“This whole meadow is full of wild flowers in the summer,” Cliff said. “The farmer gets some subsidy or other from Europe for not ploughing it up.”
“I guess it’s a haven for wildlife, too,” I said.
After coffee, the three of us decided to go for a walk. The sun was out and there wasn’t much wind.
“You can often spot the odd field mouse if you stay really quiet,” Tom said. “We’ve been known to bring a picnic down here on summer evenings. And the long grass helps to hide us if Cliff starts getting frisky.”
“I’m sure Simon doesn’t want to know things like that,” Cliff said, faking a slap to Tom’s shoulder. “And if anyone was likely to get frisky, it’d be you.”
Eventually it started growing dark, so we made our way back to their house.
Cliff got on with preparing the boys’ meal. “I’ve
