FUR BABIES IN THE WOOD
ACT 7
Scene 1. Clearing in Wood. Day.
As the curtain rises the eagle-eyed amongst us will see that the sign on the porch now says Dunfaffin’ . In addition we see that a low, narrow bench seat has been placed inside the porch. Benny, Dexter, Muffin the Cat and Ulla are lying on their backs underneath the bench poking their paws upwards at the Army of Spiders who have now taken residence beneath the bench. Milkshake is busy trying to remove the tap dancing shoes one of the spiders forgot to return to Props. It’s very tricky because the spider won’t keep still. Freddy and Bruiser are leaping high in the air trying to encourage 3 baby spiders to run away and hide so that they can play hide and seek together. Roo, who peeps out from behind the signpost nervously, is keeping well away from the bench because he really is frightened of spiders. He’s tried in the past to give them a little pat - but no - he just can’t quite bring himself to get too close to them. Pepper sits front of stage with a little crowd around her. She holds her pink fluffy bone in one paw whilst stroking it with the other paw. The 2 Lulu’s, Rupert, Kaiser, Teddy, Teddy Bear, Gem, our 3 Caspers, Miss Milly and Milly, Harley, Harvey, 2 Charlie’s and our 2 Muffins are laughing with delight. Pepper is teaching them tongue-twisters.
Pepper. Peppypoopar picked a peck of pickled pink pics - if Peppypoopar picked a peck of pickled pink pics - where’s the peck of pickled pink pics Poopettemetis pinched?
Pepper’s pals practise...persistently..! They laugh uproariously and try and try again to get it right. This is such a fun game for them to play. All the other Fur Babies laugh and join in enthusiastically. The only one who manages to get it right first time is Elvis. Nobby congratulates him effusively by jumping on his back and licking the top of his head. The sound of amazing falsetto singing in perfect harmony is heard offstage. All the Fur Babies prick up their ears and crane their necks to see who might be coming.
Pepper. Oh! It’s our Newcomers! It’s our Newcomers!
Sergeant Major Henry. Welcome Parteeeeeey! Attennnn-shun! By the right...Quick march...Left, right, left, right...
All the Fur Babies obediently fall into line in front of the porch and the dwarf walls and await further orders expectantly. Sergeant Major Henry H.W Chuff Chuff quickly flicks through his ‘Fur Babies in the Trenches Manual‘ - until he gets to the page - New Recruits/Welcoming Of...He runs his paw down the list.
S.M Henry. ...Hmm...The Somme..No...Tubruck...No...Trench Foot...No...Ahh, yes - here it is...Clearing in Woods/ Bedhamptonshire. Hmm...Secret elite...hmm...special and magical place...no formality/uniforms required...hmm...right to remain affable/granted...hmm... Right Troops...At...Ease...Fall Out! (They fall out and gather round in high expectation) Erm...Sorry about that Guys! I came over all peculiar there. Oh! This is exciting, I do love a good Newcomer...Ha! They’re here...look! Welcome! Welcome!
Our Fur Babies‘ faces are wreathed in smiles. The dogs all bark, the cats groom themselves frantically, the ponies snort, the 3 rabbits stamp their back legs, the hedgehog trundles backwards and forwards excitedly, the hamster runs around in circles and the budgie swirls and swoops overhead shrieking Pretty Billy...Pretty Billy! Our 6 Newcomers enter SR. The exquisite black cat Maisie Boo and 3 other stunning cats Felix, Bowie and Beauty hold out their arms to all on stage. Harry the Dwarf Hamster is carried in by the fabulous white Yorkshire Terrier, B.G Beegee. The Newcomers happily huddle round together in a group and sing the final verses of their song to greet everyone on stage...
Newcomers.
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
The day we came to see your Christmas tree...
The friendly commotion of greeting our Newcomers with all the sniffing, mewing, purring, scampering, trundling, flapping and snorting that this entails continues for some time as our new Fur Babies are made heartily welcome. Maisie Boo takes one look at our Harvey and we can see love hearts appear as they float from the top of her beautiful head. Harvey grins and washes his paws. Freddy looks at Maisie Boo and hearts appear over the top of his head. Maisie Boo looks down and blushes when she notices this. Bowie and Beauty have a good look around just in case there might be an old washing machine for them to sit on. They’ve been looking for their old one from home for some time now. Moon likes the sound of this adventure and joins them. Felix makes friends immediately with Billy The Budgie and they have a good game of flap and purr without delay. Harry the dwarf hamster wastes no time in scuttling over to Toni the dwarf hamster and they have a really fascinating discussion on the features, advantages and benefits of an Acme hamster wheel as opposed to the Hygge hamster wheel. Klaudio approaches and allows both hamsters to climb up and each take an ear to snuggle into whilst they continue the debate. Tweedles, George and Sherlock make a beeline for BG and ask if they can join his singing group. Button and Bella love the sound of this and follow. Sonic trundles off into the woodland to see if her can find some beetles or earthworms to eat and Coco, Rupert and Lulu scamper of for a Poodle Picnic. Bonnie and Billie refill all of The Fur Baby’s drinking bowls with nice fresh water collected from the well in the woods earlier in the day. Teddy Bear and Gem sit close to each other (as usual) and are the first to see a lovely Airedale Terrier approaching. Her name is Arminta Arden. She has come to deliver her secret elixir to this part of the wood. She signals to Teddy Bear and Gem not to tell any of the others that she’s here. They obey without question.
Araminta Arden loved her perfect secret garden
It was glorious - it took ones breath away
The flora and the fauna - every inch and every corner
Every beetle, bee and tree were on display
Her verdant grass was striped every weed in it was swiped
With a potent, rich concoction made by her
On a nominated night by romantic candlelight
After midnight Araminta would prepare
A magic, liquid lotion and this perfumed, purple potion
Was administered as starlight stroked the bowers
When a misty lilac mist would emerge and she’d assist
The mist to feed and propagate her flowers
With no fuss and no ado Araminta’s garden grew
Each specimen and plant would yield it’s beauty
For approval up to her - she in turn took extra care
To water and to tend with loving duty
Each gentle tone of pink merging seamlessly to link
With the whites and palest blues and softest creams
The silvers and the sages near the loganberry cages
Toned with amethysts on greying painted screens
What perfection! What profusion! There was only one conclusion
One could draw from all the evidence abounding
The more of it the merrier for this ardent Airedale Terrier
Araminta had a gift that was astounding
The Foxgloves bowed their heads above the Lupins in her beds
As the Agapanthus wavered in the breeze
The Delphiniums and Stocks and delightful Lady Smocks
Watched a French Rose push its nose through Holly trees
A neatly clipped box hedge protected Lavender and Sedge
Whilst Clematis and the stately Hollyhocks
Would nod their heads contented, Araminta had invented
This elixir painting all their summer frocks
The scents sent senses reeling and one got the peaceful feeling
That no error had been made for one to pardon
We leave her there in bliss as we blow a fragrant kiss
To dear Araminta Arden in her garden
BLACKOUT
copyright 2020
View attachment 340759
. It was a mad dash at the vets and 24 long hours of him puffed up and feeling sorry for himself. See picture attached
Now everyone knows what Marmalade the Cat Who Sees Everything looks like - she will be playing a vital role on 21st in the Rescue Scene
bless him. I wonder if she will bitch about it for the next few weeks and demand that the walls are repainted?
