“Can’t hear yourself speak, can you?” Neville climbed up to put a black cloth over them. “I’ve a new game. Me mum got it from an advert in the Echo.”
It was Meccano. The children went on to build a bridge from strips of trellised metal. Neville showed Jane how to fasten them together with the Tom Thumb size nuts and bolts and miniature spanner, which was not quite the right size for the nuts, so they had to use their fingers. They tried a windmill, like the ones that still ground wheat over on the broad expanse of low-lying land near Skegness. Neville said a windmill was easy. He opened the Meccano catalogue to show her. You only had to follow the design. It began with just one square piece for the base. He did the foundation pieces and she did the sails ready to stick on. They came out l
