Gollup went to open his case to pull out his oat and barley bread and blueberry jam when Shesha Toodle stopped him with,

“Now you’re our guest,
and Toodles know best,
that you’ll share our snacks,
before we make new tracks,

We have oat and barley bread,
And three kinds of jam to spread,
with fruit and nuts for dessert,
washed down with honey tea! Just a squirt!”

she said with a wink as she opened the picnic case full of dishes and forks and knives and spoons – two different size spoons and Gollups eyes went wide with anticipation! Smacking his lips in wonder of what
sweets would be available to eat, as gollups have a very sweet tooth and were partial to berries and jam.

“Now children gather round,
and plant your seats down,
for its no time to play,
oh! and who wants to pray?

for we have to be humble,
that our tummies don’t grumble,
and lets remember our guest,
so with all manners be best!

so politely we’ll eat,
with conversation we’ll greet,
our friend gollup is company,
so lets share all the food you see?

I will not speak twice,
so stop running like mice!
and sit here directly,
sit still and correctly!”

as the children stopped running around the picnic table and stopping to sniff the air while their whiskers moved up and down with every twitch of their snouts, and hopped up on to the bench of the table politey with a
“yes mother,
we won’t be a bother.”

in complete unison.

Now, Gollup sat on the end but was pushed to the middle as Ceedee and Meedee both sat on each side looking at him with twitching snouts and whiskers moving up and down, glancing at the table being laid out with yummies, and smiling at Gollup in a childlike happy kind of way. And Needee clung onto Shesha’s back while Sesha and Barlet emptied the contents of their carrying case. Oh the table indeed looked yummy as there were three kinds of jams, blueberry, and apple, and pear jams in very large family size jars that gollups eyes were big with anticipation. As well as two oat and barley loaves which Barlet immediately began slicing into thick healthy slices – larger than Gollup was use to, however he was ever so pleased that he didn’t have to bring out his jam as it had been all watered down and he would have been quite embarrassed.

Though as the drinking flasks were passed around for each – and it seemed that the Toodles were expecting to serve company as there was enough for all seated at the table and Needee too – Gollup intending to of course be a good guest, started to massage and pour honey tea into all of the drinking flasks, with a “thank you sir” from each of the Toodles as he finished pouring each portion. Making Gollup feel very grown up indeed, and had him thinking that this was not such bad mixed company as it indeed involved oat and barley bread with blueberry, and apple and pear jam as well as dark brown sugar and oranges, and apples and other berries which Gollup had not seen before, as well as various different kinds of nuts which poured into bowls and placed in front of each creature at the table.

When everything was ready, and as Gollup was a good guest, they sat and prepared with Barlet asking,
“so who will say grace,
while we all bow our face?
for its good to be humble,
that our tummies don’t grumble!”

Little Needee Toodle was now sitting on the opposite bench between Barlet and Sesha Toodle and raised her little hand up with,
“if its really ok?
can i say today?”
in her soft little girl voice so cute and quiet. Well Barlet smiled down at little Needee Toodle and nodded for her to go ahead as all the Toodles bowed their snouts to pray and folded their hands together under their snouts – which of course, Gollup being a good guest, observed and copied the same the Toodles, so as not to be rude, never having said grace, nor knowing really what grace is, while little Needee Toodle began,

“We thank you for the pretty day,
and for meeting friends along the way,
we thank you for Ceedee and Meedee,
mommy and dad and me little Needee.

We thank you for all of the bounty to eat,
as to share it with someone so friendly to meet,
and we also give thanks for the birds and the trees,
oh and sorry so much we aren’t down on our knees!

and we also give thanks for the clothes that we wear,
as we’ll also have new ones tonight which won’t tear,
and I ask you to bless us again and again,
and …
and…
and…

“and we bless all of us with a happy amen” helped momma Sesha with a smile at little Needee Toodle. Which brought a resounding, “oh very good Needee!”, and “Oh you spoke oh so clearly!” in congratulations from all the different Toodles around the table, as Gollup smiled with a “mmmhmmm” in congratulations.

So Barlet poured some honey from the honey flask over the nuts in the bowl in front, picking up his bowl as he passed the honey flask over to Ceedee, exchanging his bowl of nuts with Gollup so Gollup could eat the nuts covered in honey, as this continued around the table, while Sesha, dropped healthy portions of differnt jams onto the different oat and barley slices placing them on plates beside the bowls of everyone at the table.

All of this was done with a very meticulious industry – as was the way with mopsies (as there were more than 1).

Gollup was overcome with thanks and yummies as he ground the nuts using both top row and both bottom rows of his teeth, and then ground them again, before swallowing saying, “oh thank you so much, this is wonderfully yummy, and oh my, what very good snacks you have brought!” in absolute sincerity, with nods and “our pleasures!” from the Toodles (as Toodles tend to forget to rhyme while eating).

Everyone at the table was enjoying their nuts with honey and toast with different jams, as Gollup was forced (though not unwillingly) to try a slice of oat and barley bread with each type of jam, as well as a second bowl of nuts and honey and the sounds of “hmmm” and “ahhhh” and “ohhhh” were escaping his mouth signaling his wonderful enjoyment of this more than wonderful lunch in the clearing by the road to Wunderlingshire Township.