Saturday 18 May 2013

Blossom and Plans....!

'Gently does it, ease yourself along..." Uncle Humperdinck was sitting aside a branch in the pear tree holding Aunt Mildred's hat for her, as she edged along the branch towards him. 'No need to rush My Dear, we'll be settled in minute.' Most of the gnomes were already comfortably nestled on their branches, but Aunt Mildred had been busy making a poultice for poor Humbert's gouty foot and was the last to arrive.

They were having a meeting to discuss the Mid-Summer Revels which were fast approaching. Long ago, The Council of Elders had realised that holding a meeting in the branches of a tree in blossom time, resulted in a much better outcome!

Hortensia had settled on holding the meeting in a wild pear tree as a seasonal treat. The soft white and pale pink petals and the warmth of the morning sunlight were intoxicating, and for ages the gnomes just rested on their branches, gazing into the beauty of the blossom all around them.

'Time to get down to business then' said Archibold, and with that Aunt Mildred passed around the mint humbugs. 'Nothing like a humbug to help one think' she muttered.

Soon the little tree of blossom was pervaded by the strong scent of mint and the sounds of loud sucking.
'Whose in charge of the marquee, and are we having a theme this year, that's what I want to know?' Archibold knew that he would be put in charge as usual of finding the perfect canopy for he marquee, (his skills at finding the right plastic bag to make the tent secure, waterproof and striking to look at, were legendary), but he wasn't too keen on a theme.

They all remembered the year that Aunt Mildred had decided on a Rabbit Rodeo, and the large number of carrots that they had been forced to borrow - as well as the trouble they had had from the rabbits for months afterwards. (Aunt Mildred had been watching television through the old lady's patio doors when she had thought up the idea, and though Hortensia had tried to persuade her that rabbits were not horses, and gnomes very different to humans - Aunt Mildred had won the day that year.)

Hortensia quickly spoke, ' I think that it would be wonderful to have the helter-skelter adventure ride again as well as the usual games.' So it was decided in minutes, lots of enthusiastic volunteering and hat tossing as the gnomes remembered the dangerous excitement of the helter-skelter ride through the tree tops and down to the games ground.

'Aunt Mildred, I think that you should present the prizes along with Archimedes, if we can persuade him to come along.' Aunt Mildred glowed, surely now she had the perfect excuse to make a new ceremonial hat! 'Well if you are sure, I could of course contribute towards the prizes?' Wild cheering from all the gnomes confirmed the decision as in the best interests of the whole community, and soon they were all scampering home to plot and plan the most perfect Mid-Summer's Day Revels ever held!



Saturday 4 May 2013

Blue bells and a Birthday tea!

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!