Tea time and an unexpected surprise!

Mrs Partridge was busy making napkins for the tea party. 'Very tricky' she thought 'very tricky indeed to make them the same size and so very small!' She was using her best scissors to cut up a tissue into tiny squares, 'drat, drat DRAT! there is no way that I am going to be able to fold them, my fingers just aren't as nimble as they used to be.' Mrs Partridge sighed, she so wanted the tea party to be a treat for the gnomes and had an idea in her head of how she wanted the little tea table to look.

'Not every day that gnomes come for tea!' Truth to tell Mrs Partridge was feeling pleased with herself. The shopping trip had been a great success due to her inspired idea of stopping off at the new health food shop for supplies. 'Fancy them having nettle tea and chestnut milk - and pomegranate juice, a bonanza, that was what it was, a bonanza!'

As for the gnomes, well there was much brushing of jackets and tweaking of hats as they assembled at Aunt Mildred's house to set off. Uncle Humperdinck had even decorated the cart, 'Nice as a jar of ointment is, looks a bit more special decorated, and we want our friend to know how special she is to us!'

Finally they were ready to set of, Aunt Mildred had decided to ride on the cart with Hortensia and baby Harriet, 'No point in walking in my best cape if we can ride in comfort.' Hortensia wasn't sure that sitting in oak leaves in a bumpy cart was comfortable, but thought that baby Harriet, however smelly the jar of ointment was at close quarters, would probably love the experience.

Of course there were frequent stops to check that no humans were out and about in the wood, but surprisingly soon they found themselves at the edge of Mrs Partridge's garden. There they stopped in amazement, because through the open patio doors they saw a most unusual sight.

'There you are my Dears, come along all is ready, come along this way please...' Mrs Partridge gestured to the long ramp she had made from an old bit of fencing that led up to her coffee table. 'Well I never'  muttered Aunt Mildred 'we are going to have tea on her table!' The gnomes valiantly pushed and puffed as they inched their cart up to the table, there was a bit of a bump and there they were, in Mrs Partridge's 'Tea Garden for Gnomes!'

The table was covered in a pale green table cloth with lots of Mrs Partridges house plants and small vases and jars of fresh flowers carefully arranged all over the tabletop. 'Look Archie she has made a pathway through the flowers!' Hortensia and Harriet set off leading the other gnomes around the path until they came to a bower of freesias and the little tea table itself.

Mrs Partridge found herself near to tears as she saw the gnomes gasp in wonder at the beautiful sight before them. 'I found the table and chairs in the old dolls house, you can take it all home with you if you like it?' She sat down in her chair, 'I just wanted to be able to see your faces and talk with you more easily, I hope it's suitable?'

There was only one thing to do, the gnomes turned to face her and started to sing. They sang of friendship and of golden autumn leaves, of loss and of coming home and of the precious gift of kindness and the gentle warmth of a hot cup of nettle tea!