When Alfred Britwhistle retires, he and his wife Myrtle shift to a small rural town. They hope the change will enable them to live a slower lifestyle and encourage their grandchildren to see them more often. While their first dream is realized, ten years later they are no closer to seeing their grandchildren. Nobody would guess as they go about their everyday life, cooking on a woodstove and making soap, that they carry this secret sadness.Despite many lonely Christmases, Alfred and Myrtle continue to hope that one day things will be different.As they wait, fun loving Alfred plays pranks on his nosey neighbour Nelly, much to his wife’s disapproval. It is not until Myrtle makes a prize-winning bear and new people shift into to area that things change for the better. Not in the way the Britwhistles hoped but in a way that brings joy to themselves and happiness to another lonely family.A touching humorous story, set in New South Wales Australia. Suitable for primary age readers or to be read aloud to children.