A Sunday Afternoon

The Underwood family are usually very busy all seven days of the week, growing delicious vegetables on Cherry Tree Farm, so when they get the chance to spend time relaxing as a family, they always make the most of it. Today, Father David has a special opportunity for the children, as he takes his family out for a drive in their wagon with one of their horses, Pippa. 

The Underwoods have three horses: Apple, who pulls the plough, Pippa, who loves attention and getting to pull the wagon to deliver fresh vegetables and bread to the store, and Phoenix, Dawn’s little foal.

“One day, I’m going to have my own horses, like Dad!” says Dawn, happily, as she sits with her mother and siblings. “A whole farm full!”

“Daddy! Can I ride, too?” shouts little Twilight, Dawn’s brother. “Please?”
“Yes, of course.” David says, and his younger son sits up on Pippa with him.

“This is fun!”

Behind the wagon, Nadine Marlowe is driving. Nobody has bought the smart new white car yet, and she’s considering it. “Please slow down, dear.” Her husband, Sidney, says, a little anxiously. 

“I want to ride on my own!” says Eve, the littlest Underwood.
“You’re not quite big enough yet,” says Dusk, her brother, kindly. “But I’ll give you a piggyback when we get home.” Dusk has a lot of allergies, and riding the horses makes him sneeze. His big passion is astrology.
“Daddy! Can I ride next?” says Dawn, who, as you might have guessed by now, loves horses more than anyone. “I’ve ridden Pippa lots before, haven’t I?”

“Be careful,” says David. “Why don’t I ride with you at first, just so Pippa gets used to you?”
Dawn loves riding, and always has. When she was a newborn, David used to have to ride around the farmyard with her tucked in his arms so that she would fall asleep. 

“Can you ride as good as Dawn, Twilight?” asks Eve, as the younger siblings watch their big sister expertly control Pippa.
“I’m sure I will,” says Twilight, confidently. “I just don’t want to show off.”
Eve nods happily. “Look at Pippa’s pretty tail.”
“Want to see something funny?”
“Yes!”

“Whoah! Pippa, steady on, girl!”

“TWILIGHT!” shouts Beth, as poor Pippa gets startled. “Leave Pippa’s tail alone!”

“Dawn’s so good!” says David proudly, as he watches his daughter ride on her own. “She’ll be outriding me before too much longer, Beth.”

Beth smiles. She loves the warm sun of the Sunday afternoon, and spending time with her children. She and Dusk are discussing star-gazing spots in Foxbridge.

“Mama! Your turn!” says Evie, “Mama ride!”
“Mama’s wearing her pretty dress,” says Dawn, from Pippa. “Let her be, Evie.”

But Beth can’t resist the sound of hooves and Pippa’s soft brown coat. “Go on, then.” David and Beth met at a riding competition, when Beth was grooming the horses. She plaits a tail better than anyone on the West coast of Sylvania can! She’s not a bad rider, either.
It seems that the Underwoods are more appreciative of their driver than poor Mr Marlowe is…

“Sorry, we’re slowing you down!” calls Beth, to the other road users.
“No worries,” laughs Julia Darwin, “Good job, Beth!”
“No worries at all,” whispers Mr Marlowe. His peaceful study has never seemed so enticing. 

“Daddy, when I grow up, will I be as good at riding as you and Mama and Dawn?” says Evie, longingly. David gives his little daughter a hug.
“I’m sure you will be, my evening star.”

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy seeing these lovely badgers- I'm very grateful to Rowena Moss, who very kindly gave them to me. I have made them a beautiful farmhouse, which I will try and post pictures of some day! The wonderful Cathy from Grandma's Originals made the clothes for David and Dusk, and I restyled Beth's dress from a spare Terri Chocolate dress. I made Twilight's romper. He's a mischievous little chap! Dawn's doll is from an old flocked keyring, which has posable limbs- I can't remember where I got it but it makes a perfect toy.

What would you like to see next? A story, a DIY or a house tour of the Trunk elephant family? Let me know in the comments. 

Fox xx