In tonight’s bedtime story for kids, we visit Grandpa Simon's allotment, long after he and his grandchildren Connie and Rupert have taken off their wellies and gone home. It's a special summer night and there's magic in the air, which means something rather unusual is happening... The vegetables are beginning to stir and come to life! Relax, get sleepy, and let’s begin!
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Narrator 🎙 Abbe Opher
Author ✍️ Suzanna Mcloughlin
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Coco Sleep, a podcast of
00:00:14
Speaker 1: original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime
00:00:20
Speaker 1: a dream. Hey Coco Club members, I hope you're looking
00:00:25
Speaker 1: forward to this week's bonus episode. It's the return of
00:00:29
Speaker 1: our friends Daisy Doolittle and Houdini the Hamster. This time
00:00:33
Speaker 1: they're going to a wildlife park where Daisy chats with
00:00:36
Speaker 1: all kinds of animals and helps make a lucky meercat's
00:00:40
Speaker 1: dream come true. Now back to tonight's story, which features
00:00:47
Speaker 1: two very precious little people who are two of our
00:00:51
Speaker 1: longest listening fans. We're so fond of them and grateful
00:00:55
Speaker 1: that they tune in a few bedtimes a week that
00:00:57
Speaker 1: we've actually written them their own little tape. Yep, Connie
00:01:02
Speaker 1: and Rupert, this one is for you and comes with
00:01:05
Speaker 1: all our snoozy cuddly love straight from Sleepy Forest. Settle
00:01:11
Speaker 1: back into bed and close your eyes. Everyone, Remember back
00:01:15
Speaker 1: to the summer and those long, warm, dry days that
00:01:19
Speaker 1: went on forever. Breathe in the barmee air and breathe out.
00:01:29
Speaker 1: Imagine the wheat, maize and barley tall and swaying in
00:01:33
Speaker 1: the fields, and the bird song floating gently overhead. That's right,
00:01:39
Speaker 1: it's summer and we're heading off together with two young
00:01:43
Speaker 1: children to visit Grandpa Simon's allotment. There is magic in
00:01:48
Speaker 1: the air, and something very special is happening. Could it
00:01:53
Speaker 1: be that the vegetables are coming to life? Listening as
00:01:58
Speaker 1: I begin Grandpa's and the Talking Vegetables by Susanna McLoughlin,
00:02:11
Speaker 1: It had been a lovely summer day in Grandpa Simon's Allotment,
00:02:16
Speaker 1: a day which seemed like it would never end. It
00:02:19
Speaker 1: was late in the evening and every buddy gardener had
00:02:23
Speaker 1: long since gone home, but the sun was still hanging
00:02:27
Speaker 1: in the sky, sending soft light over the plots of
00:02:30
Speaker 1: flowers and vegetables. Today was the longest day of the year.
00:02:36
Speaker 1: It almost felt like daytime still, except the sky was
00:02:40
Speaker 1: a slightly darker, duskier shade of blue, made hazy by
00:02:45
Speaker 1: the barbecue smoke which had been billowing over the neighboring
00:02:48
Speaker 1: garden fences all evening. The allotments were placed on a
00:02:55
Speaker 1: hill in the heart of a busy neighborhood. Green plots
00:02:59
Speaker 1: covered the hill the valley below like a Higgordy piggledy
00:03:02
Speaker 1: jigsaw made up of leafy little gardens. Small sheds were
00:03:08
Speaker 1: scattered throughout, housing muddy tools and floppy rubber wellies. The
00:03:14
Speaker 1: occasional shovel or pitchfork stuck into the air where they
00:03:18
Speaker 1: had been plunged into the earth with satisfaction. At the
00:03:21
Speaker 1: end of a productive Sunday afternoon, often a pair of
00:03:25
Speaker 1: gardening gloves had been placed over their handles, fingers flopping
00:03:30
Speaker 1: over as if waving hello at anyone walking by. Grandpa
00:03:35
Speaker 1: Simon had been tending to his crops all afternoon with
00:03:39
Speaker 1: his grandchildren, Connie and Rupert. They had worked in the
00:03:43
Speaker 1: allotment together, watering plants, turning the compost, repotting the tomatoes,
00:03:49
Speaker 1: and tying up the runner beans. Connie and Rupert loved
00:03:53
Speaker 1: these afternoons with their grandpa. They loved listening as he
00:03:57
Speaker 1: sang along to old songs on the radio. They loved
00:04:01
Speaker 1: putting on their overalls and wellies and getting all muddy.
00:04:06
Speaker 1: Most of all, they loved the picnic lunch that Grandpa
00:04:10
Speaker 1: Simon brought in his wicker basket. Grandpa would shake out
00:04:14
Speaker 1: a red Gingham blanket and lay it out on the
00:04:17
Speaker 1: patch of grass in the center of the allotment, and
00:04:21
Speaker 1: they would all flop down on top of it. They
00:04:24
Speaker 1: would drink cloudy lemonade and eat cheese and pickle sandwiches together,
00:04:29
Speaker 1: resting and building up their strength, ready to get working again.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: They had done such good work that afternoon. The carrots, potatoes, turnips,
00:04:41
Speaker 1: and beetroot were tucked up and well fed in a
00:04:44
Speaker 1: bed of deep brown soil. The lettuce, cabbages and curly
00:04:50
Speaker 1: kale were springing proudly from the flower beds, extra green
00:04:55
Speaker 1: and glistening with water. The pumpkins were plump and vibrant
00:05:00
Speaker 1: in colours of autumn oranges, greens, and purple. The beans
00:05:06
Speaker 1: were twirled perfectly around their bean poles, and the tomatoes
00:05:11
Speaker 1: pots had been brightly painted by Connie and Rupert with
00:05:14
Speaker 1: images of yellow stars and moons and swirling waves of blue.
00:05:21
Speaker 1: The greenhouse was tidy and warm, and the tools were
00:05:25
Speaker 1: perfectly in their places in the little red shed. Grandpa
00:05:30
Speaker 1: Simon's big green wellies stood there by the door, next
00:05:34
Speaker 1: to Connie's smaller red wellies and Rupert's tiny yellow ones.
00:05:39
Speaker 1: The vegetables were all tucked up as usual, and quiet
00:05:43
Speaker 1: settled over the allotments as the caretaker came by to
00:05:47
Speaker 1: lock its iron gate. He watered the sunflowers around the entrance,
00:05:52
Speaker 1: climbed back into his truck, and headed home for dinner.
00:05:57
Speaker 1: Usually dark would have settled over the allotments by now,
00:06:02
Speaker 1: but it was the longest day of the year, and
00:06:04
Speaker 1: the dusk was not turning tonight. When the moon rose
00:06:09
Speaker 1: his big white face, the sun still hung there in
00:06:12
Speaker 1: the sky, and they smiled at each other. There they
00:06:17
Speaker 1: both stayed suspended in the sky, one pale yellow sun
00:06:23
Speaker 1: and one pearly moon. Shouldn't you be going to bed now? Sunshine,
00:06:31
Speaker 1: asked the moon. Why it's the longest day of the year.
00:06:36
Speaker 1: Replied the Sun, I want to stay up a little longer.
00:06:41
Speaker 1: It sure is beautiful up here. The moon agreed and smiled.
00:06:48
Speaker 1: He could share the sky tonight, under the silver glow
00:06:54
Speaker 1: of the moon and the faint golden light of a
00:06:56
Speaker 1: dusky sun. Something unusual happened in the The plants began
00:07:02
Speaker 1: to stir. It started with Colin, the fluffy cauliflower in
00:07:09
Speaker 1: Grandpa Simon's plot. He began to snore gently, then snort softly,
00:07:17
Speaker 1: and then he awoke fully with a soft yawn. He
00:07:22
Speaker 1: looked up at the sky and smiled, What a beautiful night.
00:07:28
Speaker 1: He stretched his leaves and wriggled his roots. He looked
00:07:33
Speaker 1: left and right and up to the sky before calling
00:07:39
Speaker 1: to the Radish next door. Randal, he could wake up.
00:07:45
Speaker 1: The sky is magical tonight. Randal Radish woke up and
00:07:53
Speaker 1: poked his vibrant pink head above the soil. His eyes widened.
00:07:59
Speaker 1: Wow wow, he whispered. He called to his friend Posey,
00:08:04
Speaker 1: the pumpkin. Posy, he sang, there's a glowing orange ball
00:08:10
Speaker 1: in the sky. It looks a little like you. Posey
00:08:16
Speaker 1: woke up and smiled her wide smile. She bounced up
00:08:21
Speaker 1: and down, then rolled like a bowling ball down the
00:08:24
Speaker 1: grass verge to join Randal and Colin. They looked up
00:08:29
Speaker 1: at the sky together. Something special was happening. They usually
00:08:34
Speaker 1: woke up to look at the moon at night, but
00:08:37
Speaker 1: they always stayed sleepily in their beds. Tonight, they could move,
00:08:43
Speaker 1: and they could talk to one another. It must be
00:08:48
Speaker 1: something to do with the magical light of the sun
00:08:51
Speaker 1: and the moon, mingling and fusing and gently waking what
00:08:57
Speaker 1: usually lay snoozing in the soil. They watched the floating
00:09:02
Speaker 1: orbs for a while before deciding to explore the vegetable
00:09:06
Speaker 1: patch together. They headed to the carrot patch. First, Colin
00:09:13
Speaker 1: the Cauliflower sang out a greeting to the carrots that
00:09:16
Speaker 1: lay hidden underground. One by one, pop pop, pop up
00:09:21
Speaker 1: bobbed the carrots from the soil like little rockets. They
00:09:25
Speaker 1: were bright orange and very healthy, with luscious, frilly, light
00:09:30
Speaker 1: green leaves fanning high above their heads. Last of all
00:09:35
Speaker 1: popped up a couple of teeny baby carrots. These only
00:09:39
Speaker 1: had a few little leaves sprouting above their cute little faces,
00:09:44
Speaker 1: and they had wispy little roots trailing from their feet.
00:09:49
Speaker 1: Posey the pumpkin cooed at the little carrots. Then she
00:09:54
Speaker 1: began pulling silly faces to make them laugh, making googly
00:09:59
Speaker 1: eyes and puffing up her cheeks. The baby carrots fell
00:10:04
Speaker 1: about laughing. The bigger carrots greeted the other vegetables politely.
00:10:11
Speaker 1: Carrots are very clever, so they immediately looked at the
00:10:14
Speaker 1: sky and began pondering what special magic lay in the clouds.
00:10:20
Speaker 1: They decided they should have a carrot conference to mull
00:10:23
Speaker 1: over this special event, and so hopped off through the
00:10:27
Speaker 1: other allotments from carrot patch to carrot patch, gathering their friends.
00:10:33
Speaker 1: Colin the Cauliflower laughed. Those carrots were incredibly clever, but
00:10:39
Speaker 1: cauliflowers were more fun loving vegetables, and he didn't want
00:10:44
Speaker 1: to spend this special night thinking. He wanted to make
00:10:48
Speaker 1: some friends and maybe even have a party under the
00:10:52
Speaker 1: sun and moon. Colin, Posey and Randall decided to wake
00:10:58
Speaker 1: the rest of the vegetables in them patch and get
00:11:01
Speaker 1: the party started. They hopped and rolled over to the beetroots.
00:11:07
Speaker 1: The beetroots could be seen by their huge pinky leaves
00:11:11
Speaker 1: which stick up from the soil. Colin beckoned the beetroot
00:11:15
Speaker 1: up from the soil, and up they came, spinning around
00:11:19
Speaker 1: like a spinning top, rising taller and taller until they
00:11:24
Speaker 1: could roll out onto the grass. Betty beetroot was the
00:11:29
Speaker 1: first to greet the gang. She had shining eyes and
00:11:34
Speaker 1: rosy cheeks with big dimples. She was so very pink.
00:11:41
Speaker 1: Posy complimented her color, and Betty blushed even pinker. Betty
00:11:47
Speaker 1: said that the beetroot loved sleeping in their cozy home
00:11:51
Speaker 1: under the earth, but isn't it nice to breathe in
00:11:54
Speaker 1: the cool evening air and look at the sun and
00:11:57
Speaker 1: the moon. She bounced up and down like a bouncy ball.
00:12:03
Speaker 1: The turnips and the parsnips, hearing the thud of Betty's bounces,
00:12:08
Speaker 1: slid up from their beds. A big nobbly Soelariac called Celia,
00:12:14
Speaker 1: rolled from her patch, and corn cobs peeked out from
00:12:19
Speaker 1: behind their green, blankety leaves, slipping out of their husks
00:12:24
Speaker 1: and hopping over the plot. The group was growing now.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: Colin the cauliflower and Posey the pumpkin left Randal chatting
00:12:34
Speaker 1: with their new friends on the little lawn to go
00:12:38
Speaker 1: and wake up the vegetables who were tucked away in
00:12:41
Speaker 1: the sleepy warmth of the greenhouse. They stood at the
00:12:45
Speaker 1: bottom of the gleaming green panel of glass that made
00:12:50
Speaker 1: up the door and paused, hmm, how would they reach
00:12:56
Speaker 1: the door handle. Posey had an idea. Grandpa Simon always
00:13:03
Speaker 1: told Connie and Rupert that they could do anything if
00:13:07
Speaker 1: they worked together. She told Colin to climb up onto
00:13:13
Speaker 1: her head. Colin stood atop her stem and reached to
00:13:18
Speaker 1: stand on the tips of his roots. Still he wasn't
00:13:22
Speaker 1: tall enough. Posey thought again, Aha, she knew what to do.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: She boyed upwards like she was on a trampoline, boyinging
00:13:34
Speaker 1: higher and higher until Colin could wrap one of his
00:13:38
Speaker 1: leaves around the door handle. The door sprang open, and
00:13:44
Speaker 1: they laid on the ground for a minute, giggling and
00:13:47
Speaker 1: catching their breath. Entering the greenhouse felt like walking through
00:13:53
Speaker 1: a curtain of walls. It was a tropical humid heat
00:13:58
Speaker 1: that felt heavy on their skin, like a blanket. There
00:14:02
Speaker 1: were many vegetables having a nap in here, wrapped up
00:14:06
Speaker 1: and hunkered down in the warmth. Tomatoes snored on the vine,
00:14:12
Speaker 1: Huge shining corgetes sprung outwards from their plants to lay
00:14:18
Speaker 1: upon the soft compost, and deep purple aubergines dozed against
00:14:24
Speaker 1: their thick stems. Colin stood in front of a row
00:14:30
Speaker 1: of tomato plants, gazing at their specially painted pots. He
00:14:36
Speaker 1: looked at the patterns twisting and turning, and pointed out
00:14:40
Speaker 1: how well Connie and Rupert had captured the moon's glow.
00:14:45
Speaker 1: Posey agreed. Colin looked up at the wall of pale, green,
00:14:52
Speaker 1: bushy tomato plants and sang out a booming hello. Hundreds
00:14:59
Speaker 1: of vivid red cherry tomatoes awoke with little squeaks and
00:15:05
Speaker 1: startled gasps, and spun on their stems to peer down
00:15:10
Speaker 1: at Colin and Posey oops Colin apologized for startling the
00:15:16
Speaker 1: little tomatoes. He tried again, Hello, little tomatoes, he said, softly, wakey, wakey,
00:15:26
Speaker 1: I would like to invite you to our party. The turnips, radishes, beetroots,
00:15:33
Speaker 1: and corn cobs are all there on the lawn already.
00:15:37
Speaker 1: They're probably playing games and having fun. Even Celia the
00:15:42
Speaker 1: selariak is here rolling around, and she is usually the snooziest,
00:15:48
Speaker 1: deepest rooted vegetable of all. The tomatoes talked back all
00:15:55
Speaker 1: at once in their tiny tomato titter, so Colin couldn't
00:16:00
Speaker 1: understand them. Posey told him not to worry. She spoke tomato.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: She said that they thanked him kindly for their invitation
00:16:11
Speaker 1: and that they would love to attend. One by one,
00:16:17
Speaker 1: the cherry tomatoes bounced, buoyinged, and bounded from their plants
00:16:22
Speaker 1: down to the greenhouse floor, where they began to roll,
00:16:27
Speaker 1: whizzing past Posy and Colin out into the allotment. It
00:16:32
Speaker 1: was a funny sight to behold. The tomatoes were smiling
00:16:37
Speaker 1: and squeaking with excitement as they went. Next, Posy and
00:16:42
Speaker 1: Colin woke up the cougettes and the Obergeines, Colltte, the
00:16:47
Speaker 1: corgette and Angelina, the Aubergeine chatted with Posy and Colin
00:16:52
Speaker 1: whilst their friends woke up. Collette had a smooth French accent,
00:16:58
Speaker 1: and Angelina a pass Italian one. Their voices sounded like music. Soon,
00:17:07
Speaker 1: the Corgis and Aubergines glid gracefully out into the yard too. Well,
00:17:14
Speaker 1: that's everyone, Colin and Posey thought. They bounced and touched
00:17:20
Speaker 1: bellies in some kind of vegetable high five. They turned
00:17:24
Speaker 1: towards the door. As they headed out, they heard a
00:17:27
Speaker 1: beautiful sound drifting from the back of the greenhouse. Colin
00:17:32
Speaker 1: and Posey paused. An enchanting song drifted from the hidden corner,
00:17:40
Speaker 1: obscured by the bushy tomato plants. It was a complex harmony,
00:17:46
Speaker 1: sung by hundreds of angelic voices. They followed the sound.
00:17:52
Speaker 1: There up against the wall, standing tall and expertly twirled
00:17:58
Speaker 1: around bamboo poles. Were the peas. Of course, Sometimes, when
00:18:04
Speaker 1: Colin was tucked up in his bed, drifting in and
00:18:08
Speaker 1: out of a lovely slumber, he had heard Connie and
00:18:12
Speaker 1: Rupert talking about the peas. They did love tending to them.
00:18:19
Speaker 1: The pea plants had a few delicate white flowers and
00:18:23
Speaker 1: a lot of huge furry green pods. They couldn't see
00:18:29
Speaker 1: a single pea. Though Posey called out a quiet hello,
00:18:36
Speaker 1: she didn't want to speak too loud, as she would
00:18:39
Speaker 1: hate to interrupt such a beautiful song. One by one,
00:18:45
Speaker 1: the pods opened, ever so slightly, at first as the
00:18:50
Speaker 1: peas peeked out, and then wider, until they opened to
00:18:56
Speaker 1: reveal hundreds of peas, about five to a pod, all singing.
00:19:04
Speaker 1: Of course, Posey said, her harmony so perfect could only
00:19:10
Speaker 1: be sung by peas in a pod. It was beautiful.
00:19:16
Speaker 1: They listened until the end of the song. Colin and
00:19:21
Speaker 1: Posey clapped as the peas finished, and invited them to
00:19:25
Speaker 1: the party. They all are coued with excitement. Colin asked
00:19:32
Speaker 1: if they would mind singing again for all of the
00:19:35
Speaker 1: vegetables of the patch. Penelope the pea, smiled down at them.
00:19:42
Speaker 1: Of course we will, she said in her soft voice.
00:19:48
Speaker 1: As you heard, we sing beautiful lullabies, she said, but
00:19:54
Speaker 1: we can also sing disco music too. Let's have some
00:20:00
Speaker 1: fun with that. The peas sprung down and bounced into
00:20:06
Speaker 1: the garden. By the time Colin and Posey had rejoined
00:20:11
Speaker 1: the group in the patch, the party was in full swing.
00:20:16
Speaker 1: Everyone was chatting, playing games, and dancing to the peas
00:20:22
Speaker 1: bopping disco songs. They had such fun. Colin the Cauliflower
00:20:29
Speaker 1: loved chatting with his neighbors. His favorite topics of conversation
00:20:35
Speaker 1: were Connie, Rupert, and Grandpa Simon. All of the vegetables
00:20:41
Speaker 1: were singing their praises. The children were so fun and caring,
00:20:47
Speaker 1: and Simon was so good at singing to the radio.
00:20:51
Speaker 1: For most of all, they were so grateful to all
00:20:55
Speaker 1: three of the humans for feeding them and tending to
00:20:59
Speaker 1: them so lovely all day. They were so thankful for
00:21:04
Speaker 1: the water that Simon poured on them from the watering can,
00:21:08
Speaker 1: for the haircuts that he gave them when it was
00:21:11
Speaker 1: time for pruning, and for the beautiful pots that the
00:21:15
Speaker 1: children painted, which brought cheery color to their allotment. Colin
00:21:22
Speaker 1: the Cauliflower was discussing this with Celia the solaria when
00:21:27
Speaker 1: he had an idea. Celia had recently been struggling with slugs,
00:21:34
Speaker 1: leaving slimy trails all over her patch. Grandpa Simon had
00:21:40
Speaker 1: spent hours searching for the slugs and carefully placing them
00:21:45
Speaker 1: all into a box. He marched down to the bottom
00:21:49
Speaker 1: of the hill and lovingly released the slugs into the
00:21:53
Speaker 1: wild patch of woodlands that lay over the gate from
00:21:57
Speaker 1: the allotments. Celia was so pleased that he took the
00:22:02
Speaker 1: time to make everybody so much more comfortable. She sighed
00:22:07
Speaker 1: and said, I wish I could say thank you to Simon,
00:22:13
Speaker 1: Connie and Rupert for tending to us so attentively. This
00:22:21
Speaker 1: made Colin think, and then a wonderful idea popped into
00:22:26
Speaker 1: his little cauliflower head. He whistled to the peas and
00:22:31
Speaker 1: asked them to stop the music for a minute. He
00:22:35
Speaker 1: asked Posey if she could become his pumpkin podium, and
00:22:40
Speaker 1: she said yes, so he hopped atop her head once more.
00:22:45
Speaker 1: He called out to all of the vegetables of the patch,
00:22:49
Speaker 1: who moved in closer to hear him speak. Connie, Rupert
00:22:57
Speaker 1: and Grandpa Simon have been so behind to us, helping
00:23:01
Speaker 1: us grow big and strong, said Colin. I think tonight
00:23:08
Speaker 1: might be a special opportunity to say thank you the vegetables,
00:23:15
Speaker 1: cheered Colette. The courgette spoke up. The three of them
00:23:22
Speaker 1: were watering in the greenhouse today, she said, and they
00:23:28
Speaker 1: kept praising my orange flowers. I think womens might like flowers.
00:23:36
Speaker 1: Maybe we could plant some just for them to enjoy.
00:23:42
Speaker 1: All of the vegetables cheered again, What a lovely idea.
00:23:49
Speaker 1: They set off to work. Randal the Radish said that
00:23:54
Speaker 1: he had once heard Grandpa Simon explaining to Connie and
00:23:58
Speaker 1: Rupert the flowers grow from teeny tiny seeds. He had
00:24:04
Speaker 1: fetched some from his little red shed and tipped them
00:24:08
Speaker 1: into his hand for the children to see. So to
00:24:12
Speaker 1: the shed they went, But how would they get in?
00:24:18
Speaker 1: At that moment they heard a rustle in the bushes.
00:24:22
Speaker 1: Colin turned to look into the hedge. The leaves parted
00:24:27
Speaker 1: and two black ears popped out, followed by a little
00:24:32
Speaker 1: whiskered pink nose. Two big green eyes looked out around
00:24:37
Speaker 1: the allotment. They shone with happiness. An out slunk Bonnie,
00:24:44
Speaker 1: the adventurous street cat who had made her home in
00:24:48
Speaker 1: the allotment. She purred a hello to the vegetables. Colin
00:24:54
Speaker 1: said hello to the beautiful cat. He had seen Bonnie
00:24:58
Speaker 1: slinking around the patch at night, but had never been
00:25:01
Speaker 1: able to chat with her. What are all of you
00:25:06
Speaker 1: vegetables doing out of your beds? Bonnie asked. Colin explained
00:25:14
Speaker 1: that they had been awoken by the sky's magic on
00:25:17
Speaker 1: this special night, and that they had had a lovely party.
00:25:23
Speaker 1: He also explained their plan to grow Grandpa Simon some
00:25:28
Speaker 1: beautiful flowers. Bonnie meowed in excitement. Meow, what a good idea,
00:25:38
Speaker 1: she said. Grandpa Simon and the children are so kind.
00:25:46
Speaker 1: They always scratch my ears and bring me scraps of
00:25:50
Speaker 1: yarn to play with and feed me from their picnic basket.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: Grandpa Simon even built a little cat flap into his
00:26:02
Speaker 1: shed so that I could have a cozy bed in
00:26:06
Speaker 1: there in the colder months. They deserve a gift. Colin
00:26:14
Speaker 1: couldn't believe his ears. A cat flap. He had never
00:26:20
Speaker 1: heard of such a thing. So Bonnie could enter the
00:26:24
Speaker 1: shed and retrieve the seeds for them. He asked for
00:26:29
Speaker 1: Bonnie's help, and she was more than happy to assist
00:26:35
Speaker 1: anything for Grandpa Simon and Connie and rupert, she said.
00:26:42
Speaker 1: Bonnie slid through her cat flap and expertly hopped from
00:26:47
Speaker 1: shelf to shelf, not letting herself be distracted by the
00:26:52
Speaker 1: collection of twine she crossed, which she was desperate to
00:26:56
Speaker 1: play with. She hopped over tools and tight roped along
00:27:01
Speaker 1: the bar of the lawn mower. To reach the shelf
00:27:05
Speaker 1: where the seeds were stored. Little packets laid strewn all
00:27:12
Speaker 1: over the shelf, each with a picture of a beautiful
00:27:16
Speaker 1: flower on the front. Bonnie was dazzled by all of
00:27:20
Speaker 1: the colors, but which to choose. She studied the packets
00:27:26
Speaker 1: for a while. First she chose sunflowers, for they reminded
00:27:33
Speaker 1: her of Connie's sunny disposition. Next, she chose buddlier because
00:27:39
Speaker 1: their purple blooms attracted butterflies, and Rupert would like to
00:27:44
Speaker 1: see those. Next, she chose Dycentra because their flowers grew
00:27:51
Speaker 1: to dangle from their stems with petals shaped like a
00:27:55
Speaker 1: love heart, and Grandpa Simon was a very love person. Finally,
00:28:03
Speaker 1: she chose wildflower seeds, which was sure to bloom in
00:28:07
Speaker 1: all sizes, shapes, and colors, and which were sure to
00:28:13
Speaker 1: bring buzzing bumblebees to the garden. Bonnie loved happy little bumblebees.
00:28:22
Speaker 1: She collected her selected sachets and brought them back to
00:28:26
Speaker 1: the clearing where the vegetables were waiting. They congratulated her
00:28:32
Speaker 1: on her thoughtful choices. Where shall we grow them, Bonnie asked,
00:28:40
Speaker 1: Posey said there was an empty flower bed next to
00:28:43
Speaker 1: her pumpkin patch, the last empty spot in the thriving
00:28:48
Speaker 1: allotment that would be perfect. The vegetables teamed together to
00:28:55
Speaker 1: scatter the flowers throughout the patch and cover them with soil.
00:29:01
Speaker 1: They headed to the tap, which Bonnie turned on, twisting
00:29:05
Speaker 1: the handle with concentration. Using both of her paws, they
00:29:11
Speaker 1: filled the big green watering can and fed every last
00:29:15
Speaker 1: seed some delicious water. They tidied away their tools. After
00:29:23
Speaker 1: all of that were the vegetables were sleepy. It was
00:29:28
Speaker 1: time to go back to their beds. The sun, seeing
00:29:32
Speaker 1: their hard work, fell sleepy too. She watched as the
00:29:38
Speaker 1: corn hopped back into their husks, pulling their soft leaves
00:29:44
Speaker 1: in around themselves and drifting off to sleep. She watched
00:29:50
Speaker 1: as the peas popped back into their pods and the
00:29:55
Speaker 1: tomatoes retreated to the warmth of their greenhouse. She watched
00:30:01
Speaker 1: as the turnips, parsnips, beet roots, carrots, and celia the
00:30:07
Speaker 1: selariac rolled back into their comfy beds under the soil.
00:30:15
Speaker 1: She watched Callin the cauliflower, Randle the radish, and Posey
00:30:20
Speaker 1: the pumpkin as they bade each other good night and
00:30:25
Speaker 1: headed off to their corners of the allotment, and finally
00:30:32
Speaker 1: she watched Bonnie the sleepy cat, crawl into her cozy
00:30:38
Speaker 1: bed in the shed, where she turned twice, tucked in
00:30:43
Speaker 1: her tail, and curled up to sleep. When everyone was
00:30:51
Speaker 1: tucked up in bed, the sun looked at the moon.
00:30:57
Speaker 1: I should get to bed now, she said, but I
00:31:03
Speaker 1: have one last bit of magic to do, If you
00:31:09
Speaker 1: would be so kind as to help me, The moon
00:31:14
Speaker 1: smiled and nodded his round head. Together they lent their
00:31:21
Speaker 1: magic to the allotment one last time, and then said
00:31:27
Speaker 1: good night to one another as the sun went to bed.
00:31:33
Speaker 1: When Grandpa Simon and the children returned to the allotment
00:31:38
Speaker 1: the next afternoon, they couldn't believe their eyes. Huge sunflowers
00:31:47
Speaker 1: had burst from the soil over night to tower over
00:31:51
Speaker 1: the greenhouse. Vibrant purple blooms were fluttering with butterflies, and
00:31:59
Speaker 1: wild poppies buzzed with bumble bees. Love heart shaped petals
00:32:06
Speaker 1: glowed in the sun. Trumpet like flowers hung from foxgloves,
00:32:14
Speaker 1: and delicate little forget me nots peeked out from the
00:32:18
Speaker 1: wild grass. It was such a beautiful sight the family
00:32:25
Speaker 1: had no idea, which mystery gardeners could have given them
00:32:30
Speaker 1: such a precious gift, but they were very grateful, and
00:32:37
Speaker 1: they vowed to water and tend to these flowers as
00:32:42
Speaker 1: carefully as they looked after the sleepy vegetables which nestled
00:32:48
Speaker 1: into the soil in their special little allotment.