Many people believe witches are nasty and love to be nasty. Well….here in Mudpile Wood we have one of the nicest witches on any planet.
Why do I think this?
Because… nope I think I will simply show you a picture of Elegant and let you see for yourself. I will leave a story about Elegant Witch for another day.
Birthday’s were special to Breeze but he kept his birthdays a secret. He always treated himself on his birthday. Last year it had been an extra 6 fairy cakes.
A few days before his birthday he woke to find Tulip staring at him.
“You were talking in your sleep.” She said.
“Well I hope I was polite.” Breeze watched a very large bumble bee fly overhead. It reminded him of Lovisma. He decided it was his imagination.
“You were muttering something about a birthday. Whose birthday is it?”
Breeze scratched his head. “I have no idea.”
******************************************************
On the morning of his birthday Breeze woke to discover Spike his pet frog was missing. Most mornings he woke to the sound of Spike darting around collecting his breakfast of flies and insects. This morning there was no happy “ribbit” sounds. He walked to the entrance of the cave and stubbed his toe off a chunky sized box. On top of the box was a bow and a card.
He read the card: “Happy birthday, Mr. Breeze.”
Breeze looked at the box. He nudged it with his toe. It jumped three inches into the air and landed on the same spot. He bent down and carefully lifted the lid. There was a loud angry “Ribbit…ribbit” and a frog jumped out. The frog looked sad and odd.
It jumped onto Breezes knee and jumped once more landing on his hand. Breeze raised the frog close to his face.
The frog said “ribbbiiiiitt..” He looked ill to Breeze.
“Oh Spike, what happened? Are you ill? Why are you yellow with smarties on your skin?” Breeze suspected it was a trick played by one of the goblins.
To cheer Spike up, Breeze took him to the Hiccuping pond close to Mudpile Wood. Within minutes of arriving Spike was happily catching flies. Breeze however wasn’t happy because he made another discovery. Each time Spike hopped his skin color changed. One moment he was a smarty covered frog and the next he looked like a pair of pajama’s all stripes. The flashing colorful frog was attracting a lot of attention. Spike hid in Breeze’s pocket.
Breeze concentrated on solving the problem of poor Spikes skin of many moving colors. Tulip was not impressed either. “Why would someone do such a thing?” She demanded with red poofs of angry smoke shooting from her wand.
Breeze moved away from the wand and showed her the card. “It’s your birthday!” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I celebrate it quietly in the way I want to.”
Tulip put her hands on her hips. “That sounds like a load of rubbish to me, but it is your day. However I will bake you a special cake. ” She looked at Spike. ” First we will ask Elegant to fix this.”
“But don’t tell her about my birthday.” Breeze hissed.
“You are very peculiar for an Ogre. Most stand on the mountain tops and shout it out. But don’t worry I won’t.”
They found Elegant hanging out her washing.
“I thought Witches just zap things and they get done.” Breeze said.
“That is the lazy Lovisma way of doing it.” Elegant said. She looked at Breeze. “What has my little sister done now.”
“Why would you think she has done anything?” Tulip asked.
“Because she was so happy today and she was up before the sun, which is most odd for her.”
Breeze whispered, “Please Elegant. It’s poor Spike, please fix him.”
When the kind hearted witch saw Spike she took him in her hands and whispered to him, “Oh Spike you poor fella. Don’t worry, close your eyes I will have you back to normal.”
Spike and Breeze closed their eyes. When they opened them Spike was back to green. He was so happy he did a happy frog dance tumbling and hopping around Breeze.
Breeze looked at Elegant. “What about Lovisma? Who will punish her?”
Elegant tapped the side of her nose and said, “already done, you won’t see her for a day or two.”
Suddenly they heard a terrible screech. Breeze hid behind a bed sheet on the clothes line.
Lovisma appeared before them.”Who did this to me? I look like Goldilocks. Help me Elegant…” Her hair was golden, her skin like milk and her lips a soft cherry red. She was dressed in a pale pink dress. Her hat and shoes matched perfectly.
When she spotted Tulip, Lovisma screamed and vanished.
Tulip said, “Come to tea Elegant, about five o clock, I am baking a special cake for Breeze.”
“Will it have cherries?” Elegant asked.
“It will.”
Though Breeze felt sad for Spike he was delighted to hear about his special cake and decided that next year he might remind Tulip about his birthday and leave creating the surprise up to her.
We have many different beings in Mudpile wood but the one who creates the most trouble is a witch called Lovisma.
She is like no other witch I have ever met. It doesn’t matter what she is doing she creates mischief wherever she goes. Lovisma hates to walk and is often seen flying about on her dashing purple and pink broomstick.
I often think she has fallen into the wrong wood.
Take a look at this picture Doris drew of her and you will see what I mean.
Doesn’t she look like trouble?
I will be back to tell you more about her.
Sally’s best friend is Scruffy. He has a thick warm coat, four paws, a curly tail and a smiley face.
Sally and Scruffy love being busy. Trouble is they always get dirty.
“Stay clean, Sally,” Mum said. “Please.”
Sally said, “Okay. We will do our best.” She went to find Scruffy.
“Today, Scruffy we are going to find Pirates treasure,” Sally said. She began to dig in the middle of the vegetable patch. She used her red shovel. Scruf used his paws.
“Keep going, it is here somewhere.” she panted. By teatime, they discovered: an old smelly sock, a bone, and a blue glass bottle.
Sally peeped through the glass and said, “You are blue, Scruffy.”
“Woof,” he said. Sally looked at Scruffy. He was dirty from nose to tail.
“This means a bath, Scruffy,” Sally whispered. She looked at her arms, she was dirty too.
“Let’s hide.” They ran indoors and hid under Sally’s bed. “Mum won’t find us,” she said.
Mum did. Scruffy was washed first. He looked sad and wet when he was clean.
Sally was next. “Wash behind your ears,” Mum said. “Sally, someday…you might stay clean.”
“Tomorrow Scruffy we will surprise Mum. We will be clean all day.” Sally whispered.
Sally decided Gran would help. Gran was the cleanest person for miles around. Her house shone in the sunlight. Dad said Gran’s garden was squeaky clean. Sally wondered if the squeaky noise was made by the mice playing in the hedge.
“No chasing mice Scruffy, today we will stay clean.” She said.
They walked next door to Gran’s house. She was in the kitchen baking gingerbread men.
Sally helped. Scruffy sat on a stool and watched. When the gingerbread men were baking in the oven. Gran said, “Ahh Sally you’re wearing a lot of mixture on your face, your clothes and your shoes. Scruffy has it on his fur.”
Sally scowled all the way home. She looked grumpy during and after her bath. “I hate baths but today is not so bad because we have gingerbread men to eat after our bath.”
2. Silly socks. Ogres are dreadful at keeping track of their socks. Breeze has a pair the witches gave him, they giggle when they are lost and are warm when he finds them.
3. Hair gel. Breeze does not have a lot of hair but he does love making the most of his few strands.
4. Bubble gum. Breeze once heard a story about a boy who got trapped in a bubble and had an amazing adventure. Breeze is hoping for an adventure. He keeps a giant packet in his house and practices blowing bubbles every day.
5. Fairies to bake cakes. 
6. A talking recipe book (with good manners). Breeze loves cooking but is slow to read
7. A night light that chases spiders. Breeze does not like spiders.
8. Breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper.
9. A hug. Ogres are very squishy and huggable.
10. A dog (Breeze has set some clues for Bob to find him. He hopes Bob will visit often.
Breeze plans on making sure the dog returns home smiling, with icing sugar on his fur
(Inspired by a dream from Breeze)
Tiny cloud was small and thin.
At first he didn’t notice how small he was. He dived and soared. When he tired of this he stopped and looked around him.
High above him large clouds rolled in an elegant and smooth fashion. They flowed through the sky.
He wished he could dance like they could.
A cloud ducked low over the earth and sat on a mountain. He must be tired, Tiny cloud thought.
Then as tiny cloud watched the giant cloud hugged the mountain.
He felt sad.
“I want to learn to hug.” He sang as he whizzed past his bigger friends.
“Slow down, enjoy” they whispered. “It will happen when it happens.”
But he was gone. “I want to be big and great” he sang.
Birds didn’t notice him or hear him. He was moving too fast.
He dived around the earth, wishing and hoping.
“I want to be big and great,” he shouted in his tiny voice. No one heard him.
He moved around the sky looking for clues.
He wanted to be bigger. He was busy watching everyone else.
One day he realised he no longer soared and dived. He didn’t feel like playing.
“I like rolling,” he grumbled. “But I feel heavy.”
The cloud began to sink, slowly at first towards the earth. He stopped over a mountain. He saw the stones and earth getting closer.
He wondered if he might swallow the mountain. He stopped grumbling and rolling.
He smiled. “I’m hugging a mountain.” He cried as the rain spilled from him.
Then he was light once more and flew high into the sky to tell the other clouds.
All the time he was singing, “I like hugging.”
Time to put together: 15-20 minutes
Cooking ; 30 minutes
Serves approx 16 people or two ogres.
125 g butter
150g soft brown sugar
125 crunchy peanut butter (no sugar)
75g honey
Zest of one orange
200g porridge oats
150 g dried fruit: aisins, sultanas, apricots, prunes or dates
150g mixed seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, linseed or poppy
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Mudpile Wood 