents' bedroom, to tell them to hurry up and not waste any holiday, but neither of them were there. So she washed as quickly as she could, put on her clothes and went downstairs. Mother had just finished laying the table and asked Jennifer Jane to go and tell her father that breakfast was ready.

Jennifer Jane went outside and there was dad, just tying the last knots in the rope that held Drawrof on the roof rack of the car. She gave him the message and together they went in to their meal.

It didn't seem long before they were well on their way, stopping now and again to have a drink and a biscuit or two. It was rather a long way to the cottage where they were going to stay. But at last the great moment arrived, they were driving down a narrow country road with trees on either side, when Jennifer Jane suddenly saw the sea a little way in front of them.

Just when she thought dad was going to drive right into the water, he turned the car sharply into a bumpy little lane that had remained hidden until then and after a few twists and turns, he turned sharply again, right into the driveway of a lovely white washed cottage.

"All hands to unload," said dad, just in time to stop Jennifer Jane running off to explore.

With everyone helping, all the luggage was soon indoors and while her mother was unpacking, dad and Jennifer Jane unloaded the canoe and put it up on the rafters in the garage. When this job was finished, Jennifer Jane was allowed to go and explore until teatime.

The countryside round the Therdle estuary was very flat and low-lying. All along the edge of the beach was a high sloping wall with a footpath along the top. It was called a sea wall and was there to keep out the sea at high tide, dad explained later and any land with bushes and grass that wasn't protected by it was known as 'saltings', because the sea would sometimes come up and cover it, making the ground salt.

In the distance, to the east as Jennifer Jane looked along the beach, was the open sea and looking along the estuary the other way, were several islands.

'One of those must be Attersea Island,' she thought. 'I must ask dad to show me which one it is on the map.'

The next two or three days were too windy and rough for canoeing, so the family went exploring in the villages near their cottage and once they all went to a large town where there was a ruined castle and a museum.

However, the weather changed at last and dad lifted Drawrof down from the garage rafters and put her afloat in the calm blue water. Jennifer Jane got in carefully. The canoe was a bit wobbly at first but she quickly got used to that and soon she was paddling round while her father watched.

At last he said, "You'll do, off you go" and Jennifer Jane headed straight out for Attersea Island.
It took her much longer than she’d thought it would to get there and she found it hard work, but finally she arrived.

Attersea Island was quite large; most of it was farm land and had a sea wall round it. Along one side though, was the sort of muddy land dad had called saltings.

'I'm sure Barnacle Bill wouldn't live on the farm land,' thought Jennifer Jane, 'so if I explore the saltings I should be able to find where he lives.

There were dozens of little streams cutting through the saltings and Jennifer Jane carefully paddled up all of those that were deep enough to float her canoe.

All the time she was calling quietly, "Barnacle Bill, Barnacle Bill, where are you? I have a message for you from the giant at the salt pool." But there was no reply, nor could she find his house.

She was rather a long time doing all this and when she paddled home dad was waiting for her on the beach.

"Where have you been all this time?" he asked. "Your poor mother is getting quite worried about you."

Jennifer Jane tried to explain, but her father wouldn't listen.

"In future," he said, "you mustn't take your canoe any further than the island nearest to us, so that we can see you all the time. Then we can always check where you are by looking out of the window, just to make sure you're all right."

Jennifer Jane was really disappointed, but of course she had to do what her dad said.