Pendragon prepared me a beautiful vegetable risotto last night,then presented me with a bag from one of the Metropolis's finest boutiques. Inside were two of the prettiest pieces of nightwear that I have ever seen.In white lace,with finely scalloped edges. One was short and the other full length,and I could not decide which one to go to bed in last night. Eventually I settled on the shorter one. I felt very feminine wearing it,and Pendragon was full of compliments. Since I finished working at Dingley Dell Academy, I have not been very confident in myself ,vestment wise. I used to wear rather masculine tailored clothing when I worked there,as I was a manager, and needed to exude a certain resposible presence about the place. Now I don't need to do that,and I need to redefine my style again. How do I want to appear to others ? Flighty and frivolous in gossamer gowns ? Smart and casual in pants and tunics ? Expensively coutured ? Or just like any other Dingley Dell floosie,in petal pink sports pants and hoodie top ? I certainly think I am a woman born to stand out in the crowd . Pendragon wants me to be comfortable in whatever I wear,but I think he does feel I could spend more time on myself,and that quite a lot of my clothing needs replaced. So I shall be making more frequent trips into Metropolis in my search for a new style for Amarantha.It has not been my custom to spend too much on summer clothing,as I felt I never got much wear from them. Dingley Dell summers tend to be rather lukewarm,but Pendragon and I take more vacations overseas now, so my travel wardrobe has been enhanced. Maybe I could persuade Piccallilli Peasegood to come with me sometime. She would leave no stone unturned in searching for the ultimate outfit,and I am sure we would be laughing all the way to the checkout.
Today I got down and pretty dirty in the back garden doing some heavy weeding.One of the flowerbeds seems overgrown already,due to the heavy rain. So I had a ruthless moment,(not like me at all) and pulled out all the cineraria,and some of the poppy plants. Poppy plants spread so vociferously if not kept in hand. I dug the bed over,spread a new layer of topsoil,and left it in a ready state for some new planting.I checked out the front space, making sure that the pots were either completely overhauled, or left ready for some new bedding plants as well. I am off to a new place in Brigantia tomorrow,run by Snobbie the Gnome,where I hope to find some interesting garden greenery. I also did my first read through and draft for my Daily Scandal column. It is to be called "Asking Amarantha" initially and can be found on page 20, between the Puzzle Teasers and the Gardening Hints . Portamus Cumberpatch has promised me better billing if my agony answers are popular with enough of his readers. I have chosen two problems which I felt it within my range to respond to.One was a letter from a wealthy elven lady,who said she had no confidence in herself.Her family are grown,and her paramour away travelling for great parts of the year. She feels he takes no interest in her life. When he is home he sleeps, expecting her just to attend to his meals and his washing. She has lost all sense of her own womanliness, The second letter was from a young pixie lad, and may be more difficult to answer.He said his brother was continually taking "stuff " from local supermercantiles,and he did not know what to do about this,but was worried that his brother would end up in a faery institute for young offenders before too long .He said that his nosey neighbour has already spotted this happening. Since this letter keenly resembles the situation with my young neighbours Wally and Oggie,at number three, I shall have to be very careful not to allude to them. Since I know that young Wally would never see me as "nosey" (how could he ?), and have great doubts that his spelling skills could be this perfect, I have to presume that Dingley Dell is awash with other thieving hands and literate juvenile miscreants.
Maybe it has been written by the brother of thr redheaded Rikki Tikki the Red, a candidate for faery penitentiary if ever I saw one. I am taking this evening to consider my responses,before making my final submissions to Cumberpatch on Tuesday. I would like my first steps in print to be suitably enlightening.
Pendragon will no doubt cast a wary eye over my ramblings to ensure they are neither plagiaristic or libelous. I would hate my journalistic endeavours to be over before they begin.
Much good reading in your local scandalsheet, to you all my friends, and may all your problems be answered in no more than 100 words. From Amarantha,the everlovely Rainbow Faery.