Page 61 of One Sweet Day in Lovely Bay
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In a blue and white striped, limited edition, highly sought after Chowder Festival t-shirt, Cally walked along the main street of Lovely which had been cordoned off from cars and traffic. According to Birdie, and backed up in no uncertain words by Colin and the organising committee, it was a right palaver to get permission to close the road every year, but it was crucial to the success of the event. Cally walked along the street and smiled at thousands of little bunting flags fluttering back and forth in the wind. Lovely Bay had never been short of bunting, but this took it to whole new levels. Colin’s plans were in full swing and blowing about in the breeze above Cally’s head.
The entire street had been working for weeks to whip the place into a picture of prettiness, and it had very much worked. Lovelies, it seemed, knew how to host a festival. Gorgeous white lantern decorations hung off each of the old-fashioned lampposts, bunting swayed in the wind between the shops and all along Lovely Bay’s main street, little stalls were getting ready for the next day; a coffee stall had been set up outside the deli, the hardware store was set up with trestle tables piled high with Lovely flags to give away, and the co-op had a tombola outside ready to raise some money for the lighthouse building fund.
Lovely Chocolate Shop, though, was something else. As Cally approached the front of the shop a stall in front of it had been covered in long white linen tablecloths, a striped canopy was loaded down with bunting and trays were ready for truffles to be given away the next day. Cally smiled as she spied Nancy coming the other way with her friend Penny. Both women were dressed in the official uniform of the Chowder Festival helpers – navy blue and white striped tops and white chinos.
Cally smiled. 'Isn't it all looking fantastic? I’ve just been helping put the last few touches on the library.'
Nancy nodded enthusiastically. 'It's a picture, isn't it? I swear, every year, I think we can't possibly top the last, but somehow we manage it. And the weather?' Nancy held up crossed fingers. ‘Let’s hope it stays like this all weekend.’
Penny smiled. ‘Well, we have more bunting this year than ever before, I can tell you that much.'
‘Things aren’t done by halves here if Colin’s involved.’
Cally looked up at the masses of bunting criss-crossed over the street. ‘It’s going to be a job to get it down.’
'Speaking of not doing things by halves. Where are you working tonight? Nina’s, isn’t it? I had a blank for a bit earlier. I’ve forgotten who’s doing what.’ Nancy asked with a frown.
Cally nodded. ‘Yep. She's gone all out with the decorations, you should see it.’
Penny joked. ‘I've heard that's the hot ticket this year. Don’t tell our Birdie I said that, though.’
As they chatted, a gust of wind sent the bunting into a frenzy of fluttering. Colourful little triangles danced above their heads, and the white lanterns on the lampposts swayed back and forth in the wind.
'And what about you two?' Cally asked. 'Where are you stationed for the evening's clandestine chowder operations?'
Nancy chuckled. 'Well, I'm holding down the fort at the lighthouse and the turning on of the lights, as usual. Most of it is ready for us all later.’
Penny piped up, 'I'm over at the RNLI.’
‘Sounds like we’re all busy.’
Nancy gestured toward the lighthouse, ‘Right, I'd better get on. See you later.’
‘See you later, yep.’
Cally began to meander further down the street, taking in the sights and sounds of the final preparations for the festival in full swing. Outside the bookshop, a helper dressed in the same helper’s uniform sat reading to a group of Lovely children, and next door, the florist was setting up a tea urn alongside beautiful posies of flowers. Birdie hurried down the street with an armful of bunting in her arms. Cally wrinkled her nose. ‘What in the world? Where are you off to with that?’ She looked overhead. ‘Surely we can’t need more.’
Birdie rolled her eyes. ‘Colin wasn’t happy with the chemist. He said there needed to be more on the awning even after that lot we put up.’
‘You’re kidding!’
‘Nope. I amnotkidding and he is hyper. I decided I best just take instruction and do what he said before he had a heart attack.’
‘Where’ve you been then?’
‘Down to the lighthouse to collect it.’
‘Ahh, you should have messaged me. I would have popped down there for you. I’ve just come from that way.’
‘No worries. I needed to stretch my legs, anyway.’
‘Busy?’
‘Yep. Drugs still need to be dispensed in Lovely even when the festival is on.’
‘True.’
