apr, 29th - story-telling.....

day 81:

awhile back, i mentioned that i need to brush up on my nursery rhymes (day 51). at the moment, we're still setting limi up for a lifetime of arguing that it's definitely the incy wincy BUNNY not SPIDER who climbed up the spout (i have a bunny prop not a spider and who likes spiders anyway!).

but i've also discovered that i need to perfect my story-telling....limi has been known to hear the repetitive 'exciting tales of toast-making' and 'wonderful fable of checking your email'...they may fool her now but soon she's going to see through what inadequate stories these really are.

today, i decided to tell her the tale of how A proposed (the type of story that i used to love as a child)..... here are her reactions...

so...this is the story of how an Australian boy flew across three continents to propose to a South African girl!

this boy and girl decided to catch a train to Paris one sunny, Summer's day in August. the train was very fast and went WHOOSH [sound effects are always good] through a looong tunnel until it dropped them off in the middle of Paris where people say: 'Bonjour Mademoiselle' and 'Excusez-moi mais vous êtes debout sur mes pieds'.

so, after a beautiful day wandering up and down Parisian avenues and having a lazy, alfresco lunch. the boy suggested that they grab a bottle of Champagne [and aside to limi: something to look forward to when you're older] and head to a famous park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

now in August, all the Parisians decide to pack their swimsuits, buckets and spades and head to the seaside . So, the boy and girl couldn't find an open shop selling Champagne ANYWHERE. Everywhere they went shopkeepers said: 'Nous ne vendons pas de Champagne ici, c'est une laverie/boulangerie/boutique de lingerie'

Eventually, after a whole lot more walking down Parisian avenues, they found a supermarket that was open. But when you're in Paris, you don't want to buy your Champagne from a supermarket. So, the girl stayed outside pretending that the supermarket was a tiny shop on a sweet avenue with pretty bottles in the window

while the boy went inside the sterile, flourescent-lit shop to buy a bottle from a rack. But alas, there were no cold bottles and there was no ice for a bucket (altho' there were lots of buckets!) the boy had studied Chemistry and suggested that they could use cold milk, frozen peas and salt to chill the Champagne. But neither the girl nor the boy thought that a bottle dripping in peas would be appropriate under the stare of the Eiffel Tower....so they abandoned the supermarket

but then they walked around the corner and there was a small shop, selling beautiful bottles of wine and cold Champagne. Hooray!

So the boy and girl, hopped into a taxi and said 'S'il vous plaît nous tenir au Parc du Champ de Mars' and soon they were sitting in the park, looking at the Eiffel tower, sipping cold-champagne-without-peas. the boy suddenly got very nervous and pale and so the girl got nervous and started talking too much and then he looked at her and in a brief pause between her chatter he said: 'will you marry me?' and she said: ' YES, YES YES!'

And so they took the train back to London, a very happy girl and boy.

THE END