A Letter from Plumcake

It's Saturday afternoon and the Periwinkles are enjoying their weekend. 

 James is gardening and little Jemima is helping him.

Quackie is watching.

James is watering a plant, as Julie steps onto the porch. 

She is holding a letter in her hand. "James! Jemima! We have just received a letter from Plumcake! Let's read it all together!"

James carries the plant onto the porch. Jemima runs after him. "Wait for me, Daddy!"

"Do you want me to help you?" asks Julie, as her daughter tries to climb onto the porch. "No, Mommy. Jemima a big girl!"

Now they are all sitting on the porch, eager to hear their relatives' news. James starts to read the letter out loud:

Dear James, Julie and little Jemima,

How are you? Does little Jemima like your new home? 

We are very happy to hear that your new job at the Water Mill Bakery became 

successful! A few days ago, a stranger came to Plumcake and told us what 

a lovely bakery there is in Riverside!

She told us, it had been Hello Kitty week. She had tasted a 

Kitty muffin and an apple cake and found them amazing! Do you know this 

stranger? Unfortunately we forgot her name...

So, congratulations!

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Love, 

Zelda, Zachary, and Zara

"Do you think they are referring to Teresa, James?" Julie asks her husband. "I know that she sometimes goes to Plumcake to visit her mother! It must have been her. She had a Hello Kitty muffin, and a piece of apple cake, too!" "It must have been her then!" replies James. 
"Daddy, they don't tell Quackie hello. Why??" Jemima asks with an upset look on her face. "I'm sure they didn't mean to be rude, my dear," her father says. "Are you sure, they have already met Quackie?" Jemima tries to remember the last time she met her relatives and shakes her head in response.

"Let's answer them right away!" says Julie. James has an idea, too...

Julie goes inside and takes out her prettiest Cath Kidston stationery.  

Hmm... which design should she choose?

She decides to use the sheet that has birds and flowers on it.

Finally, she starts to write the date on the upper right of the page.
But what has James been up to? 

Papa Periwinkle has brought his easel into the garden and a very large canvas. 

 He couldn't reach the top of the canvas, so he went into the house to get a stool. Now he is ready to start. "What are you doing, Daddy?" Jemima wants to know. "I am making a present for Zelda, Zachary and Zara."

Jemima watches her Daddy intently, as he starts to sketch the outlines of something onto the big white canvas...

Dear reader! If you would like to know what Julie Periwinkle wrote in her letter and see how James Periwinkle's present turned out, please visit Kate Dante's blog about "Life in Plumcake"! 

Hello Kitty Week

 

It's Hello Kitty week in Riverside! James and Julie Periwinkle have baked delicious breads and pastries inspired by Hello Kitty. 

They have decorated the Water Mill Bakery with posters and pictures. A red sign above the door now says: "Hello Kitty Bakery"!

 Look at these wonderful cakes! There is a Cinnamoroll cake with white icing, a chocolate Hello Kitty cake and a My Melody cake made of strawberries.

 In the display there are colourful sandwiches and pastries, a beautiful Kitty muffin and a delightful apple cake!

Julie Periwinkle has prepared two more cakes.

Now they need to bake in the oven.

James Periwinkle is standing outside the bakery to greet the customers.

Baby Jemima and Quackie are there, too. Jemima has brought along her piano and is singing a Hello Kitty song:

"Bakey Hello Kitty,

 Yummy Hello Kitty,

Pretty Hello Kitty,

 Yum, yum, yum!"

Suddenly they get company. It's Angeli and Maxino! 

"Wow, Mr. Periwinkle, the cakes look gorgeous!" says Angeli. 

Then she goes to Jemima and says, "I really like your song! Can we sing it together?" "Sure!" replies Jemima.

 "Bakey Hello Kitty..." This time Angeli and Quackie sing the song, and Jemima accompanies them on the piano.

Then the kittens go into the bakery.

"Good morning Mrs. Periwinkle!" they say. "Hello you two!" answers Julie and adds, "What a lovely dress you are wearing, Angeli! Is it new?" "Thank you," replies Angeli. "Yes, it is new, I got it for my birthday, and my yellow purse, too!"

Mrs. Periwinkle goes to the front of the store to show Angeli and Maxino their wonderful selection of Hello Kitty foods. 

Maxino notices a big jar and stares at it. "Hmm..." he whispers. "Peanut butter!"

 "I'm sorry Mrs. Periwinkle," says Angeli, "But our mother only gave us enough money to buy a baguette." 

"No problem!" replies Julie and bends down to take a french bread out of the basket.

Then, Julie has an idea. 

"Since you are our first customers again, I would like to give you a present," she says. She reaches for the Hello Kitty sausage bread and puts it into another bag.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Periwinkle!" the siblings say. 

"Have a nice day, you two!" wishes Julie. "You too, Mrs. Periwinkle! Bye!"

 Julie Periwinkle goes back into the shop. She is not happy with where the basket of bread is standing.

So she places it...

...on the other side of the counter. 

"There. That's better." 

She decides to go and see how James and Jemima are doing.

In front of the shop there is a surprise for her. Teresa Babblebrook has just appeared around the corner with a group of children. "Hey Toby!" laughs Julie, "It's good to see you!"

She greets Toby and kisses him on the forehead. 

"Look, Jemima, this is Teresa's kindergarten class!" 

Jemima has never seen so many little children before. She feels a bit shy today, but she is also very curious about them.

"Let's go inside, children!" says Teresa. She is eager to see the Hello Kitty pastries.

 "Julia!" Teresa exclaims, "You have outdone yourself, again!" 

The children start walking around the store. Toby goes to greet Jemima.

 "Hello Jemima!" he says. "Hello!" Jemima squeaks.

"I like Hello Kitty," says Toby. "She is cool." Jemima is very happy about this. "She tastes good, too," she adds. 

"Please give us the two large sandwiches in the display!" says Teresa. "My little ones can share them during lunchtime." 

Now all the children are listening to Toby and Jemima talk about Hello Kitty. They are very impressed that Jemima knows so much about her and the other Sanrio characters. "I also like the Cinnamoroll cake my Mommy baked. Cinnamoroll is a white doggy that can fly! Do you like doggies, Toby?" "Yeah, sure!" Toby answers.

 In the meantime, James has packed the sandwiches for Teresa and the children. "Well, my dears," Teresa says to Julie and James, "I have to leave you now. I am taking the children back to the nursery." 

"But," she adds, "I might come back this afternoon for one of those lovely muffins..."

  "See you soon!"

"Bye, bye!" says Julie and it seems to her, that Teresa is having a hard time leaving behind her muffin! 

Teresa is carrying one of the sandwiches, and Toby is carrying the other.

"Bye!" Teresa says one last time, and off she goes, with her kindergarten class looking forward to their special snack.