VERITY HOPE: Spring Forms New Friendships...

It was the bank holiday and Claudia was in the garden admiring all the Spring flowers that had just started to bloom.

There had been so much rain lately that she thought Spring would never arrive and she so loved the fresh new scents around her and the young birds tweeting in the tall hedges not to mention all the busy bees starting to gather their sweet nectar. She took a deep breath and sighed happily.

A large blackbird squawked suddenly which made her turn around quickly and it's lucky she did because her eyes caught sight of something rather unusual lying at the bottom of one of the bushes...

She moved in to take a closer look and what did she see! but the sweetest little dolly you ever saw!

The little dolly was lying flat on her back and had the most delicate auburn ringlets and was wearing the most beautiful green spotted dress made from silk.

Claudia didn't know what to do at first, should she pick the doll up?

or was she there because it chose to be?!!

"Excuse me", she said in a quite polite little voice, "Do you need any help down there?"

The tiny little doll stirred a moment and rubbing her head sat up slowly saying "Ouch!".

"Oh dear, you look hurt, are you alright?" Claudia asked rather alarmingly.

"Yes I''m quite okay, and thank you very much for asking. So many people have passed by me these past few days and I can't tell you how many times I thought I was about to be stepped on!" answered the tiny little voice.

"Well I'm very pleased to meet you... uhrm... I'm afraid I don't know your name? I'm Claudia".

"So very pleased to meet you, my name is Verity Hope and three days ago I was happily playing hide 'n' seek in the garden with Benjamin Bunny when suddenly a huge bird landed on the branch in the tree that I was hiding in and it snapped right off. I fell and hit my head and have been here ever since. I've absolutely no idea where Benjamin Bunny is!"

Just then, a faint thump, thump, thump sound came from around the rose bushes. It was Benjamin Bunny looking rather worried and he had his magnifying glass with him.

"Oh I do beg your pardon Misses!, excuse me ever so much but you haven't seen my friend anywhere have you? She has delicate auburn ringlets under her berret and is wearing a spotted green dress made from silk?"

A big smile spread across Claudia's face and at the same time Verity Hope jumped up with all her might behind Benjamin Bunny much to his delight!

"I've found you!, I've found you!!, how worried I have been thinking that you were somewhere all alone in these bushes with the darkness creeping in and all that rain we had! Well, I shall surely sleep well again tonight knowing that you are safe and sound!" Cried out Benjamin Bunny with huge relief.

"I have an idea!", Claudia cried excitedly, how about we all play hide 'n' seek together from now on and we can all be best friends together, the three of us!!"

Verity Hope and Benjamin Bunny loved that idea and from that day onwards the little trio were inseparable....

and if ever you are passing by the garden on a warm Spring or Summer's day, be sure to just take a quick little peak over the hedges and you might just find a happy little trio chatting and laughing away among the pretty flowers!!