There was a murmur of assent. Tilly said, ‘Well, that’s torn it, Mum. Just keep it basic, hmm? Or they might wind up kidnapping you.’ Moved by a sudden impulse, she leant across from her chair and hugged her mother. ‘I’ll do breakfast. You look tired, so you’re going to start your holiday with a nice lie-in and a cuppa in bed, okay?’

Elaine, the odd silver hair glinting through the brown, looked lovingly upon her daughter, the delicate skin about her eyes creasing as she smiled. ‘Oh, but it’s good to be with you again! Don’t spoil me too much or I’ll never want to leave.’

In the morning Elaine, as promised, rose later than the rest to find her daughter humming as she moved about the kitchen sterilising a feed bottle and chopping up meat for the birds. ‘I had such a lovely sleep,’ she announced. ‘Where’s everybody?’

‘Sophie’s down at the vehicle shed, I think. Luke’s gone off to do the chores at the camp and Matt was heading for Spadgers Creek – the station. It’s our next-door neighbour. They’re killing today, he said.’

‘Killing what?’ Elaine looked startled, then concerned.

‘A cow, I suppose. Or a bullock. I’m not sure. For meat. There aren’t any butcher shops out here, Mum.’

‘Oh.’ Elaine looked relieved. ‘You had me worried there. So what would you normally be doing?’

‘Helping Luke. But just now I’m making you breakfast. Toast and a soft-boiled egg? With coffee?’

‘Sounds lovely. As a matter of interest, who cooked last night’s tea?’

‘Sophie. It was her turn. Ghastly, wasn’t it?’ she said cheerfully. ‘I’ve given them simple recipes to follow, but I really think she’s worse than Matt. He at least gets his spuds cooked through.’

‘Well, I’ll see what you’ve got presently and work out tonight’s menu. Actually, it’ll be a treat. Your dad eats very simply these days, so it’ll be a chance to spread myself a bit. What’s the meat you’ve got there for?’

‘We’ve a couple of injured birds – it’s for their breakfast. And we have two joeys, with one still on the bottle. We’ve just got rid of two black cocky chicks, and I nursed the dearest little sugar glider . . . Oops, the toast is ready and the egg’s coming. Sit down and I’ll get the coffee. Then I’ll have to head out for a bit.’

Tilly attended to the morning chores and returned to find Sophie and her mother talking companionably over the washing up. She left them to it to work in the garden, weeding, watering and picking some early tomatoes. An hour or so later, the first of the campers departing Binboona began to appear, and by noon, new travellers were coming in.