Gardeners Rest #16 ( 2021)

[Nicos]

“Best to leave it alone for now thanks Yeti - I think Lottie flew in there muttering something about Kryptonite”….

[Snoop Puss]

Everyone flopped gratefully down into the assorted very comfy chairs and sofas for which the GR was renowned and sipped at their G&Ts, feeling somewhat guilty at the sight of Yeti, who was indeed whizzing round the room and cleaning up for them, but humming quite happily as he drank from his pint mug of G&T (mothhawk assured everyone it would be all right, as she'd put an awful lot of ice in so it wasn't as much gin as it looked).

Nick started to wriggle a bit in his chair because his stockings were uncomfortable (and just as well he wasn't wearing tights because then he really would have realised what women have to put up with) and went off to change into his own clothes.

When at last Yeti had finished cleaning and Nicos had bobbed him in the freezer, as agreed, it suddenly dawned on everyone that Nick had been gone rather a long time...

[mothhawk]

...so they began a search. They finally ran Nick to ground in the cellar, which was very extensive and easy to....

[Snoop Puss]

get lost in.

"We thought we'd lost you", they said in unison, somewhat redundantly.

"I thought I'd lost you", Nick said. "Just when I..."

[greenishfing]

"......had got changed and was ready to come back I heard a funny noise down here. I decided to investigate." He pointed to a big magnifying glass and a deer stalker hat. "I got my Sherlock Holmes kit. I left a trail of mince pie crumbs to find my way back ....... but something has eaten them."

"Listen! That's the noise again!".........

[mothhawk]

...it's OK, said Nicos, it's just Hibou after the mice that have eaten the crumbs. Now, while we are down here in the cellar, what about....

[Nicos]

…taking the Xmas tree decorations upstairs and decorating the tree….we have lots of pretty wreaths but the tree seems to have been forgotten!”

Rary excitedly remembered his clip on candle holders were in the great leather Xmas trunk.
NTG used his magnifying glass ( he was throughly enjoying being Sherlock Holmes) to find the keyhole whilst MH took the key out of the secret hidden drawer ….

[nick the grief]

AHA!!! Expostulated ntg ... the door is a pale yellow colour ... I do believe its a lemon entry Nicos ... ntg strted to snigger and everyone else groaned and ...

[Snoop Puss]

Snoop blushed and laughed nervously, but she really hadn't got it. Too much G&T perhaps. To cover up her embarrassment, she grabbed a few boxes of what looked to be decorations and headed back upstairs, where she found...

[greenishfing]

.....her phone and googled lemon entry..... and joined in the groaning. Now what was in these random boxes?.......

[mothhawk]

....hmmm.....dusty paper chains, tinsel, an empty wine bottle, a group photo of everyone from last Christmas, and right at the bottom, a mysterious...

[rary]

Envelope addressed to, He Who Should Know Better, so everyone looked around to see who would open it and there was rary trying to find out what Snoop discovered about lemon entry without success, he should have known better than to try anything connected with gogel, giggle, google or whatever you call it, when it comes to these modern things he is lost, even his phone doesn't work as he can never find anywhere to plug in the wire to get a connection, taking the phone from the house to make it mobile was a waste of time, he looked up and everyone was....

[Snoop Puss]

looking at him.

"Is this yours, Rary?", Snoop asked.

"If there's money in it, yes", Rary joked. He took the envelope and slit it open before reading who it was addressed to. Inside the envelope was a...

[greenishfing]

....handdrawn map, a bit like a treasure map in a children's story book. It even had a big red ❌ on it.

[Snoop Puss]

Everyone gasped.

The fairy bounced up and down in excitement (she'd learned not to whirl round and round in circles).

Fluffy rolled up into a ball (and all the bits of paper she'd spiked up went flying off in all directions).

Even Yeti could be heard banging on the freezer door.

"What's it a map of", asked Nicos.

"Well, it's not a lemon entry, Nicos, if that's what you're thinking", replied Nick.

Everyone groaned, including Snoop this time (who was very grateful to Greenishfing for pointing her in the right direction).

Oddly, though, Yeti continued to bang on the freezer, perhaps harder and louder. But nobody paid much attention, as they were all focused on the map...