Ralfie and Jemima

Ralfie and Jemima

Saturday 4 August 2018

A Picnic in Tuscany




Hello everybody, it's me, Hippolina! 

I was sent to Riverside from Birgit in order to have a better life. Soon after my arrival, the townspeople decided to let me try out family life with each family for several weeks, so that I can decide with whom I would like to stay in the long run. 
Currently, I am testing out the Periwinkles. They are four very friendly people - James (the father), Julie (the mother), Jemima (the baby girl) and Quackie (the duck).



Believe it or not, but we are on holiday in TUSCANY and currently preparing to go for a picnic.
Julie is running around with a handkerchief in her paw. No, she isn't crying, she is just trying to wipe away her sweat.  

"Is there anything else that needs to go in the suitcase?" she asks. Jemima and I shake our heads.



"Just the photocamera here," answers James, holding it up by its strap.



"Alright, that should fit inside," says Julie. I am a little surprised, because the trunk looked full to me already. 
There is a plate of biscuits in there, Jemima's baby bottle, three bananas, an apple and an orange, the cats' water bowl, their toy mouse and a tin of cat food, a yellow thermos filled with ice tea, the flask James got from Tuomo and which he has filled with apple cider, two matching silver cups, a towel and a bottle of paw sanitizer.



Apparently, it is a Mary Poppins type trunk, because everything fit inside perfectly, believe it or not!!



When all our baggage is tucked away and Jemima and I are strapped safely into our car seats, the journey begins!
Jemima was really nice to me before we went abroad and asked me whether I wanted to take one of her toys along for the trip. I chose Sally, a pink rabbit with a green bow. Now Sally accompanies me everywhere.



Believe it or not, but the Periwinkles' kittens Pip and Molly aren't very keen on driving today and at first they seem really scared and confused and hide underneath the blanket of their basket.



After a while they stick out their noses and look around the car.



And a little while later they act like the most experienced car passengers ever. Molly is cuddling up against me (believe it or not!!) and Pip is doing what he likes best - taking a nap.



We drive and drive and drive a little more. Julie makes a comment about the beautiful italian countryside and the gorgeous Mediterranean cypress trees. Suddenly she cries "stop!", because she has seen the perfect spot for our picnic and so James parks the car.



It's a spectacular place for a picnic, believe it or not. There is a wide green lawn with colourful flowers on it. We place a white blanket on top of the grass and everybody gets to eat and drink something.



It's VERY hot, so Jemima and I have taken off our dresses. I need to rest for a little while... Trying out a new family and being on holiday - especially in another country - is a strenuous business. You never know what great thing is going to happen to you next. Quackie does her sport for the day by jumping on my stomach.



There is an empty house next to where we are having our picnic. It seems to have caught Julie's attention. She is always looking at it while sipping her apple cider.



After a while she gets up and checks out the veranda. Molly and Pip follow her.



James starts to take photos of Jemima and me. We are eating the cookies the Periwinkles got from Siiri and Iivari and they taste like heaven, believe it or not.



James wants to take a picture of Julie on the porch. As he gets up, I give Jemima a big squeeze, just because she's so cute and fuzzy and really nice to be with.



Out of the corner of my eye I can see that James takes a photo of that, too.



Then he takes a photo of the two of us with Julie on the veranda. The cats have joined us also.



A villager comes by and takes a photo of us all. 

I don't mind people taking pictures of me, but I don't think I'll need any copies of these, because I'll never ever, ever forget this wonderful trip with the Periwinkles - believe it or not.




TO BE CONTINUED




Hello everybody, 

Hope you have a restful Sunday and a very successful next week! 

Hugs, Nina

14 comments:

  1. Ich muss hier leider gerade am eigenen Leib erfahren, dass an dem alten Spruch "des Einen Freund, des Anderen Leid" wirklich was dran ist. Denn während die Periwinkles zusammen mit Hippolina einen wunderbaren Urlaub in der Toskana verbringen, habe ich hier zwei Blogbärchen am Hals (ich nenne keine Namen, aber der Eine hat eine gewisse Affinität zu Erdbeeren, die Andere eine gewisse Schwäche für Pink) die mich mit folgenden Fragen bombardieren: "Warum reicht es bei uns nur für einen Ausflug in den Garten???" und "Warum haben wir kein Cabrio sondern nur Fahrräder???" Nun, die letzte Frage war sehr einfach zu beantworten. "Damit Ihr Euch darauf abstrampeln könnt und weniger Puste zum Nörgeln über habt!" *grins* Es ist schön zu Sehen, wieviel Spaß die kleine Familie und ihr Familientester haben - ich frage mich nur wirklich, wieso und weshalb Hippolina (alias der kleine Nackedei) noch die anderen Familien ausprobieren sollte - das wäre ja wirklich die Qual der Wahl. Ganz tolle Fotos - vor allem die im Auto... Oh, und wir hier glauben auch, dass der Autokoffer früher mal der guten Mary Poppins gehört hat! ;O)

    Liebe Grüße
    Birgit

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    Replies
    1. Oh, oh. Das klingt nicht nach einem sehr erholsamen Sonntagmorgen.

      Vielleicht könntest Du diesen zwei Blogbärchen sagen, dass Am-Sonntagmorgen-die-Mama-Vollnörgeln DREIFACHE Minuspunkte beim Weihnachtsmann gibt. ;O)

      Hippolina lässt ausserdem ausrichten, dass sie zuvor auch noch nie Cabrio gefahren sei, geschweige denn Urlaub bekommen habe oder mit pelzigen Häschen ein Picknick gemacht, und dass die zwei Namenlosen ihren Neid bitte für sich behalten sollten, schliesslich habe sie jahrelang mit Ü-Eiern (OHNE der leckeren Schokolade drum rum) in einer Vitrine gestanden. ;O)

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  2. Beautiful scenes and story. The picnic is fun!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Fabiola. The Periwinkles and Hippolina say hello!

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  3. How nice of the Periwinkles to take Hippolina along on their lovely vacation. They made her feel at home and I'm sure she'd love to stay with them permanently.
    Hugs, Drora

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    Replies
    1. Hello Drora,

      The Periwinkles are, believe it or not, the nicest rabbits (and duck) I have ever met, but I was told to try out all the families before making a decision.

      -Hippolina

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  4. Hi,
    A picnic is always a good idea to spend time with family and friends. It was very nice to see the Periwinkles on their picnic. Such a good story again!

    It has been very hot, we think too hot.

    Siiri, Iivari and Tuomo want to send their best regards to the Periwinkles.

    Kind regards,
    Sirkka

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    Replies
    1. Many thanks, Sirkka!

      I hope you can find a way to keep cool. With a little luck it will cool off here during the end of the week...

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  5. Hi Nina,
    I really enjoyed reading this story and looking at the lovely pictures.It made me feel relaxed!The picnic scene is adorable.
    It´s nice to see how Hippolina gets on so well with Jemima. I ´m curious to know which family will adopt Hippolina. The Periwinkles are very kind and friendly but the truth is all Riverside villagers are good-natured so she´ll be happy anyway.

    By the way,I´d love to find a suitcase like the Periwinkles´ where everything fits so nicely. They managed to put so many things in such a small suitcase!

    Have a lovely day! A big hug!

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    Replies
    1. We'll have to wait and see what Hippolina decides in the end. At first I thought I already knew where she would want to live, but now I'm not so sure anymore! ;O)

      The suitcase is very special, you are right. :) Maybe Hester put a little spell on it for Julie? I don't know. But you would have to buy a car in Sylvania in order to get one in this exact style, as it came attached to their blue family car. :O)

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  6. I really like Hippolina, is she a Sylvanian Family (just wondering as I have never seen her before). I think it is a good idea that she gets to try out living with all the families so that she can see who she gets along with the best. By the way, you might want to check out my blog. The web address is https://sylvanian-stories.weebly.com/

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    Replies
    1. Dear Caitlyn,


      Thanks so much for reading my blogpost and sending me your link! I have left you a comment on your blog and hope to talk to you again some time!

      Kind regards to everyone in Macadamia Grove!


      -Nina

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  7. Hello Nina! What a wonderful story! Hippolina is such a cutie and she looks very nice in her dress. How amazing it is that everything can fit into that little suitcase, very magical. My cat, like Molly and Pip, really dislikes car trips. He always gives the most pitiful meows whenever he has to travel. Luckily Molly and Pip got over that soon. I must say, the picnic spot that they chose does look lovely and having a picnic is probably one of the best things to do on such a lovely day, even though it is so hot! Maybe next time a picnic in the shade of a tree would be nice if it gets so hot again. I love the last photo that the villager took!
    Hugs,Emily

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Emily!

      Hippolina says hi too and thanks you for your compliments.

      The suitcase is extremely practical, the Periwinkles have used it for several trips this summer and could always fit in everything that they needed.

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