A day out

Leonard woke up bright and early but with a strange feeling that something was wrong.

He looked around the bedroom puzzled and his eyes fell on the little crutch, sleeping peacefully against the wall. Of course. Leonard scowled as he remembered the previous night.

But there was something else that wasn't right too. He scowled even more when he remembered that Leonora was due to arrive "soon". Whenever soon was.

Well, he wasn't going to sit around waiting for her to arrive when it suited her. He was going out for the day and that was that.

He swung himself out of bed with difficulty, and woke up the little crutch abruptly as revenge for last's night sniggering.

As he was making such a noise staggering around the bedroom, Mrs Leonard stirred, and then asked him if he had any plans for the day.

"Yes," he said triumphantly. "I'm going out shooting with the club."

"What if Leonora turns up?" she asked.

"Don't care," he answered childishly. "As you and Tata seem so fond of her I am sure you will all have a fine time together."

And he hobbled off out of the bedroom.

After breakfast he went out to the garage and put all his gear in Tata's Land Rover. Then he went inside again to say goodbye to his girls.

Tata was not pleased. She pouted and sulked at him and wanted to know why he was going out in her Land Rover while she was staying at home.

"Mrs Leonard will take you down the beach, and you can have a crazy time digging holes and running around in circles," he said nicely.

Tata looked suspiciously at him and felt she was being fobbed off.

"Grrrrr," she snarled and stalked off to her sofa.

Leonard gave Mrs Leonard a peck on the cheek, wished her a nice day doing the housework and the cooking, and off he went.

He took a perverse pleasure in thinking that Leonora would be annoyed if she knew that he was out shooting. She hated anything to do with guns and shooting and it didn't matter how many times he explained to her that he wasn't interested in killing anything, just target shooting, she still refused to change her stance. Unreasonable woman.

It was so peaceful in the woods, there was no noise other than that of birds and buzzing insects and the occasional discharge of the air weapons.  Leonard was buzzed by several dragonflies the size of small birds and the colours of them were amazing, striped tiger-like, green, and blue ones.  He was surprised that they were in the woods as he thought they spent their short lives above or near water. Not that he knew much about dragonflies.

After a fine day out, Leonard was in a very good mood when he pulled onto the drive. Until he saw the tatty Series Land Rover. His heart sank. He seriously thought about reversing back out and creeping back off to the woods to spend the night there, rather than face Leonora.

But it was too late, Tata was already up at the window, having heard the sound of her Land Rover, so everyone would know he had returned.



Leonard frowned at Leonora's Series. Why the woman insisted on driving such an antiquated Land Rover when she could perfectly well afford a newer civilised model was beyond him. She never washed it, she had no serious adaptations on it, and she couldn't even park it discretely. All the street could see it. How embarrassing.

He dragged himself out of Tata's Land Rover and limped into the house waiting for Tata's loving welcome. Where was she? Nowhere. Leonard stood there disappointedly and then made his way into the front room.

And there, standing in the middle of the room, tall and slim as ever - even though she claimed to be putting on weight - was Leonora.

A glass of wine in one hand, chatting happily with Mrs Leonard, and with Tata lying adoringly at her feet.

Leonora turned towards him.

"Hello Leonard." Laughing. As always. At him.



British Dragonfly Society