Gardeners Rest #16 ( 2021)

[Nicos]

Nah……in reality the grapes all gathered outside counting the wheelbarrows full of Xmas tree shredding and chippings.
What a wonderful way to end their time this year at the Gardeners Rest.

They had all said their goodbyes to the fairy, Yeti and Fluffy - big smiles all round but a few sparkling glimmers of tears in a few eyes..

”Until next Festive season then everyone” smiled Nicos, slowly turning the heavy key in the door.

”Yey!” everyone cried walking away with their wheelbarrows full to their brims.

What a wonderful bunch of Grapes.

[greenishfing]

.......did anybody ever climb that Christmas tree on steroids", mused greenishfing? Is that where the calories are coming from?....

[rary]

1+,2+,3,+4,,,,,,,,rary could hear what he was sure was the calories, possibly not counting, but deffinatly adding up

[Snoop Puss]

Greenishfing fell into the armchair next to Nick and they began to reminisce over all the things that had happened in the last few weeks.

[Snoop Puss]

While carrying a cold chocolate just for Yeti.

As Rary couldn't see very well because of the full tray, he nearly tripped up over Fluffy, who had managed to spike a bag of what looked to be gold sovereigns but proved to be chocolate coins. Rary almost felt a bit disconsolate but decided they'd go better with the drinks.

Mothhawk opened her tin of freshly baked peanut butter cookies as well and yet another round of feasting began...

Just as well the GR is one of those magical places where you never get a hangover and the calories never count!

[Nicos]

“ Hot chocolate for everyone” he called, precariously balancing a tray of hot drinks….

[rary]

And just like magic rary disappeared. He never got involved with cleaning up

[Snoop Puss]

And it snowed and it snowed and it snowed.

Yeti was delighted! Especially as all the Grapes started to have a snowball fight.

And to make matters even better, fairy said he could stay with her at the GR and when he needed to get cold again, she'd bob him back in the freezer.

Oh, and she also retrieved Fluffy from underneath one of the chairs. Covered in old bank notes she was that someone must have lost back in the dim and distant past. So long ago it must have been Rary.

Rary was overcome at the sight of these now unspendable notes. But Snoop consoled him by reminding him of the bag of smiles he'd left at the GR last year and asked him if he'd like them back so they'd be closer to home and for distributing to everyone else.

[Nicos]

MH and greenishfing stood up- stomachs contentedly filled - and started boxing away decorations and generally tidying up.
”Best foot forward peeps “, they called. “No…..not THAT one Nick…pack away those fishnets before they get lost…you’ll not be needing them surely before next Xmas?”

With that, all the Panto costumes and Xmas decorations were packed away and the lads carried them down into the cellar .
The fairy used almost the last of her magic to Spring clean the mess and everyone sat around the dying embers of the wood fire.
”Just a couple more logs eh and then I need to lock up “ said Nicos carrying the tree outside so it could be shredded by the Grapes later on.
The keys jangled in her pocket - both to the Tardis and the GR.
Yeti stood outside looking a wee bit sad - particularly as Kato was sniffing around his feet.
”Let’s get that fairy magic out here “ said Snoop….

[Snoop Puss]

Snoop looked at Rary in amazement! He'd never had macadamia nut brittle ice-cream. She knew it was a relatively recent addition to the ice-cream flavours on offer, but she had assumed that even someone of his years would have moved on from the old-fashioned Neapolitan ice-cream, named in the late nineteenth century...

[rary]

But rary was still puzzled, what Snoop was eating sounded offy like whit they used to put on the roads in his area stuff called tar Macadam , he would have to ask Nicos about it, as she would remember when it was first used, it was way before rary was a boy

[Snoop Puss]

And before Rary's astonished eyes, the fairy produced what Snoop really wanted: a sundae bowl containing a scoop of macadamia nut brittle and a scoop of chocolate ice-cream with the best possible wafer imaginable and a spoon, of course.

Yeti was amazed and decided that might be more his cup of tea. Well, not his literal cup of tea, that would be too hot. But ice-cream, that looked like just the thing for a snowman.

Everybody was happy. Everyone had just what they wanted.

[rary]

And rary was thinking, I have never tried an ice-cream topping, and don't think I will, Snoop has some funny eating habits

[Snoop Puss]

Nick shook a leg and got the pizzas underway.

Snoop couldn't really make her mind up about toppings as she liked pretty well everything except all the stuff Rary had ordered. She looked around to see what everyone else was having but definitely had more of a hankering for ice-cream. The fairy read her mind...

[Nicos]

“Mmmm”…said Nicos_”same for me too please!” , then helped Snoop out of the rear end of the panto horse…