Picnics and decisions...

By now most of the gnomes in Blue Bell Wood and a bit beyond had been to see Stephanotis's courting gift for Isabel. Word had spread about the wondrous roofing, the little flap table and the view.....well the view was a topic all of itself. The only difficulty was that gnomes being gnomes like picnics - and the trip was uphill and quite a way out of the way - well one thing led to another and before long the area around the base of the tree had become a favorite picnic spot.

True to Stephanotis's wishes though, the visiting gnomes left Isabel's haven as her special place, sometimes even leaving offerings of flowers and fruit by the entrance to encourage her in her composing. Isabel and Stephanotis were often to be seen walking hand in hand of a summer's evening, so as Hortensia frequently remarked to Archiblod - 'that boy certainly made a good impression'.

For all the general happiness though there was an undercurrent of sadness amongst the gnomes, some of Bluebell Wood was being cut down to make way for new houses for humans, and that meant that some of the gnomes would soon be homeless - gnomes are nothing if not adaptable but they grieve for the loss of their trees and homes. So you can see why going for a picnic under a courting gift of a tree house was so appealing, more than anything else it was a reminder that the old ways still lived on and that true love could even make a Hero out of a very young apprentice gnome.

Being adaptable though meant creating opportunities too and so Archibold was leading reconnaissance missions to local gardens and waste land in the area, scouting for suitable new locations for gnomes' homes. Once he and Stephanotis had made up their list of suitable spots they were going to report to the Council of Venerables and then after much fair consultation - designs would be made and brave decisions undertaken! Archibold was full of energy for the project and had made charts and maps and was all of a bustle with enthusiasm - house building brought the little community together and was often an occasion of celebration and feats of courage and prowess.