Fruit jellies and a pink hat....!

Mrs Partridge was experimenting, she had been thinking for days about what to bring as a special treat to The Mid-summer Revels. ' I know it is old fashioned' she thought, 'but there really is nothing as lovely as a cool fruit jelly on a hot summer's day.'

She had a vision of a tray of little gleaming jellies - but what to make them in that was the right size so that they could set - that was the problem. Much to her surprise as she woke up from a mid-afternoon doze in her chair, her eyes alighted on the perfect solution! There across the room - all lined up on the bookshelf, was her collection of thimbles! 'The very thing, right in front of me all the time, well fancy that, I must try them out at once.'

Imagine Aunt Mildred's surprise when, casually looking in the kitchen window - she was of course officially checking on the herbs in the window box - when she saw Mrs Partridge pouring a red liquid into upside down thimbles, which were being kept upright by being tucked into slices of brown bread, and then, put the whole lot into the fridge!

'Never ever seen her cook anything so strange' Aunt Mildred later reported to Hortensia 'can't think what she was up to, most peculiar indeed.' Aunt Mildred prided herself on her cooking (especially her renowned mint humbugs) and often liked to see what Mrs Partridge was cooking in her kitchen, as inspiration for her own dinners.

If she was honest, Aunt Mildred rather liked Mrs Partridge's company in general. Mrs Partridge had very good taste in television programmes, and most afternoons both she and Aunt Mildred would watch television together, though of course, Aunt Mildred was the other side of the patio doors resting in the cool under a geranium leaf. They both liked cookery programmes and had a penchant for a lean young man (young at least to Aunt Mildred) known as Nigel, who had a gnome in the garden off his kitchen where he demonstrated - what Mrs Partridge called 'real cooking with flavour and most tasty too!'

Mrs Partridge herself was very pleased with the results of her jelly experiment. Just the ticket, just tickety boo, they'll never have tasted anything like these! Next I'll try blackcurrant flavour, or maybe even lime?' She had decided to bring chocolate brownies as her cake, mainly it has to be said, because she thought that it could easily be cut into small cubes suitable for gnomes to enjoy as small cakes. 'The size of things is what is tricky, still what an honour it is to be invited, I must do my best to be the perfect guest.'

She had been sorting out a suitable hat and had decided on a salmon pink straw with a large brim which she had last worn for a niece's wedding many years previously. 'Some fresh sweet peas will go very well and look lovely on top and best of all, hide the worst of the worn bits!' It had been a long time since Mrs Partridge had had an occasion to dress up,  'Such fun, I haven't been this excited for years,' she exclaimed out loud after trying on her hat to make sure that it still fit.

Through the window Aunt Mildred smiled with joy, she felt the same way, 'first time in many a long year My Dear, that a human has been part of our lives - and about time too!'

Ivy rope and a pebble invitation......

'Well that really is a good idea Hector!'Archibold gazed in admiration at the ivy rope walk-way that Hector had attached between two branches. They were sitting high up in the old oak tree where they had traditionally built their Helter Skelter ride for the Mid Summer Revels. 'A little risky, but so much more fun! Next I think we should have a suspension rope with ivy leaf seats to sit in, so we can swing down and along to the next level.'

Archibold gasped, he knew that Hector was renowned for his bravery and expertise in abseiling (mainly developed as a necessity,  living as he did on a balcony in a block of flats in a nearby city), but a suspension rope between different branches with seats to swing along in - well, such a thing had never even been heard of! 'Not to worry Archie, I saw it on a TV programme on skiing that I watched through the window, humans use them in them on mountains when they want to get up and down them quickly.'

Archibold gulped, ' you really are very brave Hector, but will ivy rope be strong enough?' Hector grinned a wild grin as he uncoiled from his rucksack a length of old washing line, ' salvaged it myself from a neighbors balcony, the very best there is!' Archibold thought that Hector was looking particularly daring, maybe his years in the city were making his love of adventure ever more dangerous than ever. 'Just think of it Archie, we will go down in gnome history as the builders of the greatest Helter Skelter ride of all time?'

Archie thought to himself that that was just the sort of comment that could lead to disaster, but thought better of saying anything out loud whilst Hector was looking so wild. So they set to working out the best angle and even tried out a few practice runs. 'I think for safety's sake we had best ask Hortensia's advice about the seats don't you think Horatio?'

So that is how it came to be that Hortnsia came home from her evening stroll with baby Harriet to find her kitchen floor covered in ivy leaves, and Archibold and Hector in fierce discussion about the whys and wherefors of suspension hocks!

'Dinner first' said Hortensia firmly, ' no use trying to think straight when you are hungry!' Ad with that she set out a lovely stew of chestnuts and some pease pottage. Once she had grasped what was involved, Hortensia announced that she had just the thing upstairs in her sewing chest and that she would be back soon. Archibold and Hector waited anxiously but soon Hortensia reappeared with her price collection of curtain rings. 'Donated by the old lady when she changed her curtains last year, you can use them, but I want them back safely at the end of the Revels.' Hortensia raised her eyebrow at Archie as he nervously promised to return them.

'Curtain rings are a prize to be treasured, just think of the uses and how precious they are, humans almost always use plastic nowadays and a brass ring is so much better!' Hortensia had ideas of her own that she was waiting to announce. Both she and Aunt Mildred were very fond of their old lady human who lived in the house and garden at the edge of the forest, and this year they were planning to invite her to the Revels. Hortensia knew that most of the other gnomes would be shocked at such a radical idea, but she was determined that having established trust over the past year or so, that this year their friend could come along and be part of such a happy event.

And so one fine summer's morning the old lady, or Mrs Partridge to use her real name, walked out into her garden and saw her invitation carefully spelled out by pebbles on the lawn. The gnomes had made a great effort to make the message clear and in plain English, ' YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE MID SUMMER REVELS ON JUNE 12th AT TWO O'CLOCK UNDER THE OLD OAK IN THE LONG FIELD. HATS REQUIRED.'

Mrs Partridge almost jumped in shock but steadied herself and spent the next hour rearranging the pebbles with her walking stick replying, ' DELIGHT TO ATTEND, BRINGING HAT AND CAKE.'