setting off at last
1st April 2023
My poor cousin Peter has been waiting patiently for me to take him home.
He was glad to come here for a period of convalescence after his spell in hospital.
I think the rest did him a lot of good.
But I’ve kept him here longer than we’d planned.
Things kept happening that needed to be dealt with.
There was the leak in the roof that needed fixing.
And Monkey made a flying visit from Outermost Wessex.
So we had to take a break from packing, to be properly hospitable and let him have a good rest after all his hard work on Bunce and Snowy’s farm.
He was on an errand, collecting some beans and seeds to take back for the farm.
But he’d had a bit of an accident, and the seeds had all got muddled up.
So we had to help him sort those out.
He had lots of news about the the farm.
Their rhubarb is doing nicely, and he says the radishes are beautiful.
They’ve got delicious green shoots growing in their polytunnel, and they’ve planted the beetroot.
They had to turn all their chicory plants upside down.
We told him about all the games we had played while Peter was getting better.
Monkey was excited to hear about them.
Monkey chose Key to the Kingdom.
I’m afraid it wasn’t a very quick round.
There are lots of paths, and lots of cards, and lots of rules.
Peter read the rule book for us.
Monkey loved getting sucked into the whirlpools.
I liked it when I got stuck in the Snake Pit.
It was a good place for a little rest, while I waited to be rescued.
It’s a game that goes on for a very long time.
I wanted to give Monkey something to take back with him for Bunce and Snowy’s dear little baby.
But what do little babies like, except sleeping and eating?
I don’t know much about them.
I found a poppy-seed rattle for it.
In the big city we think of poppies as quite special.
But then I realised that of course Bunce and Snowy will have plenty of them on the farm.
So instead of sending a present, I taught Monkey some lullabies to sing to the baby.
He set off back to the farm in his kebab van.
I hope Peter hasn’t been too bored.
We’ve played some nice music together.
Peter is very fond of folk music.
We found that the penny whistle and triangle are a good combination.
We were ready to go at last, when Lopsy telephoned.
So finally, Peter and I are ready to set off.
Oh, look. There’s a picture postcard on the doormat.
I’ll pop it in the bed with Peter and the luggage, and have a proper look at it later on.
It’s so lucky that hospital beds have wheels.
But I hope the rain stops soon.
Or the one before that.