Me: Where is Poppy?
Nell: Outside on the lounger with David listening to Sunday Songs.
Me: Tell me again what happened.
Nell: Well, we arrived at the Imperial Hotel and were taken to our table overlooking the sea.
Me: Yes. Did you order the prawn cocktail?
Nell: Of course. It was delicious. There was a slight altercation on the larger animals’ table after David ate all the contents of the bread basket by mistake but more was provided.
Me: Thank goodness.
Nell: Dinner was delicious and when it came to dessert Malcolm appeared and whispered. ‘Follow the cake.’
Me: With what? A cheeseboard?
Nell: Don’t be silly. Malcom flambéd my dessert and left.
Me: Clever flamingo.
Nell: Yes. Then I noticed a huge cake being wheeled towards the ballroom.
Me: Weren’t you full?
Nell: I’ll ignore that. I managed to say ‘Shall we retire to the lounge for our coffee?’ in a loud, but nonchalant, way, so the larger animals could hear.
Me: Good move.
Nell: As we left the dining room we could hear everyone singing ‘Happy Birthday’.
Me: How exciting.
Nell: And that’s when the madness began.
Me: Surely not.
Nell: Poppy jumped out of the cake with a bandana around her head and a sword between her teeth.
Me: Like a ninja turtle?
Nell: I beg your pardon? Anyway, everyone screamed and Poppy started whirling around stabbing balloons and causing havoc.
Me: That’s what pent up anger can do to you.
Nell: The larger animals joined in and in the ensuing chaos we managed to get Malcolm and Poppy out of the hotel and Knitwear Wolf drove us home.
Me: What about Dave and Harriet, and Gladys and Alejandro, and the larger animals?
Nell: They travelled in the Whippets Institute minibus. Do keep up.
Me: Yes. Sorry.
