The enormous blackberries
Elinor Otterly loves exploring, and living in a small house with a big family means that she's sometimes rather glad to get outside! While having quadruplet baby siblings and her brother, Elliot, can be fun, it's nice to go and play with her friends and enjoy the outdoors.
Elinor gets to the meadow first, with Saffron Furbanks. They've invited some of their friends to join them, and pick blackberries to take home and make into yummy pies and jams. "I can't see any yet," says Saffron. "Hey! Polly, Lola and Maia are here. I'm sure they'll have spotted a good patch."
Polly Robinson, Lola Lopez and Maia Nutt are excited to join the expedition. They've all brought various baskets and containers from home to keep the fruit safe. "Hi!" calls Maia, "Seen any berries, yet?"
"Not yet," replies Elinor. "I'm sure there's time,"
"Sorry! My basket's heavy!" shouts Macie Sweetbriar, who hurries to join the others. She and Marlie Ramsey have been walking together. "I've not seen any yet."
The girls get together and quickly discuss plans. "I think we should have a look on our own. But nobody go too far, OK?" Marlie suggests. "Shout if you find anything."
They agree, and split off. However, there don't seem to be any blackberries left! "Maybe Mrs Dappledawn picked them all for her famous blackberry tarts," muses Macie, as she looks around. "I love those, but there's no fun in just buying them! I don't want to go home with my pot empty."
Elinor gets to the meadow first, with Saffron Furbanks. They've invited some of their friends to join them, and pick blackberries to take home and make into yummy pies and jams. "I can't see any yet," says Saffron. "Hey! Polly, Lola and Maia are here. I'm sure they'll have spotted a good patch."
Polly Robinson, Lola Lopez and Maia Nutt are excited to join the expedition. They've all brought various baskets and containers from home to keep the fruit safe. "Hi!" calls Maia, "Seen any berries, yet?"
"Not yet," replies Elinor. "I'm sure there's time,"
"Sorry! My basket's heavy!" shouts Macie Sweetbriar, who hurries to join the others. She and Marlie Ramsey have been walking together. "I've not seen any yet."
The girls get together and quickly discuss plans. "I think we should have a look on our own. But nobody go too far, OK?" Marlie suggests. "Shout if you find anything."
They agree, and split off. However, there don't seem to be any blackberries left! "Maybe Mrs Dappledawn picked them all for her famous blackberry tarts," muses Macie, as she looks around. "I love those, but there's no fun in just buying them! I don't want to go home with my pot empty."
Elinor
feels disappointed, too. "I can't see any," she grumbles. She's
borrowed Isla Goodfellow's toy cart, in the hope that she would be bringing
back a load of sparkling, juicy fruits.
Suddenly,
Elinor's eyes catch something. A huge, glossy blackberry, the biggest she's
ever seen! And then another, then another!
"Everyone!
Look, look here! I've found some! And they are HUGE!"
Elinor's
friends scamper over with their various baskets and carriers, and squeal with
delight, as they see hundreds of beautiful, fat blackberries all across the
meadow.
"I
can't believe how big this one is!" exclaims Marlie, "It's filled
Mother's biggest mixing bowl!"
"These
are the biggest blackberries I've ever seen!" Saffron says, unable to
believe they are real. "You could make a whole pie out of just one of
them!"
"Wow!
They are heavy!" says Lola, "I can't wait to taste them!"
"I'm
going to get Mother to help me make a blackberry pie for Oscar's
birthday," Maia decides. She and her little brother are the best of
friends, and she knows he'll love hearing about this adventure, later.
"I
don't think even Grandma Ursula has seen anything like this, and she's got more
stories than anyone I know!" Polly says, gathering pawfuls of yummy
berries.
"Wait
until my brothers see these!" squeaks Macie, filling her basket up.
"Milo will be so excited!"
"I
can't wait to show Mother! And grumpy old Elliot said we wouldn't find anything
after Grandma Dappledawn and her friends went picking last week!" Elinor
says, happily. "I'm going to share them with my family."
Finally,
they can't fit another berry in their baskets, and they're tired out from
trotting through the long grass all afternoon. They put their haul down, and
admire it proudly. "The best blackberries in the world!" Lola laughs.
"Well done, everyone!"
"Good
job in finding them, Elinor!" Maia agrees. "You must have been so
surprised!"
The girls
sit down in front of their hoard, and nibble away, while chatting about their
plans for the fruit. Everyone has a different idea for what she will make. They
might have a picnic with all of their delicious treats.
At home,
Elinor is excited to show her hoard to her family. The quadruplets squeal with
joy when they are given one of the huge blackberries to share. Ethan, Esme,
Eric and Esther adore their big sister, and are thrilled that she's sharing her
find with them.
Even
Elliot has to look impressed as Elinor tells her parents and brother all about
the adventure. Alice cuts up one of the blackberries and they all munch on the
sweet fruit as Elinor describes the pretty meadow that they were discovered
in.
That
night, as she falls asleep, her paws still a little stained purple from the
juice, Elinor's little furry tummy is full of delicious blackberries, and she
snuggles under her blankets as she recalls a very happy day.
I hope you enjoyed this story- it was a beautiful day when I took the photos, and I hope it kicks off autumn nicely if you live in a similar climate to the UK. I took the pictures in my own garden and picked the blackberries around my local area! We later made a scrumptious blackberry pie with the berries so nothing was wasted!
What fruits grow near to you? Have you taken your critters out into the wild? Let me know!
(I made shamefully little for this story- I made Elinor's blue cart, the tartan bedding in the last photo, and a few odds and ends you can barely see in the Otterly's home!)
Fox xx
Such a cute story! Yum - I wish we got berries like that here!
ReplyDelete-GreyRabbit
Thank you, GreyRabbit! Where are you from?
DeleteHi Fox! What a sweet story! I love photographing critters outside - I have taken Joanne to the forest ;) I want to write to you of Joanne but the forum has disappeared. Could you email me at suvenkorento at yahoo dottie com please? Thank you :*
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suvi! The new forum is available at
Deletewww.sylvanianfamiliesforum.com
I will try and email you when I get a chance, this week is crazy so luckily I had this story typed up all ready to go! I can't wait to see Joanne's adventures and hope you feel better now. Fox xx
Adorable story - wonderful photos - impressive blackberry harvest :) I love it
ReplyDeleteThank you! I loved taking the photos!
DeleteWhat a cute little story! I would love to try one of their juicy blackberries that the children gathered!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I promise they were scrumptious!
Delete