Archibold was out and about on a little jaunt, today was his Birthday and he was rather proud of the new tweed jacket that Hortensia had made especially for him as his Birthday present, and that he was wearing for the very first time.
He was pleased too with all the extra pockets that she had placed in the lining. 'Never can have too many pockets you know, never know when you might need a bit of string or dried moss', he had smiled his especially happy smile which Hortensia knew meant he wasn't just being polite, but really did like the jacket.
She had made the jacket from an old tweed cap that Archibold had found abandoned on the bank of the stream. 'Waited two days as is polite, then said to myself, no time to let it rot, best to take it home to my Hortensia!' Now he was wearing the smartest jacket he had ever owned and sporting a large daisy on his collar that Hortensia had given him, so that everyone would know that it was his Birthday!
'Today is my Brithday' Archibold announced to the plants and trees as he passed. Truth to tell he was more than a little excited, 'best be a bit nippy today, Birthday tea in the bluebells later, mustn't be late for that!'
Gnomes take Birthdays very seriously, as you know they take celebrating in general very seriously, so a Birthday nearly always involves a party and lots of dancing and singing. What Archibold didn't know was that one of his best friends, Hector, was making a trip home just for his special day.
Hortensia had sent a long letter, kindly delivered by a sprightly sparrow, to Hector where he lived on the balcony of a block of flats in the nearest city. 'I don't think Hector, that he remembers that this year is a special year, he has never been that good with numbers, so he won't be expecting you to make the trip home at all, and it would be a perfect Birthday present!' Hector adored an adventure, and after checking all was well with the bulbs and plants on his balcony and in the local park, had set off at once.
For the truth was that Archibold was one hundred years old! Now, to you and I, one hundred seems very old indeed, but to a gnome, though a significant Birthday and one to be seriously celebrated, being a hundred was not very old at all. Gnomes can live a long time, and maybe as Aunt Mildred was fond of saying, 'best not to take time too seriously, its how you live it that makes it long or short...' was really true!
In any event, up in the glorious blue haze and sweet scent of the blue bells, table cloths were being laid out, swings tied on to branches, 'hoop la' and 'toss the hat' and other games pitches being measured out. Best of all, an enormous Birthday Tea was being prepared with a delicious hazelnut cake carefully being wheeled over on a cart - Archibold's favourite of course!
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