Katie looked out of the car window as it swerved off the main road and bumped up over the grass verge. It began to push through the gap in the hedgerow. She pressed her face against the glass as the branches and leaves and wild briars scraped against the windows.
The stony ground sloped down to a field where other caravans and trailers lay spread about.
‘Here we are!’ announced her father, with a huge sigh of relief as the car came to a standstill. Three dogs ran forward, yapping and jumping with curiosity.
In the back of the car they all began to yawn and stretch. Part of Katie’s leg had gone dead and she tried to work her foot backwards and forwards to get the circulation going.
‘Come on, you lot, out you get!’ Da got out and pulled the car doors wide open.
One by one they clambered out. A crowd of children ran over and a big black labrador pushed his cold nose against Katie, slobbering all over her clean jeans. She smiled. Mister belonged to her Uncle Mike.
‘Down, Mister! Down, good dog! I know you’re glad to see me.’
Straight away the twins shot off and were soon running around the place exploring. Her mother got out of the front seat slowly with little Davey asleep in her arms.
The door of one of the trailers was flung open and a woman jumped down onto the grass. Auntie Brigid. She ran over to greet them. Katie waved towards some of her cousins grinning in the middle of a group of muddy children of all sizes. The twins were going to love it here.
‘Katie, stir yourself and give me a hand,’ urged her mother.’ Take hold of Hannah. She’s nervous of all the strangers and fuss.’
Impatiently Katie grabbed at the sticky fingers of her shy, seven-year-old sister. ‘Come on, you big baby, nobody’s going to bite you!’
Hannah stared at her. Her pale golden hair blew in the breeze and framed a round, innocent face. Katie relented. How could anyone be cross with such an angel, she thought guiltily.
While Mam and Auntie Brigid stood chatting, Da got back into the car and set about trying to find a suitable spot for their caravan. Soon he and Katie’s fourteen-year-old brother, Tom, had reversed into a shady corner and they began to unhook the trailer. Da heaved out the large yellow bottle of gas and connected it up.
A tall well-built girl, with wavy blond hair, called them over to their aunt’s large trailer, with all its frills and flounces and brightly polished windows. Everything seemed to be in its place as usual in the neat caravan.
‘Hi, Maggie!’
‘Hiya, Katie. Will you have a drop of lemonade? We’ve some biscuits as well.’ She passed them around. The twins, as if by magic, appeared and gulped down their drinks, standing on the step, and then ran off again with the gang.
‘Paddy, Brian, listen to me! Take care running around – you don’t know this place yet, so have a bit of care!’ shouted Mam as the two red-heads disappeared down the field.
‘They’ll be grand, Kathleen, don’t be bothering yourself about them,’ said Auntie Brigid reassuringly. ‘My lot’ll keep an eye out for them. You just enjoy the tea and tell me all the news since we last met.’
Maggie glanced at Katie and cast her eyes upwards. Obviously a long gossip-session. ‘Are you coming outside, Katie?’
Hannah followed them and the three girls sat on the step outside the door. The sun was weakening and there was a slight nip in the air.
‘This is a fine place,’ Katie said, glancing around the field.
‘You should have seen it in the middle of winter. We were up to our knees in mud, but in the good weather it’s great,’ agreed Maggie.
‘I think it’s lovely,’ Hannah declared solemnly. ‘I hope we stay here for a long, long time.’
‘Well, there’s no telling how long any of us will stay any place,’ said her cousin, ‘but let’s make the most of it! Do you see the big trees over there? About ten minutes on there’s a little stream. You might catch a few pinkeens in it. Do you have a net?’
Hannah shook her head.
‘Well, we’re handy to the town. We’ll get you one there.’
Katie looked all around her. Clothes-lines had been strung between two or three of the tall trees and clothes flapped, drying in the breeze. Two multicoloured blankets were spread out to air on the grass. At one end of the field were three broken-down scrap cars, one without wheels. A cock and a few hens ran around the place, scratching and squawking. Almost at the centre of the camp was the telltale circle of stones and sticks and ashes and coals. A fire. Tonight, maybe, there’d be a fire lit. Katie hoped so.
Tom came striding over, carrying their puppy in his arms. ‘Katie, will you hold Duffy? She has us tormented trying to set up.’
‘Duffy, be a good dog. What have you been up to?’ asked Katie as the dog began to gnaw at her hands.
‘Teething is she?’ laughed Maggie. ‘She’s a grand little thing – a terrier is it?’
‘Sort of,’ said Katie, tossing Duffy onto the grass. Straight away the dog began to pull at Hannah’s shoelaces. Hannah jumped up and raced backwards and forwards, the dog trailing after her.
Tom was busy taking stuff from the boot of the car. At fourteen he was a smaller and thinner version of his father. His hair had darkened from fair to brown and his grey-green eyes seemed to be always searching for something when you were talking to him. He loved to be with Da, and the two of them were great friends.
After about an hour, Mam came out onto the top step of her sister’s caravan. ‘I’d better go and get things sorted out, I suppose,’ she announced. ‘Thanks a lot, Brigid, ‘tis real nice to be back together again. Here, Katie, take Davey and mind him. Hannah, you come with me. You can help set the table and sweep out the place.’
Katie smiled to herself. Mam seemed happy to be near Brigid’s family again. A summer here would do them all good. This was what travelling was all about. Fresh air and being your own boss, and finding a bit of space for yourself with plenty of friends around. And if you were lucky nobody to evict you or tell you to move on.
‘Katie! Katie! Are you gone deaf? Honest, you’re a right dreamer. Do you want to come for a walk after tea and see the place?’
‘Oh sorry, Maggie, I was miles away. Yeah, that would be great. I’ll see you later, then. Come on, Davey.’
Carrying her baby brother, Katie made her way towards the brown and cream caravan. Mam stood watching as Da hammered a thick pole into the ground to one side of the door. Mam unwrapped the small blanket she was holding, then carefully took out a carved wooden horse and fixed it securely on top of the pole.
The blue painted horse stood looking out over the camp. No matter where they travelled or camped, once everything was set up, Mam would always take out her most prized possession and put it up as a sign that this was their place now, if only for a few days. The trees, the earth, the water, the air around them would be a part of them for the time they needed it until they moved on again.
Davey looked at the blue horse.
‘Hossey, hossey,’ he babbled.
‘That means home, Davey. The blue horse means home,’ Katie told him proudly.