'Six twists of new ivy rope, extra hats, extra socks, ten large handkerchiefs, foot balm and chest rub, two weeks supply of humbugs, dried apple rings for emergencies - well, well, nearly there, just so much to pack!' Hortensia had offered to help Archibold and Stephanotis and their friends with their packing. Personal items such as trowels and the odd flute or book of sonnets, were being stowed in their waistcoats, belts and large pockets. This left the bulk of supplies still to be packed, or as Hortensia had taken to saying, 'stuffed' into six, really quite small, rucksacks.
'Quite remarkable really' thought Hortensia, ' the hammocks are the biggest items and they are the easiest to pack'. She was carefully checking the strings on each one and then rolling the brightly coloured, stripped hammocks into tight little rolls to be attached to the top of each rucksack.
The excitement was palpable everywhere, gnomes were dropping by Persimmon Heights with gifts of prize collections of seeds, even with extra hand knitted socks - for with the very common curved-big-toe-problem, sturdy socks were not just a useful gift - but downright essential. 'No more cakes please, this is the very last cake that I am going to accept, any extras will have to be carried by hand'. Hortensia for a moment looked rather cross. Stephanotis had arrived with yet another seedy cake from Aunt Mildred to take as supplies. Hortensia of course, had a great belief in the encouragement that a slice of seedy cake could bring to a difficult situation, 'but still enough is enough' she thought as she packed the sixteenth into Archibold's rucksack.
As it was, each rucksack had a bottle of emergency tonic, (a potent herbal cocktail, dark green and more than a little eye wateringly strong, that Aunt Mildred swore cured nearly everything), dried peppermint leaves and rose petals for pots of tea, a blue stone for keeping in contact and various personal items. For instance Hector had a special hair rinse to try and keep his most unruly curls in relative order, so that he could at least get a comb through them on an occasional basis.
'Nothing for it now, I shall have to tell them that all is ready'. Hortensia gathered up Baby Harriet and set off downstairs for a restorative cup of tea, before calling the others for a farewell supper of wild mushroom stew with cheesy mashed potatoes and a fresh watercress salad.
'Tomorrow is the day of departure Little One, tomorrow Papa goes on a big adventure to the City'. Harriet didn't really understand but she could sense that in her Mother's heart there were feelings of anxiety and of course, love.
For the truth was, that most unusually, Hortensia was worried about Archibold's trip away. She had a feeling that things were very different in the City and that the kindness of Archibold's heart and his unfailing courage and zest for adventure would be challenged by what he would meet on his travels. 'Humans' she thought 'are so very different and have little sense of the interconnectedness of the The Great Benevolence. I must speak to Eleanora after supper, perhaps she can help'. And with that Hortensia gathered Baby Harriet in her arms and sitting down in her rocking chair began to gently sing of the rustle of leaves and flicker of sunlight on a Spring morning, before long they were both sound asleep and enjoying a restorative pre-supper nap!
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