I grabbed my Eastman-Kodak camera and trotted down to the living room where Robbie, Jimmy, JPJ, and Bonzo all sat in shorts and tees. It was unbearably hot inside and, oddly enough, it was even hotter outside. Leave it to England to rain every consecutive day of August except for today! Bianca was out working today and I was thankful for it; Jimmy looked fabulous without a shirt and I figured it would be nice to stair at him while we were at he pond without getting another "Are you looking at my boyfriend? Why are you looking at him with that expression?".
"Are we ready to go?" I asked, clapping my hands together. I was sweating to nothingness in a bikini under a cut-up Rolling Stones tank top and a pair of shorts, my camera around my neck. "Picnic basket still in the fridge? Do you have the radio? Towels?"
"Aye, Jim and I are bringing our own cameras, as well," Robert replied. "Bonzo, the basket's on the table. Blast! It's too bloody hot, I'm going to melt!" Robert slouched deeper into the couch. "My hair hasn't always been this poofy. I'm highly concerned."
Everyone except Robert gave a chuckle and Robert smiled up at me. "Well, what are we waiting for, gentlemen?" I asked. "Do you want to sweat inside or swim outside? Has anyone ever been to the pond before? Is it a nice place to swim or is it grummy?"
"I have," John replied. "It's moderate. I've never swam there, but the water is clear and the bottom is sand."
"Very well," Jimmy said, slapping the arms of the winged chair near the fire place and pushing himself to his feet. "We better get out there before Epsom begins raining again. Only a matter of time in this ole place, ey?"
Everyone grabbed their towel and bag of essentials. Bonzo trotted into the kitchen and returned with a stereotypical wicker picnic basket. We left the house through the front door and told Cheever to guard it. The five of us trudged at a steady speed down the front steps, around to the back, and through the lush grass of the back yard. I was grateful I was the only girl joining them; more attention for me. You see, the deal with the wives was this: they didn't live here permanently, but were free to spend as many nights there as they so pleased, so as to eliminate the drama that would arise should a groupie be found in the mansion.
For a while, Robert, Bonzo, and Jimmy were all taking pictures of each other for no reason, some with Bonzo posing as a model or with Robert giving the camera a face so sexy it sent a shiver down my spine.
Robert began singing, "Well, I got a woman way over town/ That's good to me --oh yeah!" and the rest of the boys joined in. All I knew of the song was that it was very blues-y and I assumed it was from a R&B artist. "Say I got a woman way over town/ Good to me --oh yeah!/ She give me money when I'm in need/ Yeah she's a kind of friend indeed / I got a woman way over town that's good to me oh yeah!"
"What are you singing?" I asked no one in particular.
"Ray Charles!" Jimmy responded with a tone suggesting that I should have known the answer. "I Got a Woman."
"To Hell you do," Robert muttered, catching Jimmy's attention. We entered the threshold of the woods. They seemed a lot less erie in the bright sunlight and I smiled at the beauty this property had to offer, if only England's weather was nicer.
Jimmy turned to walk backwards in front of Robert, his eyes flickering to me for a slight second. "What was that?"
"I said 'to Hell you do,'" Robert laughed. "Why, you told me just yesterday you see Bianca as more of a friend."
Jimmy glanced at me, hoping I hadn't heard even though I couldn't help it. "I'm just missing me freedom is all-- Bianca's a fit woman and I enjoy her company greatly."
"Jenni," Bonzo began, smiling over at me, "you're a fit woman and I enjoy your company."
"Oh, why," I chimed in, holding my laden hand to my heart, my eyes twinkling with the humour of the lie, "Bonzo, that's very sweet of you! I enjoy your company as well. It's much better company than Jack the Ripper or that mad American fellow Charles Manson."
"And you're far more beautiful than that rock, and certainly more attractive than that blade of grass!"
"Marry me, Bonzo! You know just what to say!" Everyone but Jimmy laughed and I grinned at his frowning face. "Lighten up, Jim. You just need to learn how to compliment."
In no time at all, which was strange considering the proximity of the pond and the house, we reached Arcane as we emerged from the trees and set our things in the grass. There was a makeshift dock extending from the edge of the shore that reached near the center of the medium-sized pond. It was much cleaner than any pond I had ever been to and it looked very inviting in the penetrating sun.
I laid a towel out for me to sit on and put the radio near it, turning the knob on the top to serenade myself with the middle of The Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want. Jimmy set his towel down next to mine and John, Bonzo, and Robert set theirs next to Jimmy.
"Who wants to jump in first?" John asked, but before he had even finished his sentence, Robert had slipped his shirt and shorts off and was sprinting toward the pond in nothing but his briefs. I took the camera from around my next and turned it toward Jimmy who wasn't dressed according to the weather. He wore a white tee shirt with a navy cardigan over it. He held a camera to his chest as if he were afraid it may be stolen.
A giant splash washed the shore and Robert couldn't be seen in the pond. Suddenly he burst out of the water like a breaching dolphin and floated on his back. I snapped a picture and laughed. "The water is hunky dory!" Robert called, raising his hand in the "okay" symbol.
John walked onto the dock cautiously with Bonzo in tow. Mischievously, Bonzo pushed John into the pond, gave a great cackle, and followed; I got the picture. I turned to Jimmy imploringly. "Aren't you going to join them?"
"You need to teach me how to compliment, first," Jimmy purred. His eyes were heavy lidded and I wondered how long it took him to master this sexy, smoldering gaze he usually wore when talking to women.
He held the camera up and took a quick picture of me. "Stop," I chuckled, pushing the camera away. "Jim, stop. I don't know how to teach a man to compliment!"
"The sun makes your hair look a lot blonder than usual, like a ray of sunshine," he observed. "I've yet to meet a bird with those green of eyes. It's almost as if I'm looking into a forest."
"No more similes," I snapped, a grin betraying my serious tone. "You need to say things that won't make a woman think. Like, 'Bianca, your hair is beautiful today' or 'Bianca, your brown eyes look exceptionally sparkly today'. Something sweet and endearing but simple."
"Jenni, your green eyes look exceptionally sparkly today," Jimmy drawled sweetly. He gave a smirk and I raised a brow.
"Yes, exactly like that, except with Bianca's name."
"Are you two coming in? The water feels fantastic!" called John. "Are do you want to stay on shore and do some hanky-panky?"
I shouted "Be there in a second" just as Jimmy shouted "Hanky-panky!" I scowled at him but he wasn't looking at me. He was stripping.
"I probably won't be in the water very long," he whispered to me. "I can't swim, but I can walk."
"You can't swim?" I asked. He shook his head seriously.
"I can't drive, either." I raised my eyebrows impressively.
As soon as we was in his skivvies (and believe you me, it got much hotter outside!), he hopped up and walked down to the dock where he inched in, wary of the depth of the water. I sighed and removed my tank top and shorts, setting them on top of my camera. I ran after Jimmy and cannon-balled in.
When my face broke surface, I saw all the men circling around Robert who was splashing around like and idiot. In a few seconds, Robert's hand flew out of the water brandishing a pair-- his pair-- of skivvies. He hopped toward the dock and threw them on top. The men-- er, boys-- cheered and did the same as him. I could feel the butterflies release when Jimmy's pair flew through the sky and landed on the dock. Suddenly the spot light was on me. I shook my head.
"Take them off, Jen," Robert coaxed. I shook my head again and all the boys made a charge for me.
"No!" I shouted, holding desperately to my red and white bikini. Luckily none of them touched me and I swam away to the dock. "You're all perverted in the head! What would you four do if I just stole your undergarments?" I found this idea clever until it backfired... for the better.
"Then we'll go buck-naked," Robert retorted. "Naked! Nakey nakey naked! You'd probably like that, now wouldn't you, you dirty girl!" They all laughed and I suppressed my own laughter. "Get a picture will me and me mates, will you?"
Shaking uncontrollably from some unknown cause, I nodded and climbed on to the dock. They all whistled and I ignored them. I shuffled over to my towel and grabbed my camera, all the while singing along to the Cream song on the radio, and carried it back to the dock. Trying hard to forget how clear the water was and how fantastic the clarity was, I managed to only look into their faces. They all lined up with their arms around each other and I snapped a picture.
"Group hug?" Robert asked cleverly with a wink.
"Not today, big guy," I laughed.
"Little guy," Bonzo whispered the double entendre. We all broke out in a fit of laughter and I immediately became grateful for the sun today. It was the first time in a while I had been outside and I was loving every minute of it.
Enjoy these rare pictures that took me a few months to find! I'm hoping to find the rest of the photoshoot with JPJ and more of Bonzo and Jimmy. Either way, enjoy! :)
"Aye, Jim and I are bringing our own cameras, as well," Robert replied. "Bonzo, the basket's on the table. Blast! It's too bloody hot, I'm going to melt!" Robert slouched deeper into the couch. "My hair hasn't always been this poofy. I'm highly concerned."
Everyone except Robert gave a chuckle and Robert smiled up at me. "Well, what are we waiting for, gentlemen?" I asked. "Do you want to sweat inside or swim outside? Has anyone ever been to the pond before? Is it a nice place to swim or is it grummy?"
"I have," John replied. "It's moderate. I've never swam there, but the water is clear and the bottom is sand."
"Very well," Jimmy said, slapping the arms of the winged chair near the fire place and pushing himself to his feet. "We better get out there before Epsom begins raining again. Only a matter of time in this ole place, ey?"
Everyone grabbed their towel and bag of essentials. Bonzo trotted into the kitchen and returned with a stereotypical wicker picnic basket. We left the house through the front door and told Cheever to guard it. The five of us trudged at a steady speed down the front steps, around to the back, and through the lush grass of the back yard. I was grateful I was the only girl joining them; more attention for me. You see, the deal with the wives was this: they didn't live here permanently, but were free to spend as many nights there as they so pleased, so as to eliminate the drama that would arise should a groupie be found in the mansion.
For a while, Robert, Bonzo, and Jimmy were all taking pictures of each other for no reason, some with Bonzo posing as a model or with Robert giving the camera a face so sexy it sent a shiver down my spine.
Robert began singing, "Well, I got a woman way over town/ That's good to me --oh yeah!" and the rest of the boys joined in. All I knew of the song was that it was very blues-y and I assumed it was from a R&B artist. "Say I got a woman way over town/ Good to me --oh yeah!/ She give me money when I'm in need/ Yeah she's a kind of friend indeed / I got a woman way over town that's good to me oh yeah!"
"What are you singing?" I asked no one in particular.
"Ray Charles!" Jimmy responded with a tone suggesting that I should have known the answer. "I Got a Woman."
"To Hell you do," Robert muttered, catching Jimmy's attention. We entered the threshold of the woods. They seemed a lot less erie in the bright sunlight and I smiled at the beauty this property had to offer, if only England's weather was nicer.
Jimmy turned to walk backwards in front of Robert, his eyes flickering to me for a slight second. "What was that?"
"I said 'to Hell you do,'" Robert laughed. "Why, you told me just yesterday you see Bianca as more of a friend."
Jimmy glanced at me, hoping I hadn't heard even though I couldn't help it. "I'm just missing me freedom is all-- Bianca's a fit woman and I enjoy her company greatly."
"Jenni," Bonzo began, smiling over at me, "you're a fit woman and I enjoy your company."
"Oh, why," I chimed in, holding my laden hand to my heart, my eyes twinkling with the humour of the lie, "Bonzo, that's very sweet of you! I enjoy your company as well. It's much better company than Jack the Ripper or that mad American fellow Charles Manson."
"And you're far more beautiful than that rock, and certainly more attractive than that blade of grass!"
"Marry me, Bonzo! You know just what to say!" Everyone but Jimmy laughed and I grinned at his frowning face. "Lighten up, Jim. You just need to learn how to compliment."
In no time at all, which was strange considering the proximity of the pond and the house, we reached Arcane as we emerged from the trees and set our things in the grass. There was a makeshift dock extending from the edge of the shore that reached near the center of the medium-sized pond. It was much cleaner than any pond I had ever been to and it looked very inviting in the penetrating sun.
I laid a towel out for me to sit on and put the radio near it, turning the knob on the top to serenade myself with the middle of The Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want. Jimmy set his towel down next to mine and John, Bonzo, and Robert set theirs next to Jimmy.
"Who wants to jump in first?" John asked, but before he had even finished his sentence, Robert had slipped his shirt and shorts off and was sprinting toward the pond in nothing but his briefs. I took the camera from around my next and turned it toward Jimmy who wasn't dressed according to the weather. He wore a white tee shirt with a navy cardigan over it. He held a camera to his chest as if he were afraid it may be stolen.
A giant splash washed the shore and Robert couldn't be seen in the pond. Suddenly he burst out of the water like a breaching dolphin and floated on his back. I snapped a picture and laughed. "The water is hunky dory!" Robert called, raising his hand in the "okay" symbol.
John walked onto the dock cautiously with Bonzo in tow. Mischievously, Bonzo pushed John into the pond, gave a great cackle, and followed; I got the picture. I turned to Jimmy imploringly. "Aren't you going to join them?"
"You need to teach me how to compliment, first," Jimmy purred. His eyes were heavy lidded and I wondered how long it took him to master this sexy, smoldering gaze he usually wore when talking to women.
He held the camera up and took a quick picture of me. "Stop," I chuckled, pushing the camera away. "Jim, stop. I don't know how to teach a man to compliment!"
"The sun makes your hair look a lot blonder than usual, like a ray of sunshine," he observed. "I've yet to meet a bird with those green of eyes. It's almost as if I'm looking into a forest."
"No more similes," I snapped, a grin betraying my serious tone. "You need to say things that won't make a woman think. Like, 'Bianca, your hair is beautiful today' or 'Bianca, your brown eyes look exceptionally sparkly today'. Something sweet and endearing but simple."
"Jenni, your green eyes look exceptionally sparkly today," Jimmy drawled sweetly. He gave a smirk and I raised a brow.
"Yes, exactly like that, except with Bianca's name."
"Are you two coming in? The water feels fantastic!" called John. "Are do you want to stay on shore and do some hanky-panky?"
I shouted "Be there in a second" just as Jimmy shouted "Hanky-panky!" I scowled at him but he wasn't looking at me. He was stripping.
"I probably won't be in the water very long," he whispered to me. "I can't swim, but I can walk."
"You can't swim?" I asked. He shook his head seriously.
"I can't drive, either." I raised my eyebrows impressively.
As soon as we was in his skivvies (and believe you me, it got much hotter outside!), he hopped up and walked down to the dock where he inched in, wary of the depth of the water. I sighed and removed my tank top and shorts, setting them on top of my camera. I ran after Jimmy and cannon-balled in.
When my face broke surface, I saw all the men circling around Robert who was splashing around like and idiot. In a few seconds, Robert's hand flew out of the water brandishing a pair-- his pair-- of skivvies. He hopped toward the dock and threw them on top. The men-- er, boys-- cheered and did the same as him. I could feel the butterflies release when Jimmy's pair flew through the sky and landed on the dock. Suddenly the spot light was on me. I shook my head.
"Take them off, Jen," Robert coaxed. I shook my head again and all the boys made a charge for me.
"No!" I shouted, holding desperately to my red and white bikini. Luckily none of them touched me and I swam away to the dock. "You're all perverted in the head! What would you four do if I just stole your undergarments?" I found this idea clever until it backfired... for the better.
"Then we'll go buck-naked," Robert retorted. "Naked! Nakey nakey naked! You'd probably like that, now wouldn't you, you dirty girl!" They all laughed and I suppressed my own laughter. "Get a picture will me and me mates, will you?"
Shaking uncontrollably from some unknown cause, I nodded and climbed on to the dock. They all whistled and I ignored them. I shuffled over to my towel and grabbed my camera, all the while singing along to the Cream song on the radio, and carried it back to the dock. Trying hard to forget how clear the water was and how fantastic the clarity was, I managed to only look into their faces. They all lined up with their arms around each other and I snapped a picture.
"Group hug?" Robert asked cleverly with a wink.
"Not today, big guy," I laughed.
"Little guy," Bonzo whispered the double entendre. We all broke out in a fit of laughter and I immediately became grateful for the sun today. It was the first time in a while I had been outside and I was loving every minute of it.
Enjoy these rare pictures that took me a few months to find! I'm hoping to find the rest of the photoshoot with JPJ and more of Bonzo and Jimmy. Either way, enjoy! :)
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