1
Nina Lavendar watched the trainspotters on the other side of the station. She smiled as they stood stock still to witness the glory of the moveable platform just down from the old station house at Lovely Bay. When Nina had first moved to Lovely Bay the year before, a few different people had told her that Lovely attracted trainspotters by the dozen. Internally, she’d rolled her eyes and had wondered what all the fuss was about. Now, like the Lovelies who had lived in the area their whole life, she could pick out a trainspotter a mile off. And no, it wasn’t because they were wearing anoraks and socks with sandals. More that they had a certain air about them that was hard to put your finger on. Once you’d witnessed how they behaved a few times, they stuck out like a sore thumb. If you were actually on the train with one of them, they’d begin to get a teensy bit itchy as the train started to slow down for Lovely Bay. If they’d come the other way from Lovely itself and were chugging down the river on the boat, they would start to crane their necks towards the station to see what was what. Just all around, really, they were very interested in the station and even more in the platforms and trains themselves. Like many things in Lovely Bay, it was an unusual oddity Nina had come to knowand very much love. Plus, she liked the feeling of being in the know. That now she was a bona fide full-time resident of Lovely Bay, she could tell a trainspotter from sixty paces. It was one of the many silly little things that made her feel like she belonged. It was worth its weight in gold.
She leaned against a pillar, her eyes following the group of trainspotters, and she smiled again. She loved watching their faces when the old moveable platform started to do its thing. All of them peered with their chins dropped and marvelled at its engineering. Like the lighthouse, the platform was a magnet to Lovely Bay, drawing people into the little town, nudging the economy with their spending money, and keeping the place buoyant. Just how Lovelies, as locals like to call themselves, wanted it to be and were determined it remained.
In front of her, a man clutched a very fancy-looking camera, a young woman with poker-straight hair was jotting things in a notebook, and a teenager held up his phone, taking pictures of just about anything he could. Another man in a baseball cap scribbled vigorously in a large, worn notebook, and an older woman focused her phone lens on the approaching train. Lovely Bay was abuzz with all things trainspotting.
Nina nodded at their passion as she looked from the group to the old station house, where she was waiting for her friend Nancy. The station house, which greeted visitors as they arrived in Lovely Bay, epitomised the charm of the place with its huge old windows, quaint vintage advertising signs, and bunting fluttering from the gutters. The station, with its well-preserved architecture, scalloped tiled roof peculiar to Lovely Bay, and wide old-fashioned doors, was a reminder of the town's connection to the railway and a very nice place to arrive home.
Nina's gaze followed the train as it smoothly glided into the station and aligned with the moveable platform. The mechanical marvel, a unique feature of Lovely Bay, never failed to impress.Nina watched and took in the enthusiasm of the group of spotters. What she saw on their faces reflected what she felt about Lovely Bay – a simple place, always with a little surprise around the corner. She’d found a community where people appreciated the little things, where history was cherished, and people most definitely knew your name. In Lovely Bay, she had come across not just a place to live but a place where she belonged, a community that embraced her with open arms. She absolutely adored how that made her feel.
Nancy bustled out of the stationmaster’s house. ‘Hello. Right, that’s that lot done, I hope. Did you see their faces? Gets me every time. I’ll just get my coat. How are you?’
Nina smiled. ‘Good. We’ll be busy later in the deli with that lot if they stay around all day.’
‘You certainly will.’
Nina watched as Nancy made her way over towards the far door to check if it was locked. Her brisk, efficient steps reflected the years she had spent managing the station. Nina raised her eyebrows in question. ‘Busy morning?’
‘You could say that. When we’ve finally seen the back of winter, this place turns into a hive of activity, as you now know, seeing as you were with us last summer.’ Nancy chuckled, glancing at the trainspotters, who were still animatedly discussing the features of the moving platform.
‘I do. Let’s hope for lots of lovely sunny days this year. I love it over in the marshes and by the sea when it’s warm. There were so many lovely wildflowers last year too.’
Nancy pulled out a set of keys and began locking up the station house, ensuring each door clicked securely. ‘Hopefully, the weather will play ball with us, yes.’
Nina peered upwards. ‘We’ve already had it all today, and it’s not even midday yet. It was foggy when I got up this morning, then it rained, and now the sun’s out.’
‘You must be used to our odd weather by now,’ Nancy said with a roll of her eyes. She tugged at the collar of her blue coat with the striped hood. ‘Which is why you need one of these.’
‘I do. My name is at the top of the waiting list now, so it shouldn’t be too long.’
‘It's taken long enough!’
‘Yep, and it costs enough too.’
‘So, how's everything at The Summer Hotel? Have you heard from Jill?’
Nina replied, ‘Yeah, I have. Still, no buyers now that the last lot has fallen through. Jill's in Australia – did I tell you that?’
‘Yes, you said.’
‘I'm holding the fort until she comes back.’
‘Ifshe comes back.’ Nancy commented, checking one of the ticket machines and making sure it was working correctly.
‘I thought that, actually. I think she’s got the wandering bug.’
‘It's a beautiful place. It needs someone who sees its potential and charm and doesn’t care about the fact that it’s listed.’
‘I hope someone sees all that,’ Nina replied, her gaze drifting towards the station's old clock. ‘I'd hate to see it go to someone who doesn't appreciate what it truly is.’
‘Yeah, you and me both. Anyway, how are things in the deli? Still enjoying the hustle and bustle?’ Nancy asked, with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Birdie said you’ve been filling in again.’
Nina laughed. ‘Yeah, while they’re short-staffed again. As if I don’t have enough to do with my own job. Ha ha. It's hectic, but in a good way. I’ve learned a lot of things that I never knew I needed to know in there, though.’
Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘What, like the ins and outs of the Shipping Forecast?’
‘Ha. Too funny.’
