Okay so we'll start by linking you to todays chapter, Japan Revisited - more intrigue and gossip from Dernau!

In other news this week, the laptop that had fixed itself has fallen over again so that's looking terminal but on a more positive note, my injured leg is much better and I expect to return to more serious riding this week.

Oh and thanks to everyone who sent birthday greetings.

But here we are, what I'm sure you've all been waiting for - to celebrate not just Gaby but my birthing day yesterday, free and exclusive to Big Closet readers, a short Gaby interlude entitled Princess Drew.

Princess Drew

Jen let out a long sigh, Drew was being a little bugger today. Oh nothing like the tantrum at Chester Zoo or the paddy at the Thomas the Tank Engine thing on Holiday last year. No not on those levels but it was still more than a bit embarrassing when your child throws a wobbly in ‘Kids World’.

It was supposed to be a treat in advance of next weeks seventh birthday, but what should have been a simple job of in, select some Lego® or whatever then out to Burger King® to eat had become an epic parent child battle. Oh it wasn’t that her youngest was being greedy, in different circumstances his choice would’ve brooked no comment. However the truth of the matter was – well his choice just wasn’t something you bought seven year old boys.

It was bad enough when he’d insisted on dressing like his sister all the time, it had been cute at first, a bit of a family joke even. In the end it had been starting school that had ended the sibling infatuation, even if he was the only boy wearing long white socks with his shorts and blazer. But now, well since Carol and John moved to Meden, his interest in all things girly has returned.

"But Maddy’s got Ariel,” he advised his mother.
“Maddy is a girl,” Jen pointed out.
"But I want Snow White.”
"Wouldn’t you prefer Super Man?”
"Snow White!” there was a girly foot stomp and the costume was gripped even tighter to his chest.
"How about a new tractor?” Jen proposed, "You like tractors.”
"As well?” he asked hopefully.
"Instead.”
"Snow White.”

Talk about a lose lose situation. Its unlikely Drew was the first child to cause a scene in the toy shop, nor would he be the last but that said they were still gaining some attention. She could just remove them from the store but that almost certainly would cause a major tantrum.

"Come on then,” she told her son in defeat.
"Yay, Snow White!”

Dave gave his wife a questioning look when he and Juliette joined the BK party after a visit to Smiths .

"His choice,” Jen shrugged.

Of course it was almost inevitable that the child would insist on wearing his prize immediately, with his wavy blonde hair maybe Cinderella might have been a better choice though.
"All right spud?” Dave asked his son.
"Hmm,” was as much reply as was forthcoming, the burger in his hands taking all his attention.
"How comes he gets a costume?” Juliette demanded.
"It’s his birthday, his choice,” Dave told his eldest.
"Don’t you think you’re a bit old for costumes and isn’t that a new book I see there,” Jen observed.

"Why’s your brother wearing that?” Anna asked.
Juliette shrugged, "It is a princess party.”
"But he’s a boy,” Charlie, her other best friend pointed out as only ten year olds can.
"Have you ever seen a princess wearing trousers?” Jules queried.
"Well no,” Anna admitted as she watched the younger group playing what to the sophisticated older girls was an inane dancing game.

It wasn’t the biggest of birthday parties, with Juliette and her two friends there were only eight of them in total – all apparently girls. Apparently – but of course Snow White wasn’t quite what ‘she’ seemed, not that any of the others, Maddy, Alison, Susan and Bernadette were taking any notice, Ariel, Rapunzel, Jasmine and Cinderella respectively taking their host’s costume in their stride. The older girls had escaped the ‘Princess’ edict but were still wearing ‘party’ frocks – nothing like the shiny, poufed, frilly, netted collection of the seven year olds.

The lack of boys hadn’t been intentional but more of a consequence of Drew’s small circle of friends. The only boys he regularly played with were Paul and Clive, they’d both been invited, Paul had declined due to a family event, Clive was supposed to come but maybe it was all the girls that caused a late cancellation. Lets face it, how many girls would want to be outnumbered seven to one? On the other hand maybe it was the party theme.

All girl parties were no stranger to the Bond household of course, Jenny was keen her kids didn’t come to think of birthday parties as a trip to a fast food supplier and a (frankly second rate) ‘entertainer’ for fifteen minutes. No, she felt some responsibility to do more than act as a taxi service for burger and chips so a traditional party it is. Lets face it, what child doesn’t like finger food, jelly and ice cream, dancing, silly games and finally, the sickly slice of birthday cake to take home. (Oh and it was cheaper of course.)

As is traditional the guests arrived bearing gifts, all of which were most definitely for Drew the boy. Amongst the parents there was an unwritten agreement of a five pound maximum spend so there were a couple of toy cars, a book about aeroplanes and Carol, Mad’s mother had made him a replica polka dot cycling jersey. It was quite incongruous seeing the very girly appearing child get excited by things generally associated with the more er boisterous gender.

"Well that seemed to go alright,” Dave allowed as he assisted his wife in the clear up operation.
"Yeah, it did get a bit boisterous once or twice,”
"Never considered skirt twirling to be a competitive sport.”
"Or that your son was such a fervent competitor.”

Indeed the aforementioned skirt twirling had almost reached chaos levels, especially as Drew insisted on more and more goes. Not that the others were giving anything away. In the end it was impending nausea that halted proceedings.

The food was a success – you can’t go too far wrong with meat paste, egg mayonnaise and cheese in the sandwiches, mini sausage rolls, pineapple and cheese on sticks, crisps, cocktail sausages, cheesy biscuits and so on. Strawberry jelly with vanilla ice cream will disappear at any party, the birthday cake a veritable work of art depicting Thomas from a shop in the village. Three hours though was more than long enough for the parents even if the kids were still spinning like tops.

The birthday itself was actually the following day and involved a trip to Cheshire for a grandparent visit and birthday tea.

"And who do we have here?” Josie enquired as the family Bond trooped into the cottage.
"Snow White.”
"Snow White, oh dear I was expecting Drew, there are presents and all sorts of cake for him but I guess if you’re here he doesn’t want anything.”
"It’s me Granny!”
"But you’re Snow White.”
"I'm only ‘tending, really its me.”
"Hmm,” Josie hammed, "You look too pretty to be Drew, he’s a big strong boy.”
"Look!” Drew demanded before doing the bicep flexing thing.
"Oh my, I didn’t recognise you, so Snow White is a disguise?”
The youngster nodded vigorously.
"Well you’d best come inside then.”

"We talked about this before Drew,” Jen sighed.
"But?”
"You can’t wear it to go school, firstly you have to wear you’re uniform and secondly,” she paused, just how do you explain these things to a seven year old? "Only girls wear dresses.”
"But I wore it for the party.” he rightly pointed out.
"I know, but that was just pretend. If its dressing up you can wear anything but school isn’t dressing up.”
"We do sometimes.”
"The answer is still no, now go and put your uniform back on.”
The tiny lad’s shoulders slumped before he turned about to go and do as bid.

"You seen these Gab?” Jen asked her youngest.
She’d been looking for pictures of herself pre Apollinaris for George.
"What?”
"These,” Jen passed a packet of photo prints across the dining table.
Gab put down her mug of tea and opened the packet, pulling out a stack of faded pictures.
“Jules?”
"Don’t you remember?”
"Clearly not,” the younger Bond stated flicking through more of the views of clearly some sort of party. Small girls in dress up costumes dancing, eating, "This one looks like Mad.”
"Try again.”
"Give up.”
"Here,” Jen took the stack and found a group shot and pointed at each in turn, "So lets see, Bernie, your cousin, this one’s Susan.”
"Susan?” Gab interrupted.
"Oh you remember Susan, they moved to somewhere on the south coast before you started at the College .”
"Vaguely.”
"This ones Alison.”
"I don’t remember her having hair that long.”
"Think she was supposed to be Rapunzel,” Jen mentioned.
"So who’s the other one, Snow White is it?”
"You really don’t remember? I think it was your sixth or seventh birthday, you insisted everyone come to your party as princesses.”
"Why’d I do that?”
"No idea but you were adamant you had the Snow White costume.”
"Its me?”
"Yep, couldn’t keep you out of the darn thing for weeks.”
"I don’t remember at all.”
"Ask your sister if you don’t believe me.”
“This is just so embarrassing.”
“Princess Drew didn’t think so.”

Maddy Bell © 23.02.2017

Until next time
Tschuss!