Page 9 of Summer at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘Miss you too, sweetheart, and you have a wonderful time too. And make sure you’re being good for Amelia’s daddy.’

‘Of course, we are …’ She saw Maisy cross her arms and toss her blonde curls indignantly. ‘Right, we need to watch the film now, Mummy.’ Hmm, sometimes that girl was six going on sixteen.

‘Okay … Love you, petal.’

‘Love you, Mummy. Oh, say hello to Grandma too.’

‘Don’t you just love ’em,’ said Eve with a small sigh, adding, ‘Mind you, it is nice to be away from all the demands just for a day or two.’

A very relaxed evening ensued, with the ladies sitting out on the deck, chatting away in the fading evening sunshine. Everyone was enjoying the gorgeous lakeside view, with a glass of Kirsty’s bubbly to hand, cardis and fleeces on to keep the slight Scottish chill at bay.

It had been the perfect start to the hen weekend, Rachel mused, as she tipped herself into the double bed later on, her fabulous friends all there with her, the man of her dreams back home … and the dress of her dreams hanging in the cupboard just metres away. She let out a happy sigh, and whispered a ‘Thanks for everything, Eve’ in the dark, before sleep swiftly caught up with her.

4

‘I thought we were meant to be chilling out with cocktails to hand …’ A slightly frazzled-looking Hannah, hard hat firmly planted on her head, was squeaking down to her fellow hens from the top of the rock face. The climbing harness was wedged up her bum and she was clinging on to the rope for dear life.

‘No worries, there’ll be plenty of time for that later,’ called Eve from below, who’d already managed the descent and was loving the excitement of the adrenalin-buzzing activity.

Jill gave it a go next, pulling a wry smile and a courageous, ‘Here goes’, as she stepped out over the ledge, managing a fifteen-metre drop under the guidance of the abseiling instructor.

Then it was Rachel’s turn. The male instructor rigged her up, with a very snug harness, showed her how to hold the rope and work the belay plate to make her way down safely. Now all she needed to do was to step off what was basically a rocky cliff edge. She took a deep breath. Life had presented her with enough metaphorical cliffhangers lately, without her choosing to tackle a literal one, but hey ho, she couldn’t wriggle out of this challenge … ‘Woo-hoo!’ she called out as she felt herself dangle precariously, whilst she was actually thinking, Shite, oooh, shite. But step-by-wide-angled-step, and inch-by-inch, she made her way down, with a quick, heart-stopping downwards lurch when she let through too much rope, then into a calmer final descent. As Rachel reached the bottom, a big cheer went up from the girls, and with her heart still thumping she realised she had actually enjoyed it.

Once they’d all had a turn, they tried the same descent again. Rachel got the hang of it, one foot at a time, and once she’d mastered controlling the belay and prusik rope, she decided it was brilliant fun, and went back for another challenge on a slightly higher face, along with daredevil Kirsty. The others in the group were happy to watch from solid ground and cheer them on at this point.

All this activity was followed by a much-needed chill-out back at base in the lodge’s Jacuzzi. Limbs were aching and muscles they hadn’t used in years sore, but they all felt proud of themselves for having given it a go and getting themselves down successfully.

‘Was a bit worried I wouldn’t make it down that ravine. I felt my stomach churn as I took my first step over the side, I must say,’ admitted Jill.

‘But you still did it – well done you, Mum.’

‘Face the fear and do it anyway! That’s the way.’ Hannah grinned.

‘Well, I suppose it was better than a bungee jump or something. Thank heavens you hadn’t organised that for us, Eve. Hah, at least this was one foot at a time. At one point I was so worried I’d let too much rope slip through. But once you got the hang of it …’ Rachel was beaming.

‘It wasn’t half as bad as I’d feared,’ added Hannah.

‘It never is …’ smiled Kirsty.

‘Especially when you’ve got a safety harness on and your friends by your side,’ chuckled Eve.

And that’s exactly how it had felt this past couple of years, mused Rachel, looking across at her group of fabulous friends and her brave mum. It had been friends and family providing the safety net just when she needed it. ‘You all did great,’ Eve added, so pleased her idea had gone down well with everyone. She knew that Rachel wouldn’t have wanted to prance about in a bride-to-be sash and sit drinking all weekend. But well, maybe just for a few hours …

‘Well, I bloody loved it,’ enthused Kirsty. ‘I might even look for more classes back home. Can’t wait to tell Josh and little Callum all about what Mummy’s been up to. Beats changing nappies and mashing up baby food, any day.’

It was time to get themselves out of the warm bubbles and put their glad rags on, ready for their evening out in Oban. Well, there needed to be at least part of the hen weekend spent sitting in a lurid pink sash with a drink to hand!

First, they had to head to the train station to collect Charlotte, who was hopping with excitement on the platform, with her overnight bag and a relieved grin. ‘Thank heavens, I’ve made it. I’ve been thinking of you lot all here these past twenty-four hours. And those photos on Facebook of the lodge, a-maz-ing! But, I’m here now and I’m so ready for this.’

Rachel took her friend’s bag from her and pulled her in for a hug. ‘I’m so glad you’re here, and thank you for taking on the train trek today. Now I’ve got all my besties here together, as well as my wonderful mum, of course. I’m so happy.’

There were hugs and hellos all round, and the group started strolling along the platform for the exit.

‘Right then, off to the first pub,’ announced Kirsty. ‘I do believe Charlotte here has a bit of catching up to do.’

‘I spotted one just along the road as we passed that looked all right,’ said Rachel. ‘It’s not far from the harbour. Shall we walk from here and give it a try?’

‘Sounds good to me,’ replied Charlotte, with the others all in agreement.