13/11/2016 5 Comments Autumn FayreLady Diana Fisher is the owner of a faded but beautiful old Regency manor house on the outskirts of Primrose Glade. Sadly she had closed it up and moved away following the death of her husband, and no-one had heard from her since. Then recently, out of the blue, posters appeared around the village inviting everyone to an Autumn Fayre in the grounds of the Manor House. Critters were asked to bring and display their produce, crafts and creations, with a prize for the "Best in Show". There were to be refreshments, activities for the children, a special guest and a surprise announcement! Anticipation and excitement grew as the day of the Fayre approached... It was a perfect Autumn day, with crisp sunshine and glittery beads of dew on the grass. As the residents of Primrose Glade arrived at the Manor they saw a blue and white striped marquee on the lawn, with bright red flags fluttering cheerfully in the Autumn breeze. Inside Lady Fisher took to the stage to welcome them all... "Dear friends, I am delighted to be back in my home in Primrose Glade. It has been a difficult time since the loss of my dear husband Tom but now I am happy to be here where we shared so many wonderful times. I look forward to meeting you all and seeing what delights you have brought to our Autumn Fayre" Soon the marquee was filled with displays of local produce and handmade crafts. Diana inspected them all enthusiastically, and chatted to their creators. First was Dove Dale with her harvest of apples and a delicious-looking apple and blackberry pie... Diana and Dove had been friends when they were young and began reminiscing... "Remember when you and Tom used to canoodle behind the old barn and my father caught you!" "Oh yes, he was such an ornery old ram, I was terrified of him!" Realising everyone was waiting they agreed to have a proper argle-bargle later... Diana was fascinated by Edward Mulberry's exquisite handmade dollshouse. "Oh I can just imagine a family of little critters living there and what fun it would be to make up stories about their lives!" Next, Molly and Muddy McBurrows proudly showed Diana the pumpkins and flowers they had grown in their garden. "I can see you must have worked very hard. Don't you mind all the dirt?" "No! Actually that's the best part!" They laughed. After expertly popping the cork Don Hopkins handed Lady Fisher a glass of his Champagne to try, nervously hoping she would approve of the wine... "It's fabulous my dear!" Diana exclaimed. "My Tom would have loved this, Champagne was his favourite tipple, and he always giggled when a bubble tickled his mustache!" Picking up a spoon, Diana then moved on to try Mabel's 'Cherry and Caramel Gateaux' "Well Mrs Periwinkle, that is certainly a doozy of a sponge cake!" "Erm.. thank you, Your Ladyship." stammered Mabel in reply, not sure if that was a compliment or not! Next Diana had an interesting discussion with Dove's daughter Wendy, who has been experimenting with growing different vegetables at Butterdale Farm. "The cauliflowers in particular has been a triumph and the onions and peas did well too, but the zucchinis failed completely. Next season I want to try butternut squash and sweet potato. My brother Moss is also going to try a new variety of Honeydew melon" "Well, very good luck to you, and I may just have an outlet for all that exotic fruit and veg!" whispered Diana with a wink Diana then turned to Christopher Appleblossom, who has moved into an old watermill with his family and is busy converting it into a bakery. She was touched to find that he had made a bread roll in the shape of a kitty especially for her and when she tasted it found it had a light and crispy crust with perfectly soft dough inside. She was very pleased to hear that the Watermill Bakery would be opening soon. And to complement the fresh bread Diana sampled some of Horace's delectable honey, which he claims is so special because of all the wildflowers surrounding his hives. She admired the honey-glazed tarte but was now feeling too full to try any! Finally Diana turned to little Odette Hazelnut who had been waiting patiently to show Lady Fisher the cushions she had sewed. "My mum has been teaching me, and I did these all by myself. I had to cobble together the bit by the zip though, that was tricky" "I know how difficult zips can be, I recently made this shawl but when I tried to make a matching skirt the yarn kept getting tangled in the zip! I think you should be very proud of yourself, you have done a wonderful job." Odette blushed and beamed. Then it was time for the 'Best in Show' winner to be announced. All the critters gathered around... "And the winner is... Molly and Muddy! Please come up to the stage" Digger cheered as Lady Fisher handed the children an envelope and explained. "Your pumpkins were incredible specimens and they demonstrate what Autumn is all about...all the hard work throughout the year being harvested and enjoyed. And I hope you will enjoy your prize, it is a voucher for your family to come and stay in my hotel!" Everyone gasped and stared at Lady Fisher in surprise. "Yes, you heard correctly! It has been hard to wait until now to tell you, I have had to force myself to clam up a few times, but I am delighted to say that I have decided to return to Primrose Glade permanently, restore my home to its former glory and open it as 'The Regency Hotel'. The brick work will be repaired, the marble floors will be polished, the porcelain dusted off, It will be a grand yet welcoming place where travelers from all over Sylvania can come and experience the beauty of Primrose Glade." There was a huge round of applause from the crowd. Then Diana held up a paw and announced "Now, if you would all like to head outside where refreshments will be served, you can meet some of my family who are going to assist me in this venture...or should I say - adventure!" Outside, Diana introduced Eleanor to her nephew Maurice, explaining that he would be doing the cooking at the Hotel. "Delighted to meet you Mrs Bramble, please help yourself to some food. There are vegetable kebabs as well as bean burgers and salad." "Thank you Maurice, it all looks wonderful, you are an excellent chef." complemented Eleanor. "Ah well, I am not actually a trained chef, but I did work in a restaurant kitchen when I lived on the continent. It is where I met my wife Suzette" "I thought I detected an accent, and of course you pronounce your name the continental way. My bother-in-law is also called Maurice, but as Mortimer is always teasing him, his is just a fancy way of spelling plain old Morris!" Maurice laughed along with Eleanor and then introduced the rest of his family. Suzette was a very elegant cat, who was charming everyone as she served them with drinks and desserts. Belinda especially was enjoying the chance to relax and be waited on for a change! The twins Gwendolyn and Glynn looked just like her. They were in charge of the sweetie table and could be heard offering out gummi bears, lollipops, peanut butter brittle and bibble candy popcorn to the delighted children. Parked in her buggy nearby was a gorgeous baby girl, the image of her father. Maurice proudly introduced her as his youngest, Ginny, and she gave a delighted wiggle at the attention. When they could eat no more, everyone went off to explore the grounds and enjoy the various activities. Some watched a beekeeping demonstration from Horace Honeybear, who expertly pulled out a honey-comb to display the busy bees. "And so you mustn't think of wildflowers as weeds" he exhorted to the crowd. "Plants such as clover and dandilion are vital for our bees. And now my brother Bernard will show you some of the delicious recipes you can make with this versatile ingredient" Meanwhile, inside the marquee the trestle tables had been cleared and Diana introduced some more of her relatives. "I would like to present my niece Grace who is going to sing for you, accompanied by my great-niece Elizabeth on her violin, whilst Charles serves tea." Whilst the grown-ups enjoyed the entertainment, the children went exploring. Justine and Charlotte searched for acorns under the ancient oak, but decided they were too late and the birds must have eaten them all. But little Olivia did find a mushroom growing there. "Careful Livvy, don't touch!" warned Charlotte "It might be poisonous!" And the boys did manage to find some Horse Chestnuts. Jimi and Roger embarked on an enthusiastic game of conkers... ....and then cheeky Roger decided to have a peek into a window of the deserted Manor House... ...he came out covered in fluff and cobwebs! "Haha" laughed Maxwell, "Now you are a real-life dust-bunny!" But everyone stopped what they were doing when Diana announced it was time for the special guest appearance. All the critters rushed to the other side of the manor to see... ...Sylvanian Games gold medal winner Kirstie Hamilton and her pony Jester! They gave a stunning show-jumping display and afterwards met and chatted to all the villagers. Kirstie showed her rosette and trophy to a super-excited Otto Hazelnut, and Abigail even got to groom Jester while Moss Dale fed him a juicy carrot As dusk fell Maurice lit a campfire and served hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows. There was one final surprise...a fireworks display! As Diana watched the jewel-like colours of the fireworks - ruby and emerald, jade and amber - she smiled contentedly to herself. The Autumn Fayre had been a huge success, she was back in her beloved Primrose Glade and about to embark on a new chapter in her life surrounded by her family.
THE END xxx
5 Comments
|
Archives
February 2020
CategoriesAll A Perfect Christmas A School For Primrose Glade A Snowy Start At Watermill Bakery Autumn Fayre Beauty Salon Buster's Accident Butterdale Farm Coffee Time Daily Life John's Shop Making Plans Millie's Sponsored Bike Ride Mrs Tailbury Settles In Poppy's Birthday Surprise Romance! Setting Up Camp The Origins Of Primrose Glade The Orphans Of Primrose Glade The Primrose Post The Primrose Post - Issue 2 Valentine's Dat At Champagne! |