The Hippies By Charles Roberts

          Mike did something in the city, a high powered big wig on a six figure salary who wore a suit which cost two thousand pounds. He drove his top of the range Mercedes. Jeanie owned her own chain of high class boutiques up and down the country and dressed in the finest of dresses with high heeled shoes.  She drove her top of the class Range Rover.  They drove their cars to their home in the country on a Friday, and Saturday morning they would drive out of their gate in a nineteen sixty four Volkswagen camper van painted all over with multi coloured flowers.  He, wearing a long wig with a leather band round his head, a white and red kaftan and cut off shorts with sandals which he’d made out of an old car tyre and bailing twine.  She let her hair down and also had a leather band round her head, but with feathers sticking out of it.  A full length blue and green flowery kaftan and sandals Mike had made from the same material as his.

          They would drive to country music festivals anywhere in the country and walk on the wild side for the weekend, arriving back at their home in time to shower and get ready for the drive into town on the Monday morning.  They lived this double life for years, the local garage making sure that the old Volkswagen was kept in tip top condition.  At first they were, of course, the talk of the village, but they kept themselves to themselves, gradually working their way into the life of the community and joining in whenever something needed doing or money needed raising for whatever wanted doing around the village.  The villages considered them eccentric, but harmless and generous, not only with their time, but also their money.

          When the village wanted a new hall built, Mike and Jeanie organised a country folk weekend, which attracted acts, because the two were so well known, from all around the country and all the proceeds going towards the new hall.  This became an annual event raising money for the village and its projects.