Lavinia was a seven-year-old girl, full of thoughts and excitement. She thought she was so grand and excitable she should be in a Famous People Museum. This was May Day, the best of three days she could fit in her life.
THE AWAKENED EXCITEMENT!
Lavinia seemed to be awakened with excitement. Thoughts began pouring into her head, heavy, fantastic ones: dancing round May-poles with other children and playing victorian games…having photos with well-dressed servants, Victorian ladies and gentlemen…in shorter words, The Best Day In A Lifetime.
She ran downstairs, greeting her mother. She knew she was going out, but just in case: “Are we going out today, Mummy? I mean, still going to the May-Day thing?” Her mother stopped what she was doing, and stared at her. “Yes!” She cried, smiling the biggest smile and the greatest beam pouring over her face. “Why wouldn’t we? It’s going to be most exciting, Lavinia, dear! Really, it is worth the drive.”
IN THE CAR
Lavinia hopped into the car, almost catching her white shorts on a hinge by the door. She flung her cardigan across her red and white stripy vest-top, shouting at the top of her voice, “It is freezing! I say, I do say!”
In the car, even if she had her amazing-at-talking nanny in the passanger-seat with her, it felt like a 24 hour drive, perhaps, the most horrible word that could be possibly placed in that sentence: ‘more’.
AFTER THE QUEUE
After queueing, which seemed longer than the car-drive, we had a picnic. Lavinia, with the help of her sister, Matilda, laid out the rug and took their sandals off. Nanny went to get a pork-and-beef-and-herb-sausage-roll. She just came round the corner when Lavinia – not bothering to put her shoes on – ran slipping over and panting to her. They all had lunch, dancing around in circles.
THE LAUNDRY ROOM
Lavinia found the laundry room and straight away set to work. She knew exactly what to do. She took a pillowcase from a basket and slid it onto the mangel. She turned the handle and pressed some buttons. “Phew,” she said, after some hard-work steering. “Now what?” But she knew what was next. She picked up the pillowcase and hung it on the knobbley board. She picked up a bristly brush and scrubbed hard. Then she gasped after a lot of scrubbing and complained, “I can’t do more, I simply can’t do more!” she really couldn’t, but this was the last thing..she hoped. She hung it up and turned on the basement tap. Splash! It dripped slowly onto the pillowcase. Then Lavinia repeated for three more pillowcases and a frilly dress. Hard, hard work!
THE GAMES
Punch and Judy was good. He beat up the doctor, beat up his wife, threw his baby down the stairs and whacked crocidles and devils with wooden sticks.
Then Lavinia and her sister played ‘Place the Ball in the Bucket.’ (Which was impossible for even a ten-year-old, Matilda, only got one throw that actually worked!) The man there was extremely witty. He said at the end of Lavinia’s go when she had scored nille pwair, “Amazing, amazing. Amazingly crap!” and when he asked a different girl:
“What’s your mame?”
“Pippa.”
“Pippa?”
“Yes, sir. Pippa.”
“Aren’t those the things that you take out of apples, Pippa?”
“Pips are, sir. But not pippas.”
“Ah. Good point. Throw the ball in the bucket, Pippa.”
“Oiwe…I didn’t get it -“
“Look, Crazy-Brain-Pippa. In the bucket, not out of the bucket.”
“Not again…Oiwe.”
“Pippa! THIS is a bucket,” he said tapping the tin bucket. “And THIS is a ball.” He put a nice-voice on and said, “Throw the ball…in the bucket…OK? Very well done, very well done crap. Pippa, IN the bucket.”
Lavinia was shocked at this rude man, even though she knew quite well that he was joking…just with small children.
Next was mansion-looking. Lavinia gazed lovingly at the furniture and wonderful veiws. She just couldn’t believe her ears nor her eyes.
