The Pear Tree Pirate

Today is the first day I've struggled to come up with a topic for the blog. Somehow, sitting in the the dappled shade of our pear tree, words seemed unnecessary. It was more about enjoying this brief interlude of sun and quietness at the beginning of the summer hols. So I spent the day watching hubby and son have a water fight, while I stitched some tie bags and daughter alternately read a book and made origami stars for ear-rings. Mind you, I've got sunburn, in spite of trying really hard to stay in the shade all day. (Tomorrow, I cover up.)

Anyway - I digress. The other good thing about being under the pear tree was that I came up with another story about Granny Rainbow - and something to share on the blog.

My hubby decided, when the kids were younger (just three and eighteen months I think) to build them a tree house. I agreed, as long as it had a retractable ladder. Well, the end result was a marvel of engineering, built in our pear tree. The ladder not only retracted, but concertina-ed right up, out of the way. The triangular platform nestled about six foot up where the trunk split into three main branches. Once you'd climbed the ladder up to it, you felt like you were on a ship, its prow pointing over the neighbour's garden. Rope rigging, strung between the branches, stopped little people falling over the edge. The kids loved it.

One day, some years later, T was at home sick. He'd not long had a pirate-themed birthday party, complete with assorted pirates in the tree-ship. (Amazing how many five year-olds you can fit on that platform!) He was feeling pretty miserable, so I wrote him a poem to keep him amused. I called it 'The Pear Tree Pirate'.

Today, sitting under the pear tree, I was reminded of that poem, and thought it would make a fabulous title for a Granny Rainbow story - 'Granny Rainbow and the Pear Tree Pirate,' about a little boy who believes he's a pirate and won't come down for tea till he finds treasure. And of course, it's up to Granny Rainbow to solve the problem...

Think that'll work?