Magenta trim........

'Well, well, tickle me toodle pigs - that boy will go far'. Stephanotis had just left and Aunt Mildred was having an unaccustomed cup of camomile tea (instead of her usual mint) to steady her nerves. 'Quite a little heart throb' she thought 'I'll have to be very careful about choosing his hat'.

Stephanotis went on his way chirruping a little hum to himself. Now that he had taken the plunge and committed himself to a courting hat for the Midsummer Revels - he felt relieved - still nervous, but overall relieved and it must be said - a little excited. Aunt Mildred was making a list of what she called attributes; soft curly brown hair with a wild curl on his forehead that would stick out rogueishly from any hat, brown eyes - both humorous and kind, a full smile, dimples and a very direct stare. She knew he loved playing the accordion, had been chosen as Archibold's apprentice by the Elders and had received glowing reports from all and sundry (Hortensia had also reported that he was a dutiful and respectful lodger who adored pancakes). 'All in all', she thought 'I think summer sky blue with perhaps a magenta trim seems the most likely'.

She then had a suck on her pipe as she contemplated whether the hat should be of a soft knit or weave or even to made of felt - a very tricky consideration indeed. 'I'll just have a little snooze to let the ideas flow' and with that she fell happily asleep.

Mint leaves and a new hat.......

Stephanotis was walking carefully, Aunt Mildred had planted her front garden with so much mint, and with so many varieties, that he felt that he was walking through a fragrant mint jungle. Much as he loved mint tea and especially crystalised mint leaves - he knew that he would smell of mint all day long. Sometimes after he had visited her he felt that even his boots smelt of mint.

He had come to ask her to make him a new hat for the Midsummer Revels. Stephanotis had reached the age, young as he was, when a little courting seemed like a very an entrancing idea. Now everyone knows that having a handsome hat is just the thing to perk up a young gnomes confidence - especially when they are about to ask another gnome if they would like to go for a stroll through the violets. Stephanotis had been practicing his opening request for rather a while, but as he still felt a little nervous, had gratefully accepted Hortensia's advice of asking for a new hat.

Aunt Mildred specialised in hats - after her garden and her mint delicacies (and maybe her elderflower cordial), matching the right hat with the right gnome was her greatest passion. She watched Stephanotis wind his way through the mint garden with a sparkle in her eye - 'feeling frisky is he, well, well, well, the time indeed has come for a courting hat.'

Trumpets in time?

Hortensia was hoping that Archibold and Stephanotis were enjoying a successful mission, she had been very busy with her own projects for the Midsummer Revels - which seemed to be creeping ever nearer at an alarmingly fast pace. She was especially glad this morning that they were out of the house so that she could begin practicing her trumpet. Hortensia always announced the start and finish and all the main events with a variety of improvised trumpet calls. This year, what with baby Harriet still being so small and her life so very full, she had rather neglected her trumpet. Indeed when she had first taken out of it's basket to play she had found it tarnished and more than a bit snorty.

Hortensia polished and buffed and soon began to coax some notes out of her beloved instrument, 'Goodness I'll have to try every day if I am to be any good at the Revels - oh dear, oh dear how could I have let it go so badly?' Hortensia loved her trumpet and was feeling a bit glum, 'I'll just have to try every day and hope that I improve in time.' Since a young girl, Hotensia had been known for her joyous trumpet playing, indeed Archibold had been captivated by her playing of both the zither and the trumpet. Much as he loved music and dancing, he himself didn't play any instruments - this is probably down to the fact that from an early age he had always been an especially adventurous gnome and was forever out and about exploring.

Butterflies and baskets.......

'Gently does it Lad, don't want to alarm them'  Archibold was supervising Stephanotis as he carefully nudged the furry caterpillars into his basket. 'The trick is to collect lots of branches of their favourite leaves to take back with them, that way we can keep them happy until they rest up to grow their wings'.

Because Stephanotis was his young apprentice, Arichbold had let him into the secret about his show stopping finale for the Midsummer Revels. Every year, after Isabel had sung The Song of Spring, Archibold would secretly release a cloud of butterflies from under the podium. This year he was going to have the assistance of Stephanotis, so he was even more excited than usual about his project. 'We can make a good show this year, but we have to keep an eye on them, very temperamental butterflies - if not happy with their conditions'.

They carefully carried the basket between them back to camp, Archibold had apologised to Stephanotis about being over excited in the boat and had firmly resolved to teach his young apprentice with the utmost care and thoughtfulness for his age and experience. Even so he couldn't resist saying ' See, if we hadn't come this far down the river, we would never have found so many and such unusual caterpillars - alls well that ends well!' Stephanotis grinned, he had heard Hortensia make a comment or two about Archibold's enthusiasms! Still their main mission for the trip had been accomplished and they settled down by their fire for a warming supper and a good night's sleep.

Sparkle and splash!

'Chirupy, chirupy' said Stephanotis, he felt so much restored after his nap, that he had burst out giggling at the sight of Archibold snoring in his hammock. 'What a day for a daydream!' he thought. Gnomes put much store by daydreaming, it seems to them that some of the most delicate and delightful of ideas  - can arrive only if one is daydreaming - in fact you could say that gnomes adore and have great regard for daydreaming as an essential ingredient of a happy life.

Since the kettle was boiling, he set to making a pot of tea and putting some nettle tops on in his frying pan -  to gently wilt with a little butter and wild garlic. As the tea brewed to a suitable and restorative strength, he sat on the shore of their little beach, contemplating the sparkling sunlight on the water and splashing his feet in the still chilly river. Archibold of course, woke up with a start at the sound and smell of butter sizzling and forgetting where he was, fell out of his hammock. 'Bother bosh and trollops' he swore ' banged me elbow on a rock'. This of course set Stephanotis off into more giggling ' You look so grumpy Archibold,' he said ' sort of frightening without your hat and your beard all sideways, come cool your feet and you'll soon be back to normal!'

So the two friends sat together, humming a little tune, splashing their feet and thinking how very lucky they were to enjoy such a marvelous Spring morning together.

Gentle breezes.....

Archibold was taken aback when he saw poor exhausted Stephanotis lying asleep under the dandelion. 'I have overdone things again ' he thought ' I forget how young he is and what I felt like when I was his age - too taken up with my own excitement to notice how frightened he must have been by the fierce current'.

So Archibold set to making camp. First he made a small circle of stones on the sandy bank for the fire and soon had a crackling blaze going, next he set up the little kettle full of water for tea on a tripod over the flames. 'Best put up the tent and hammocks then we'll be all ship shape and can go explore.' Though for all of his courage and enthusiasm, Archibold wasn't particularliy good at the practicalities of erecting a tent on his own, 'perhaps breakfast first' he thought, 'then we can easily straighten things out'.

The alluring sight of his hammock gently swaying in a soft breeze became too much for him to resist, and Arichbold found himself climbing into his hammock and daydreaming his way into a deep slumber. Soon the little camp reverberated to the happy sounds of a duet of snoring gnomes.

A shady dandelion.........

Much to Stephanotis's relief the current slowed and they found themselves bobbing through shallow rocks and could see the gravel bottom of the river. 'Row Stephanotis, row, we can stop here if we can just ease over to the bank and grab a branch'. They both pulled hard at their oars and sure enough they were soon nestled into a bush and utterly hidden from view.

Archibold leapt up the bank to scout out a suitable campsite and Stephanotis started gathering twigs for a fire. He was still feeling slightly sick but this wasn't stopping him thinking longingly about his breakfast. By the time Archibold made it back to the boat, Stephanotis was having a little recovery snooze, and was gently snoring as he lay with a handkerchief across his face and a half eaten biscuit in his hand, nestled into the shady leaves of a dandelion.