THE LAST DAY OF THE PARTY. POPPY , ROSE, SAFFRON AND THEIR FRIENDS.

The last day of the Party is an excellent day for Poppy. She is SO busy most of the time that she doesn’t very often just play – like children do.

On the Last Day of the Party, Poppy doesn’t do one single bit of cleaning up. She doesn’t do one single bit of detecting.

She goes ever so quietly out the back door and down the Garden to Nana’s Tree.

The Tree looks like a tree. It feels like a tree when you touch it.

But it is not really a Tree. Not the kind of tree you normally see in a garden. Poppy just puts her hand on the Tree and says Good Morning. Good Morning. Good Morning.  And a small door opens and lets her in. Straight into the bottom of Nana’s Tower. Only Rose, Poppy and Saffron can come in by this little door. The Last Day of the Party is Children’s Day and Poppy is, after all, just a Girl. Sometimes, she needs to just play with other children.

Children come from everywhere on Children’s Day. Poppy only sees some of them once a year on Party Day. Harriett of the Chickens and  Imelda Red Beret come up from the egg collecting to spend the day with Rose and Poppy.

Rose has even left her Dragons sleeping in the fire pits. The Old DragonMaster is looking after them. He gets very tired nowadays but on Day 5 he sends Rose off to the Tower to play.

Take a look at the Photographs we have of Children’s Day.

The Children do many things they can’t do on other days.

PHOTOS OF CHILDREN’S DAY	IN NANA’S TOWER
Joyce spends all day cleaning the chimney. Noone knows why she wants to clean chimneys. She just loves it.	This is the ONLY day EVER that Cats find their way into Nana’s Tower. She so does not like Cats – but she lets them in on Children’s  Day.
	The little Prince Orson is not the easiest of the Children. He SULKS! When he’s at home, all the grownups try to make him happy but he just sulks even more. Its better when he is with a lot of other Children. They will take of his Prince’s clothes and let him wear ordinary things and play – just like a little boy.
KATRINA AND Lilliana grabbed one foot each of  Malcolm Whitebeard. On Day 5, the Tower fills up with the very young and the very old. Malcolm comes to teach them and tell them the Old Stories but this year he decided he didn’t want to be bothered with the little ones . He called Nigel the Nutty Hawk to take him away. Up he went to the Tower Top Garden and Nigel the Nutter flew down low to get him. No way !  said Katrina and Lilliana. You have stories to tell us !  NIgel tried very hard to fly off and Malcolm kept calling out  FLY! FLY! You Nutter ! But the girls did not let go of his feet and in the end Malcolm Whitebeard gave up. Nigel the Nutter flew away and Malcolm told stories all day long.	The Tower smells beautiful on Children’s Day. The Flower Children are all over the Place with all the perfumes of the Gardens. That’s Violet up there, smelling as pretty as a Flower.
BITTERSWEET : One of Saffron’s best friends.	Saffron and al the Flower Children plant flowers all over the Tower Roof Garden. They throw seeds from the very top of Nana’s Tower. That’s why you sometimes see a flower growing just where you didn’t expect it.
THE BUTTERFLY CHILDREN Portia and Phillipe are Butterfly Children. They take their friends for rides. Every now and then, there’s a whoosh in a Tower Room and it’s a butterfly being ridden much too fast.	Swansea of the Swallows flew in with her baby swallows. She is a good friend of the Rose.

DAY 5: THE LAST DAY OF THE PARTY. THE CHILDREN.

Daniel and Davo have rolled up in their cart to help take the Plants back to the Borrowing Garden.

Enid the Donkey can pull a good heavy load and Daniel and Davo are much stronger than they look.

They say it will take them about 7 trips to take all the borrowed potplants back to the Garden.

It could take them a bit longer than they think because  Freddy is out and about. Freddy is a rascally rogue.

He’s a good lad but he does like an impractical joke. Freddy is supposed to be up at Nana’s Tower but on the way he has turned all the signs in Triflora around. Freddy thinks that is pretty funny.

I don’t think Daniel and Davo will think its funny at all.

I shall have a talk with Freddy when he finally gets here.

Georgia and George look just like any other children. They do the things that other children do.

But they come from the Kingdom of Ice. They are Snow Babies.  The Snow People have come down from the very highest mountain for the Party and that means that there are a few problems. Everything they touch turns to ice or snow. The Snow People have been camped at the Edge of the Party Place in an Ice World of their own. Georgia and George are the only two children in Kingdom of Ice and they have had a good time watching everyone at the Party but they can’t touch any other children or animals or anything at all. If they do, it will turn to ICE immediately.

They have just one wish. They want to play with the other children. The Party is the only time of the Year that we have enough Magic around to do something about it. All the Witches gather in and around the Tower and they weave enough spells  for all the children of Triflora to play together safely for one whole day. No wonder there is so much singing, laughing and happiness on Children’s Day.

All Georgia and George have to do is walk in a straight line to the Bottom Door of the Tower. You can see how much snow they make on just a little walk! As soon as they get to the Bottom Door, they will meet the Magic of the Witches and it will be safe to touch anything and anyone they want. Just for one day.

COME ON GEORGE AND GEORGIA ! COME ON ! KEEP WALKING ! WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU !

The Tower is a very wonderful place. Children can light fires and never get burnt. They sit around and talk of many things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of the rooms, Hannah is ready to cut your hair. Everything that happens in the Tower is protected by Magic on Children’s Day and that means that Hannah’s haircuts always work out just the way you want.  If you go and see Hannah, your hair will stay perfect all year long and you will not need a cut till the next Party.

The baby Fairies LOVE  Children’s Day. They come fluttering and flittering in through the windows to play.

I think a baby Night Wanderer is such a cute little thing. Today is the only day that they come out. For the rest of the year, you can only see a Night Wanderer late at night. They come when you are sleeping and wander through your Dreams making sure that all your dreams are as cute as they are.

CLEANING UP. PACKING UP.

Some say that cleaning and packing up is not fun at all.

Cleaning and packing up can be miserable but on Day 5 of the Party for No Reason At All, they are FUN. FUN. FUN.

I try to tell Anastine she can enjoy today. I try and I try.

 

She just sits there saying; Cleaning and packing up are no fun at all! 

She always was miserable, even when we were children.

The Kittens have much more fun.

Kittens do have fun, of course. They jump on the brooms. They wrestle with each other. I don’t think they get much work done but they really do have FUN.

Anastine says that she cannot sweep when the Kittens are around.

Anastine says that’s why she is just sitting in the corner being miserable.

Anastine always blames someone else for whatever is happening.

 

 

Bellamy Bob is just standing in Poppy’s Place.

Just leaning against the wall.

Well, that’s what it looks like.

In Triflora, things are often not what they seem.

Bellamy Bob is actually a gargoyle. He came down from the Bell Towers for the Party. He has been dancing and dancing and now he is standing there doing what a gargoyle does best.

Bellamy Bob is scaring off anything that should not be there.

Bob has scared off a lot of dirt.

He has scared off  some dust dancers.

He has scared off the Little Cooks who wanted to make even more mess.

Bellamy Bob is a very good Staring Scarer.

He has skeddaddled the Brownies out of doors and it is not easy to get that many Brownies to do anything. Bellamy Bob just stared at them. Off they went as fast as they could.

You can do a lot of good by JUST STANDING THERE.

Cheerio Charles never stands still. He has already worn out his Party Boots in just 5 days.

Cheerio Charlie always has a good time.

He has a good time cleaning.

He has a good time packing up.

He has a good time when there are people around and he has a good time when he is on his own.

Cheerio Charlie decided to clean the attic for Poppy and it sure needed cleaning up. There was junk all over the place.

CHEERIO!  said Charlie and started to make it tidy as can ever be.

 

CHEERIO!  said Charlie when he knocked over a box and out spilled gold, gold and more gold.  Now, this really is FUN said he.

The Dottias are a different matter.

They do move about. In fact they MOVE in a very dotty way. You have already met one of them. You met Xerottia Dottia just after the Flight on Day 3.

Let me tell you this. As far as I can see, all the Dottias are rather odd.

All the Dottias think they can fly. They think they can dance. They think they can clean.

The Girls say I am not very kind to the Dottias.

The Girls say that the Dottias are probably very good at something.

I don’t think the Dottias are good at anything except being Dotty. They are certainly no good at cleaning up and they are too skinny to carry anything. 

I am old now and I am also a Witch.  That means that I do not have to be nice to Dottias if I don’t want to be – and I don’t !

I DO like being nice to Children and Little Creatures. They call me NANA. On the Last Day of the Party, we round up all the Children and bring them into my Tower while the cleaning up is going on.

The Little Cooks can cook anything they want to at my Place.

The little Animals come. All the Babies of Triflora come. I have plenty of rooms in my Tower. Especially for Little Ones.

 

 

I wonder whether you know what the Children’s job is today.

It’s a special job and they love it.

You know that Trouble is lurking down there someplace.

You know that if the Music ever stops, then Trouble will be on its way into the rest of Triflora.

Well-on Day 5 of the Party, while everyone is cleaning and packing, the Children have the Job of Making Music all day long.

Trouble is REALLY afraid of the Children making Music !

Come for a visit to my Tower and you will see how we spend the day.

DAY 5 OF THE PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL.

On the last day of the Party, the Dwarves knew they had a lot of work to do.

They were keen to do the heavy lifting and the cleaning up when the Party began but after the Feast and the Concert, they didn’t feel their best.

Dwarves drink strange drinks at parties and the thumping and banging of their music shakes the drinks around in their tummies.

Some of them wished they never had to wake up again but they did wake up.

A dwarf is a dwarf is a dwarf. A dwarf’s promise is as solid as ROCK.  The Dwarves had promised to be first up and first to start cleaning and that’s just what they did.

After a little while, they started feeling pretty cheery again. They never do like sunlight very much so they stayed in the darkest places they could find, had a little breakfast and something to drink.

I think that they were drinking some of Mickey’s BLUE WATER but I can’t be sure.

All I know is that they started working and they started singing and Day 5 had begun. Endings are just as important as beginnings.

 

The Dwarves started in on the kitchen. Not the Dragon Pits but the ordinary kitchen in Poppy’s Place. It was nice and cool and dark in there.

They began to scrub and rub and chuck out the rubbish near the front door.

Then they heard some laughing and some singing and the sound of feet on stone floors.  Mickey’s water can make even a Dwarf see things which aren’t there but when they turned around and saw eighteen tiny cooks dancing, they were more than a little bit shocked.

The Dwarves were all ready to go back to Stone Mountain and sleep it off when Andrew spotted one little cook with bright red hair.

SAFFRON !!!!! What are you doing ?  Who are all these children and why are you in the kitchen?

I wonder what they have been up to. We will find out later. For now, there is work to do. If you know what the 18 little cooks were doing, please leave a note here.

A WIZARD MANUAL

CLICK ON THE BOOK TO LEARN THE WAYS OF THE WIZARDS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poppy’s Father is a good cook. He plays guitar and mandolin and banjo and he can sing. He DOES kick off to the side when he’s playing football. That is not usually a good sign – except when someone has wizard’s blood in them.

Poppy’s father DOES HAVE wizard’s blood in him. Not many people knew that. For now, he is cooking and playing music and kicking off to the side but the Signs of the Wizard are starting to show.

He cannot pretend anymore that he does not understand NUMBERS. He understands numbers VERY WELL indeed. He can create numbers of his own and he can make numbers do anything he wants them to.

That is one of the early Signs of the Wizard.

And just across the creek from Poppy’s Place, creatures have begun to build a tower. It doesn’t look like a Tower yet. It looks like a stone wall and Poppy has been curious about the strange beings building it. She doesn’t know that a New Wizard’s Helpers start to find him before he even finds himself.

http://archive.org/stream/herrmannswizards00herr#page/n1/mode/2up

Poppy’s Father goes by the name of Mad O’Brian and he was one of Wizzy’s Musical Playmates for the big Concert. While he was helping the Wiz, Poppy and Saffron sneaked down to the Creek with Eric the dog and Mad Flynn. (There are quite a few Mad people on Triflora. Sometimes, Poppy was called Mad Eline and Saffron was called Mad Lola. )

They took a boat and started to row across to get a closer look at the stone wall on the Mad Island.

BANG. FLASH. KABOOM.

The tiny little creek seemed to turn into a wild river. Waves splashed over them and the boat splashed and bounced.

It is not easy to get near a Wizard’s Tower unless you  have been invited. They only just made it back to shore safely.

Back on Land, they met the Organ Man. He was walking in the Gardens playing the Organ and leading people back to the Concert. Poppy and Saffron went straight in to listen to the Music. They would go looking at the Mad Island some other time – maybe. When their legs stopped shaking and the Creek was just a creek again.

TONIGHT WAS MUSIC. MUSIC. MUSIC.

FEAST AND CONCERT PART 2

MUSICAL PLAYMATES FOR GARDENSTOCK.

THE NURSERY BAND.

The very talented Babies on fiddle, lute, tambourine and banjo.

THE FOOD The children gather food from all over the Gardens.	AND FOOD FOR FEASTING The Brownies love food so much that they are great helps at going out and getting good things to eat and drink.
Find the Saffron in the Perfumed Garden and bring back a basket for the Feast !
The Party of No Reason at All is a chance to eat many different kinds of food and to share a meal with people from all over the place.	The trouble is that they can’t always keep their hands off the food and drink. Sitting in the cup you are drinking from is not a good idea!

THIS WAY TO THE CIRCUS.

THE FEAST AND THE CONCERT

CLICK ON WIZZY’S ROBES.

Wizzy has just come down from his Tower, all dressed in his fancy clothes and ready for the Music. He is one excited wizard.

Wizzy tells me he is calling the Feast and the Concert – GARDENSTOCK.

Wizzy has led a very strange life.  He has led a rather wild life. Now he is very wise and very good at Music.

Over in the Dragon Kitchens, they tell me everything is going perfectly. The Circus People are all around and everyone has had their sleep. Just about time for Feasting and Music.

THE MUSICAL PLAYMATES	THE FEAST
THE JUNIPER JAZZ BAND
CLARENCE WORTHINGTON
ANGELO MORIARTY ON BASS.
The UNSEEN 2 STRINGER
	The Penguins are bringing the ice.

THE FEAST.

It can be difficult having a Feast in TRIFLORA.

Do be careful not to eat anyone or anything that you really should not eat.

The wolves have promised that they will NOT eat anyone at all.

Arabella is dressed in a beautiful gold dress with a blue robe and she is walking past the wolves.

Let me tell you, those wolves are just pretending that they will eat her.  Poor Arabella. They are scaring her – just for fun.

THE GARDENSTOCK MUSIC.

Get ready for the Gardenstock Pisky Band.

All the way from the Bogs.

DAY 4 : THE DAY OF THE SPIRITS

Jack and the Kookaburra.

Day 4 of the Party is a very special day.

Some might call it a very sad day.

IN some ways, it IS a very sad day.

It is the day of the Spirits.

There are many kinds of Beings in Triflora.

 

Some live for ever.

Some stay in Triflora and never go up into the World Up Top.

Some come and go and change size and shape – just like Rose and Poppy and Saffron.

There are Beings who fly and many who live underwater. All kinds of Creatures and People.

AND THEN THERE ARE THE SPIRITS.

You see, things do die. That can be very sad indeed. Things die and they never come back – not the way they were before.

On the 4th Day of the Party, people take time to think about the ones who have died. They tell stories and they cry and they laugh. They play music and write poems. All about the people and animals who have gone.  That’s the sad part.

The Happy part is still a Mystery.

Sometimes when people are sitting in the Garden, they think they see something or someone they knew.

Sometimes, when someone is growing vegetables, they almost hear a voice telling them how to grow the plants and the vegetables turn out more wonderful than ever before.

In Triflora there is magic, magic, magic but the Spirits are something more than Magic.

They come in the Mists and they shine in the Sun. They can’t come back to the ones who are still alive but they do take very good care of them.

Its because Love never dies. Never ever. Little Zeda and the Butterfly Fairies are the main messengers between the Spirits and Triflora. On Day 4, you can leave a message with Zeda or any of the other Butterfly Fairies and they will take the message to the Spirit for you.

I will tell you more about them later. Just take some quiet time now and think about the People who have gone. Talk to someone if you feel sad. Draw a picture or write a story for the Butterfly Fairies to take to the Spirit World for you.

On Day 4, The Spirit Gardens open their gates and everyone is welcome inside for a little while. The only music in the whole of Triflora in the Morning of Day 4 is from the Flutes of the Rabbits. They play a kind of sad/happy music.

The Spirit Gardens are a wonderful place. Once everyone has stopped crying and being sad, they open their eyes wide in the Spirit Gardens and then they KNOW that the people they loved are there somewhere. I will show you more of the gardens some other time. 

Today, its time to have a bit of a rest before the Day 4 Feast and Concert. You will need to put all your tears away now and get ready for the last Big Day of the Party. Tomorrow is packing up and farewell.

Today we eat again and dance again and play music again. We do things we have never done before. WE try food we have never eaten before. And tonight is Wizzy’s Biggest Concert of All Time. Then there will be enough music to keep Trouble away for at least 122 days.

DAY3 : AFTER THE FLIGHT

Just about the whole of Triflora watched the Flight of the Flying Beings. They loved the colours and the music and the songs. They loved the whole Flight  and didn’t even think about anything else while it was on.

Except for MONTROSE. He was inside nicking people’s meals again. He really can’t seem to help himself.

One day, he will nick the food of someone who won’t put up with it.

MONTROSE. MONTROSE. MONTROSE.

We know Brownies get very hungry but this is not the way to do it !

 

Parades and Flights are wonderful things but I rather like the afternoon of the 3rd day when things get a little quieter.

I like sitting around and talking.

I like feeding the Swans on the Lake.

I like the good food and happy people.  Tamara and Titus grew up with the baby swans. They look like ordinary children but they are not. They hatched from Eggs in the Swan nest. 

Let’s see what else is happening After the Flight.

The Brownies seem to be all gathered together.

That could be a good thing.

It looks to me like they are planning something.

That might not be a good thing.

Brownies come up with some pretty mischievous plans.  I think I might watch them for a little while. I am old and I wear black. They won’t notice me at all. People don’t notice old people. Best I send a text to my Friends. They can keep a watch on the Brownies as well.

Well, there they are. Whatever are they doing ? I rather think they have been eating choc chip cherry cookies. They always send the Brownies over the top.

Brownies are excitable as well as mischievous and when they get into the cookies – they just go plain wild.

They tumble and stumble and fumble and bumble.

 

Uncle Victor and Walter only see each other at the Party. Victor is only as big as Uncle Walter’s  boot. Victor loves his Uncle Walter but his Mum and Dad don’t think Uncle Walter is a good influence on Victor.

Victor doesn’t even know what an “ influence” is.

All he knows is that he loves Uncle Walter. They walk all round the Party and get ice cream. They watch the circus and they laugh and laugh. Victor introduces him to his friends; “ This is the brother of my mother.”

And when Uncle Walter sits down for a rest, Victor pulls off his boots for him. Now that’s some pretty good boot pulling – because, as I told you – each boot is the same size as Victor. It can be hard work having a giant for your uncle.

Xerottia is down at the flowers again. She is not a flower fairy but she wants to be one. The problem is that Xerottia is incredibly allergic to flowers. They send her as silly as choc chip cherry cookies send Montrose.

Fairies dance and fly and have a marvellous time but Xerottia never seems to do it quite right.

She leaps a little too high and her skin is a little too pale.

She doesn’t make friends easily. I don’t quite exactly know why.

Just out the back of Poppy’s Place is the Little Green Orchard. Its one of the best resting places in Triflora especially at Party Time.

Someone is always sitting there.

In fact there are a lot more things sitting in the Orchard than you might think.

It’s a lovely place to eat a bowl of fruit salad or draw a picture or write a poem.

It’s a lovely place to sit for a while.

There is NO TALKING in the Little Green Orchard.

It’s a resting place.

On the left hand side of the Little Green Orchard are the Sleeping  Eggs. Very cosy, the eggs are.

If you need a sleep – just pop into a Sleeping Egg for a little while and you will come out as bright and wide awake as can be.

I don’t know what they put in the air in those eggs, but a half hour sleep is all you need.

If you feel sleepy, DO HAVE A LITTLE SLEEP.

Its very easy to stay awake too long at parties and its not good for you.

TAKE A BREAK. FIND A SLEEPING EGG. GO TO BED.

DAY 3 : THE FLIGHT GOES ON

 

Guess I had best show you the rest of the Flight and then we can get on with the Party. Eating. Drinking. Talking to old friends and making new friends. But first :

THE FLIGHT

	Even the Flying House  is here today. It gave Starflyer such a shock that she fainted. Fainting is never a good idea while you’re flying.

THE FLYING BEINGS

The Beings of the Bush are of many different kinds. They fly a long way to join in the Flight on Day 3. The Kookaburras come along – laughing and giggling. They laugh so much that all of Triflora laughs with them.

Well – almost all of Triflora. One of the Kookaburras  by the name of Goobra, simply would not laugh. She would not fly. She would not join in at all.

Goobra has made a promise for the Party. She has promised that she will laugh – at least once. We will see what happens. She doesn’t look like she’s laughing yet.

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Quenesta and Raza fly in together as they always do. Quenestra’s  wings grow more magnificent every year.

She can fly where noone else can fly. She can fly higher and longer than anyone else.

Quenestra and Raza only meet once a year. They meet and come to the Party. For the rest of the year, Quenestra is curled up on the ground and looks exactly like a cabbage. She lives in the Vegetable Garden of the Castle of Wisdom. Raza spends the year in the Castle and he takes special care of Quenestra. When the Party comes, they join the Black Owl and fly all the way to Poppy’s Place to join in the flight.

THE FLIGHT OF THE TRIFLORA PARTY.

Not everything that flies is a bird or a fairy.

Rosamunda flies with her silken robes. They swirl and twirl and she sails along on the thermals.	The Goose Rider is a very good rider but the Goose Rider has very strange ideas about what to wear to a Party.
1000s of Butterflies, brush people’s cheeks and sprinkle colours all over them.

The TRIFLORA FLIGHT ON DAY 3 OF THE PARTY

“Orrible Olaf couldn’t fly and he NEVER went near water. He was quite ‘orrible. He farted and burped and some people say he used to spit at their feet.

“orrible Olaf is not like that anymore.

 

This is what happened! “Orrible was at the Party a year or so back. He was farting and burping and he hadn’t had a bath or a shower or even washed his face since the last rain. He had sneaked in past the Spiders and laughed at them.

The Spiders were so angry that they tried to catch him. Olaf ran off, giggling and burping and making rude signs at the Spiders.  He ran straight into the Secret Web.

You must not tell anyone about the Secret Web. It is to stop anyone like Olaf from sneaking in. The Weaver of the Secret Web is called Pandelina.

The Secret Web is woven from fairy silk, just like  Pandelina’s wings and hair. It is so delicate that it can’t be seen and yet so strong that not even a giant could break through it.

WHAMMEEE! “’Orrible Olaf crashed into it. He waved his arms and kicked his  legs and made things much worse for himself. Soon he was completely wrapped up in Web.

Well. Olaf hung there in the Web and just about freaked out. He looked up and got a real surprise. He had never seen anything like Pandelina. He was in love IMMEDIATELY. He thought she was perfect.

Pandelina looked at Olaf with a sad smile.

What do you think you are d0ing ? she said.

Olaf could not say one single word. He was so ashamed of himself. Right there and then, he promised himself that he would change. He would do ANYTHING to make this beautiful Being proud of him. He would wash every day. He would even wash his clothes. He would not burp and he would not fart. He would never spit on anyone’s foot- not ever again. Olaf just hung in the Web and smiled at Pandelina.

Now the funny thing is this. Pandelina, who was the Lady of the Spiders, and wore a crown and had wings as soft as springtime breezes – thought that Olaf was lovely. She sent her fairies over to unwind him from the Web and bring him over to her.

Hello! She said.

DAY 3 OF THE THE PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL. THE FLYING BEINGS.

My idea is that there is music in the air,music all around us; the world is full of it,and you simply take as much as you require.
Edward Elgar

Obviously, I cannot tell you about every single thing that happens at the Party.

Obviously, I cannot show you every single Being.

The Party is just too big for that but you don‘t have to worry because it will be talked about for a very long time and then you can find out more.

Day 3 is about FLYING. Triflora has many, many Beings who can fly. I am sure you can imagine that.

The Flying Beings come with a silvery web of music. The Blue Fairies lead the Flying Beings into the Party Place.

Day 3 is an excellent day. Nigel wanted very much to be in the Flight of Triflora – but Nigel cannot fly. He was a little disappointed because his very best friends are Pixies and he knew they would be flying.

What he didn’t know was that they had been planning for ages and ages to build him a balloon. They even missed Day 1 and Day 2 because the Balloon was not quite ready and they were working on it.

IT IS READY NOW!

The pixies built the basket of the balloon from the grasses that grow in the Unbearable Forest. They are the lightest but strongest of all grasses. It took some courage to go into the forest while Irene was Nuts but they did it ! 

They wove the silken threads of the Lost Spider into the balloon. Now, that really took some doing. The Lost Spider lives on an island in the Unfound Sea and NEVER leaves. Not even for the Party. She sent her silks with the Lightship for the Pixies to weave.

Now, Nigel is excited and the Pixies are delighted and they are all ready for the Triflora Flight.

The Joyful Spirits had been hiding in the tall flowers beside the path leading into the Party. As soon as they heard the music begin, they slid down the stems of the Flowers.

Their hair was flying.

Their clothes were flying.

They were quite mad with happiness.

The Joyful Spirits sang in little voices like silver bells.

They jumped onto people’s shoulders and tickled their ears.

They fluttered and flittered and turned quadruple somersaults in the air.

The Flight has begun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For the first time ever, the Felicity the Flying Fish has chosen to join the Flight. She needs some water to land in after each leap. The Circus Folk have designed a path with tubs of water. Each tub is one leap from the one before. Felicity has been practising for a long time because one mistake and she will be splatted on the ground with no air. When they reach the end of the Flight, she has a fancy triple flip ready and a huge tub of water where she can spend the rest of the Party.

The Flying Beings were not too sure about letting her fly with them. They thought she belonged with the Water People.  Felicity just looked them straight in the eyes and said I AM a FLYING Fish.

You cannot stop me flying in the Triflora Flight.

The Pelicans have flown for more time than anyone can remember except Nana and her Friends and they don’t talk about it.

They hardly ever flap their wings. They just float and soar and make big circles in the sky.  The Pelican Piskies ride on their backs and smile a lot. It’s a good way to travel.

The Kingfisher is keeping a close watch on the 2 Rascals. The only way they got into the Party this year was by promising not to nick anything AT ALL.

 

The 2 Rascals had to make 2 Promises.

1. was the promising not to nick anything.

2. they promised to bring back EVERYTHING they nicked last year. The kingfisher is making sure they do. They were giving Birds a bad name.

AND ABOUT THE FOOD

A Party as big as this needs rather a lot of food.

A Party as mixed up as this needs many different kinds of food.

Triflora is very good at FOOD. Many Beings bring their own. The Dragons are there heating the fires day and night for 5 days.

The Teddy Bears bring their picnics and share them with anyone who would like some.

Food is not really a problem – except for a few things now and then. The Brownies can be problems. Not all of them. Just a few. Montrose is one of the rascals. He waits till the Cats are asleep and helps himself to whatever he likes. Montrose eats and eats even though he is so little. Then he jumps up and down as though he had not eaten one bite.

The thing about Food at the Party is that everyone is welcome to eat whatever they wish but it really is bad manners to sneak in and eat somebody else’s meal. Montrose just cannot help himself. So it seems !

Poppy has been out and about before the Party, making sure that absolutely NOONE ate anyone else. Not even a nibble. She made that very clear to the Wolf.

She made it very clear to the Wolf that all 3 Wizards were working together as well as Nana and her Friends. They would NOT be pleased if they heard that anyone had been consumed.

The Wolf got the message. No eating anyone or even trying to.

Poppy brought him some pizza and wine to seal the deal.

 

TWO FOOD RULES FOR THE PARTY.

1. NO NICKING ANYONE ELSE’S MEAL.
2. NO EATING ANYONE ELSE. NOT EVEN A SNACK.

The Syrian Goat is perhaps the most difficult to feed. 

Who would expect Goats to be difficult ?

Most goats will eat anything and everything.

Most Goats will eat your socks or your garden. They will eat the rubbish in your bin or your front fence. They will eat the sky, the land, the dirt at your feet. They will eat everything.  That’s why they lock themselves up at night so that they don’t eat EVERYTHING. For the Party, the promise the Spider that they will not do that. They will eat the rubbish. And the Goat food. But they will not try to eat they sky – or anything else that is not Food.

But the Syrian Goat is the opposite. The Syrian Goat is very polite and will not eat anything at all. It makes other people depressed. They offer the Syrian Goat the most tasty food they have, but she simply says No. Thank you very much. I am not hungry.

She has made a promise today to eat SOMETHING. Even just a nibble. The Spiders were not going to let her in through the Webs otherwise.  She makes us too sad !  said the Spiders. So she promised to eat. We will see what we can prepare for her.

THE CAFÉ IN THE WOODLAND.

THE WATER PEOPLE ARE HERE.

Well ! Well! They are even more beautiful than last year !

When the Water People come, Triflora stops still and everyone breathes in deeply.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Surely nothing can be as wonderful as the Water People singing and playing.

As for the People of the Water Worlds, they LOVE the PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL. Beings from Water all over Triflora come.  The Beings of the Creeks Rivers and the Beings of the oceans and seas, the lakes and ponds all come together. The Party Place is set up perfectly for the Water People. 

The sound of their singing is a very mysterious thing.

It seems to come from far away and from close to you.

It seems to come from under you and over you.

It is like the most perfect wave in the ocean.

It is like the highest waterfall and the widest river.

It simply bubbles with joy and magic.

There are more beings in the Water than most people have ever dreamed of.

 

Nerissa’s people came up from the Well. As you know, they can live on Land or Underwater.

It so happened that Alyx was at that very moment, leaning over the edge of the Well and looking for Water as she so often did. She was singing the Water songs and didn’t know how it was that she knew ALL THE WORDS and ALL THE TUNES.

Suddenly, she thought she saw something move in the Well and leaned far over the little wall to see what it was.

Whoops! She tumbled way down into the water and almost landed on Nerissa’s Party People as they swam to the top of the Well. Everyone was very surprised.

Alyx had never seen people who looked quite like her. Alyx had NO idea that she could breathe underwater. She had never tried it before. Not even once.

Nerissa’s People were not expecting a Sea Shellian child to tumble on top of them on Day 2 of the Party.

Alyx looked around and thought to herself; 

I have found my home.

THERE IS NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING QUITE AS WONDERFUL AS FINDING YOUR REAL HOME.

DAY 2 : THE MER PEOPLE COME SINGING IN

DAY 2 : SINGING AND EATING

Day 2 is a great day at the Party. Its SINGING DAY.

And it’s the day to meet old friends and make new friends.

The trick is this : no talking allowed. No barking, yelling, miaowing, chirping. 

ONLY SINGING ALLOWED TODAY.

Singing Day spreads magic all through Triflora. If Trouble were thinking of stirring itself up, it would not be on Singing Day. The Music is EVERYWHERE. Cassandra’s Pigs sing while they’re working. The children sing to the ducks and the ducks sing to the children. Up on the branch, the Brownie sits very quietly. He is going to sing but he knows the children and the ducking will be rather surprised.  Brownies are very small indeed – but their voices are HUGE.  Not their talking voices !

Their Talking Voices are just ordinary Brownie Sized Voices – but their Singing Voices are as big as mountains. Deep as the deepest seas. Wide as the Widest River.  The problem is that Brownies just LOVE to sing. It won’t be long before he starts. His voice is very beautiful but he doesn’t want to scare the Children or the Ducklings.

He especially doesn’t want to frighten Alyx. He thinks Alyx is the loveliest thing he has ever seen. The Brownie LOVES the blue dress she is wearing today.

He likes it when she laughs and he likes it when she sings.

He does not like it when she cries and sighs and looks sad. She does that a lot. Noone knows where Alyx comes from. They all love her but they don’t know where her home is or what kind of Being she is.

If the Brownie could find out, he would. If he could make her smile forever, he would. Alyx doesn’t know about the Brownie who follows her about and looks everywhere for her home and family.

She certainly will find out that he’s there once he starts to sing.

One thing the Brownie has noticed is that Alyx is always near the Water. Any water. She likes to have her feet in the Water. She did see him once when she was younger. She had gone out onto the ice looking for water to put her feet in. Alyx got so tired and cold that she sat down on a stone and cried.

The Brownie was so worried that he turned the stone into a nice hot cake and then took her back to the dry land of Triflora.

He has an idea about Alyx but he is not sure just yet. He is hoping and wishing that something special might happen at the Party, once the Mer People arrive.

I will give you a clue. See what you think!

CLICK HERE https://grunkles.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/nerissa-and-the-basket/

THE DANCING LADY OF THE PASTEL PEOPLE

A COLOURING SHEET.

The Lady was bringing the Pastel People to the Party when she found a pastel ring on the path just in front of her. She picked it up and put it on her finger.

The ring expanded into a sparkling circle !

The circle whirled and swirled and then rose into the sky taking the Pastel Lady with it. Things like this are not meant to happen in Triflora.

No wonder the Pastel People were so late getting to the Party.

No wonder they were so sad.

What do you think has happened to her ?

(When you are colouring in, remember that the Lady is only Pastel.)

DAY 2 OF THE PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL

Very early in the morning of Day 2 , a small group came slowly through the mists and the Silver Webs.

It was the Pastel People from the land on the edge of the Water.

The Pastel People are never loud. They never move too quickly.

The Pastel People never laugh out loud but they almost always smile.

They were not smiling on the morning of Day 2 and the moved much more slowly than usual.

They looked so sad that the Spider didn’t even ask for a promise. The Spider just opened a space in the Web and let them through.

The Pastel People walked slowly. Step by step. Past the sleeping people. Past the dragons heating the breakfast.

The Pastel People walked to Poppy’s Place and Pandorini knocked with his baton on Poppy’s door. Very, very softly.

When the door opened, the Pastel people walked inside – very, very quietly.

I wonder what has happened.

LET’S DANCE

 

The night of Day 1 of the PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL is spent dancing and eating. That’s what Day 1 is all about. DANCING AND EATING. Day 2 will be about SINGING AND EATING but tonight is the DANCING. With so many different Beings, you will be seeing some very interesting footwork – and wingwork – and paw work. Come along – let’s dance.

LET’S DANCE

LET’S DANCE

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT

A COLOURING SHEET.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT ON THEIR WAY TO THE PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL. THEY ARE RUNNING LATE. THE OWL NEEDS TO BE THERE TO PLAY THE SMALL GUITAR ON DAY2 AND THE PUSSYCAT IS BRINGING THE HONEY.

HURRY UP, OWL.

HURRY UP, PUSSCYAT.

DANCING SHOES

Raymond is extremely busy today. He has been busy for weeks and weeks. He is the Shoemaker. The Maker of the Dancing Shoes. He does have helpers but he is the Expert.

Raymond is the only one who can make dancing shoes from the petals of flowers.

No wonder the Flower Children just love him.

Raymond worries a lot. It seems to be the way he was made. A worrier.

He worries because he likes his shoes to be totally perfect.

He doesn’t worry about the weather or getting sick. He doesn’t worry about all the things that other people worry about.

He just worries about his shoes. He made the ballet shoes for Gert Gumnut.

He made the shoes for the Flower Children.

He made a lot of shoes for this party and there are 3 pairs still sitting on his bench. That has him VERY worried.  The dancing is already happening and MummaKate, MummaJo and Cassandra Prophetess o’Doom are still not here.

They were in the Dragon Kitchen all day cooking some very fine food. Then they went off to get dressed for the Dancing and they haven’t been seen since.

AHA! There they are ! In a balloon. Raymond is very pleased to see them coming in for a landing. Three pairs of shoes for 3 Ladies. Phew!

___________________________________________

RAYMOND’S SHOES.

	The Flower Children’s shoes are Raymond’s most sensational creations. Made from petals and blossoms, they are even softly scented with an individual perfume for each Flower Child.
	Raymond has a range of fancy shoes for clowns and harlequins. He has the best PomPom maker in Triflora and Raymond’s Shoes are the only place to find the curled toes shoes so popular today.
	Raymond knows Clowns and Harlequins dance in very strange ways and don’t take very good care of their shoes so he makes their shoes out of the strongest material in Triflora.  He brings in the bark from the Cobbler Tree in the Unbearable Forest. As you know that’s a very dangerous place to go. Then he brings the Bark back to his Place and boils it for 2 days and 3 nights. When it is boiled, he takes his Scissors and cuts the shape of the Clown Shoes. That’s when he asks his brother, Patrick, for help. Patrick eats a lot and was once a Clown himself. He knows what a perfect dancing shoe needs to be like. Patrick puts his lips together and blows 1 –2 –3 breaths on the cutout bark and – Kazooom. The bark squirms and shrugs and opens up into a grand pair of shoes.
	Raymond does NOT make “ silly shoes”. He likes a proper dancing shoe. He does not like people in dresses you can almost see through and he does not make SANDALS – at all. If you want a pair of those thin, wrap around sandals – do not come to Raymond’s.
RAYMOND’S POINTY SHINY DANCING SHOES	RAYMOND’S SHOES FOR JOLLY MEN.
RAYMOND’S SHOES FOR DANCING AND MARCHING UP AND DOWN HILLS.	PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARDS IN A PAIR OF RAYMOND’S DANCING SHOES.

DANCING AND SINGING AND BURNING

The Spiders are weaving all the promises into silken webs and underwater, Coral Fish are building the Promises of the Mer World into a 4 Mile Reef. Lucinda Mae has swept the ground with golden stars and as it grows darker with the Sun and Moon having a cuppa before they pass one another, the lights and sparkles of Webs, Reefs and Gold Dust bring twinkles into everyone’s eyes.

Its time for the Dragon Fire Dancers to join the Party. Just click on any Dragon to see what they can do with Fire. Rose has been training them for a long time just to be ready for tonight. All the Dragons have joined together into one big Promise. All the Dragons promise not to use their flames for anything but the Fire Dances or other good causes like the cooking.

CLICK ON THE DRAGON FIRE DANCERS.

	Marmont, the little green dragon leads the fire dancers. Then comes No Flame. They come first because they are very little and still learning. Marmont has too much Fire. No Flame has no fire at all.
	Olga and Percy come along next. Olga and Percy can dance the Dance of the Rising Moon better than anyone else.
	The Quins carry in their flames in a crystal. Still too young to blow a dance flame of their own without accidentally burning the hairs on someone’s head.
Reliter is teaching them the tricks of the trade but they won’t be ready till the next Party. Reliter has just learned to blow smoke rings and the Triflorians are AMAZED at what she can do.
CLICK TO SEE THE FLAME.	Here come the Big Dragons. They are Masters and Mistresses of the Dancing Flame. Ah! I see you look a little worried. Do not be afraid. The Dragons have Promised on the Webs. They will NOT use their flames for anything dodgy or dangerous while they are at the Party.

JEREMIAH AND OTHER PARTYGOERS

The Gatherers have a rather difficult job to do. Some of the Reluctant Guests are just Shy – but some have their own reasons for not wanting to come to the Party.

When wee Gatherer Jehosaphat was sent to Jeremiah’s he trembled in his knees and elbows and jumped more than he usually did. What was he going to say to Jeremiah to make the party look like a good idea ?

Jehosophat thought that if he had two heads he would never show either of his faces in public.

( Jehosphat has a lot to learn about Triflora. He is going to see much stranger things than Jeremiah.) It turns out that Jeremiah was perfectly ready for the Party.

He had had two haircuts. He was wearing an excellent pair of boots, a fancy pair of pants and a very good shirt. He even had his promise ready. He was going to promise that he would not eat twice as much as everyone else.

Gatherer Roger had a simpler job. He was flying out to get Mr Klaus who lived at the edge of the Triflorean Boundary. Mr Klaus was very ready in his top hat and black suit and just needed a lift. Roger and Mr Klaus had done this often and they enjoyed the flight to and from the Party together.

 

When it comes to Rabbits, it takes a team of 30 Gathering Hands. The Invitations were sent out to the Rabbit Holes but not a single Rabbit answered. Noone knows why the Rabbits don’t want to come to the Party.

Its not about their clothes. They usually dress very smartly. They like waistcoats and watches and chequered jackets.

Rabbits are always clean and can talk beautifully. They hear everything that’s said. They simply LOVE company.

If you ask a Rabbit to dinner, he or she will come and still be there chattering at breakfast time. They come to Birthdays and, of course, Easter is Rabbit Time – bigtime.

But when it comes to the PARTY FOR NO REASON AT ALL – the Rabbits hide and hop and freak out totally. They REFUSE to come. Only the Team of 30 Gathering Hands has any chance of ‘convincing’ them to come along and have some fun.

Why do you think the Rabbits refuse to come to the Party?

___________________________________________

Only one kind of Gatherer can convince the Old Lady and the Old Gentleman of Triflora to come to the Celebrations. Only the Angel Children can talk them into coming.

The Old Lady and the Old Gentleman are perfectly content to stay home. They have a huge chair where they sit all day. They have their computers and their telephones and flowers grow all around them. The window of their room is 5 times as high as the Old Gentleman and lets in wonderful light. Many visitors come but the Old Couple love the Children best of all.

That’s why the Angel Children are sent to Gather them up for the First Dance at the Party. The Old Couple just cannot say NO to the Children. They even wear the paper crowns that the Flower Children have sent for them. The feel pretty silly wearing them, but they just cannot say NO.

This year, they have promised to wear the paper crowns and to dance – just one dance.  They were going to promise to SMILE when they got to the Webs – but they just cannot bring themselves to smile while they are wearing those crowns.

Just the same, they will be glad to get home again.

IGNATIUS AND THE SNAKE

IGNATIUS ! DO NOT HIT THAT SNAKE ! HE IS A FRIEND OF MINE !

A COLOURING SHEET.

THE WHITE ELEPHANT

Log Boy Louis learns the Secrets of Triflora

Welcome to Ev.

Ev is our next new Member. He is a wonderful person to have in Triflora. He can paddle any kind of canoe or Kayak and know ALL the magic lagoons and rivers. He is also in charge of Nana’s special vehicle, Alfie. He polishes it and keeps it running perfectly.

Ev is kind and clever and Trilfora is very happy to have him come and live there.

 

SHAKEY COWS

Triflora has been shut down for a long time now. All the doorways have been blocked and strange things have been happening. The time has come for us to begin telling you about them.

ANT

THE TINY MOUSE

 

PIRATE WHO WOULDN’T WASH

THE STORY OF THE LITTLE MOLE

RED RIDING HOOD

LEAPING BEAUTY