08 | April | 2012 | TALES FROM THE TRIFLORA

Mumma Kate has her house right in the middle of the Forest. The Unbearable Forest. She doesn’t live there all the time because she is the Teacher in the Village and needs to be near Saffron and the other children and Mumma Kate needs to be close to Poppy’s Place as well because she LOVES the shop and the people and all the busyness of the Village.

BUT she also has her house in the middle of the Unbearable Forest. She goes there to learn about all sorts of things. The things only Mummas and Aunties learn about.

Mumma Kate went to live in the Forest when she found out that not many people really knew how to be Mummas and Aunties.

She spoke to Nana and Nana told her about the secret in the Middle of the Forest. It takes quite a lot of courage to go to the very middle of such a dark and dangerous place. Nana was taken there when she was a girl ( which is rather a long time ago.) She was taken there by a Lovely Little Being.

Nana was afraid but she trusted the Lovely Little Being and they went hand in hand down a secret path to the middle of the Forest.

Right there in the middle was a huge lion. The Lion was not at all mad. Not like the other poor creatures who live in Unbearable.

The Lion would let noone pass unless they were meant to pass. Nana and the Lovely Little Being were most definitely meant to pass but the Lion stopped the Hunter and could not be blackmailed by anything or anyone.

Just past the Huge Lion, was a woven web, very much like the Spiders made for the Party. It sparkled with lights and colours and in the middle was Pandelina. Pandelina smiled and opened the Web for them to pass through.

Inside were little houses made from woven silk and lots of other girls and women were in there, laughing and talking.

Anyway, that’s where Nana made most of her friendships. Almost all the Nanas and Witches went there when they were young and were just Mummas and Aunties. That was before they moved into their cottages and towers.

When Mumma Kate told Nana about People not knowing how to be Mummas and Aunties. Nana took her to the middle of the Forest. She left Saffron with Dadda Jai. The Daddas and the Uncles like the hands-on approach to babies. It’s good for their souls.

When Nana’s broomstick zoomed in for a landing, Mumma Kate saw a sign saying “The Triflorian School for Mummas and Aunties” .

Nana flew off back to her Tower and Mumma Kate (who loves to learn things) settled into a delicate little silken house and began to learn a lot of things she didn’t know before.

The TRIFLORIAN SCHOOL FOR MUMMAS AND AUNTIES has some excellent teachers.

The TRIDLORIAN SOCIETY FOR MUMMAS AND AUNTIES is still a very good place to make Friends.

THE TEACHERS AT TSFMA
	Mumma Lotusia. A Teacher at TSFMA. Mumma Lotusia teaches CALMNESS. Calmness is not always easy when babies and children are around. Mumma Lotusia teaches people to say Ummmmm. Ummmmm. And to sit very still for quite a long time.
	Mumma Alala. Alala had a son who was adventurous. She teaches Mummas about adventurous children and how to stay sane NO MATTER WHAT.
	MUMMA PALMERIA. Mumma Palmeria is a Teacher of Wisdom and Desert Sayings. She says wise things like : the fruit never falls far from the tree. Then everyone goes back to their silken houses and thinks about whatever Palmeria has said that day. ( Yes. Mumma Palmeria is a tree. Trees can be very wise. )
	MUMMA RAYWYN. Mumma Raywyn could become a good friend of Mumma Kate. Raywyn is especially interested in food just like Kate. She knows how to speak to the Plants and she has 52,350 recipes for Food for Children. One of the things Mumma Raywyn teaches is THANK YOU. TSFMA is a very polite place.
CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE.	NANA and her FRIENDS. The witches teach many secrets at TSFMA. They come and go by flying in they closely watch the Daddas and the Children while the Mummas are studying.
	GRUNT GRISELDA. Now and then, visiting teachers visit the TSFMA. Griselda didn’t do very well at TSFMA. She comes along to show the Mummas and Aunts what can happen to people who REFUSE to learn the secrets. As you can see, Griselda is a MESS. Even though she is now a Great Aunt, she just can’t handle children. She didn’t even become a witch.
	AUNTIE CLARRIE. Triflora is a wonderful place to live but it does have its dangers. Mummas and Aunties need special skills to keep themselves and their children safe. Auntie Clarrie, Mickey and the TGLS from Art of the Wall , all teach the Mummas and Aunties how to take on Aggressors. Aggressors can be any kind of Being who tries to push you around or hurt you or even scare you. The TSFMA students each have a StarCap which shines like arrows of light. Aggressors don’t like Light very much. They say that the Mummas and Aunties that are trained by Auntie Clarrie, Mickey and the Art of Wall, are just about the Scariest creatures around – especially if the children are in danger.
	DADDA BILL. Bill is an expert at wrapping babies up in their blankets and shawls. He teaches the Baby Wrap and Sling Course. Dadda Bill is a rather good singer as well.
	MUMMA DANIELLA. Daniella is the expert in potions and lotions. She teaches the POTIONS AND LOTIONS classes. Jenny Wren comes in from time to time after she has readjusted any losses in Triflora and teaches Healing.
MUMMA KATE’S FRIENDS IN TSFMA.
BELLA OF THE BLACK BULLS	THE TAPESTRY MUMMAS
MUMMA MACHELL. Probably the craziest Mumma in Triflora. Mumma Kate has a fondness for her.	MUMMA NIXY OF THE MILL POND.

And although noone but Mumma Kate knows it, the Grand Auntie of the TSFMA is Cassandra.

cassandra or bassi plu ( also known as Casey)

SPECIAL POWERS: the ability to see the future & communicate with non-human beings
BEST QUALITY: my extra special hugs
WORST HABIT: licking toadstools & giggling all night
WHERE YOU LIVE: no fixed address. wherever the moss is the softest
JOB IN TRIFLORA: sweeping up the stardust