Jon was grounded again. He would keep skipping school. "There are so many more interesting things to do," he told his mum. "This is a wonderful place. I like just walking around the island."
"But you have to go to school, to - well, to learn things."
"I know I SHOULD. But somehow I get to the gate to school, and well, I sort of get stuck. I don't want to go in."
Sean was not impressed and quite disappointed. But then, Jon was his son, and clearly a bright boy. Just not academically inclined. While Jon's constrant truanting had been an embarassment to him while he was Principal of the school, back in Sunset Valley, here, he felt it didn't really matter.
Angie was slowly making a Cherry Orchard at the side of the house.
She talked to the boys. "Should we save up some money for new beds and wallpaper and stuff, or should we go to China again?"
"China!" they shouted.
"Mom, if you need money, I could sell some of my collection," suggested Shemuel. "I can soon get more gemstones, and we have no place to display them right now."
"OK, gang, get packed, we set off in the morning. No, don't sell your collection, Shem, we'll manage. but thank you!"
Angie and the boys in Shang Simla. No pictures, until they come back from the printers, I'm afraid. But Angie, remember, is a plumber. She earned 2 kachings for upgrading the toilets and other plumbing in the home base; this paid nicely for their holiday. Just as well as the new house was taking all their funds.
Lemuel, meanwhile, found many lizards, birds, bugs and other assorted wildlife. He decided that when he grew up he would like to write about critters.
They made a lot of money from that trip, mostly from Lemuel's critters, which all had to be sold there in Shang Simla.
When they finally got home, they all headed for the Seniors' home to tell about their adventures. Over the next weeks they completed the work on their house.
And now it was time for Angie to retire. She got more pension than Sean, although she had only been a Squad Leader.
"Are you still sulking about your pension? You have more money than you know what to do with!"
"That's only because Morten sells his sculptures for such a lot of money," growled Sean, pretending to be grouchy.
"The best part of that is, these are ice sculptures. They melt, and then I get repeat business!" laughed Morten, hugging his father and making him grin. "But it's great now, I get paid a reasonable rate for my sculpts. Not like when I first started."
Angie spent more and more time at Sean's house, now the boys were better able to look after themselves, and sometimes he came over while they were at school and they had a little quiet time together. Meanwhile, the move had done Monika good; she was as active as she had ever been and was fishing as a business again.
Once the Juniors' house was decorated, and lights put in, sleeping bags were put away and real beds bought - they had a party, with all the Pertwees together in one place.
Patches serenaded the fridge.
And Monica Overton - a local who wandered in.
Angie taught Lemuel to drive.
Sean went to visit Oona (sposed to be a party!) but nobody was home except a couple of babies.
On one of the porches of her vast house he found a Time Machine.
Eventually Duke Bunmui, Oona's man-about-the-house, turned up, and was friendly enough, but as Oona herself wasn't there, Sean decided to call it a night and head home.
Some time after that, Morten sold some sculptures and took his parents to Shang Simla.