Tails in a Garden & Spikey’s Story

By Rose White

Mythical Bedtime Reading for Young and Old

This is a book which began as a blog on the building of my private garden and the inclusion of garden ornaments which appealed to my quirky nature. I sent this to my sister and niece overseas and got this reply from my niece:

“OMG! I love them! Do you have a favourite? Mine’s Henry! He’s fabulous. Please write a story of their adventures together in your magic fairy garden when no one’s around!” And so I did.

It has grown into a book of more chapters than I ever expected as the story began to write itself and the characters began to grow and take forms which I never expected. It has, in a sense written itself.

It has become a book for those children who still have imagination and who can understand BIG WORDS. It has become a book for those adults who still have child-like imaginations and who can lose themselves in the impossible, the magic and the joy of letting go and living in a different world.

I hope that whomsoever reads this will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it, though really, it has taken on a life of its own and has developed in scope and depth that was never intended. Often, I have had one idea in mind and then the characters and the story have just taken over and unfolded a new world that even I had not imagined.

About the author

Rose White is widowed and a retired school teacher, living in Cape Town, South Africa with her Bull Terrier, Piper. She enjoys reading, writing, gardening and adult colouring. She took up horse riding after the death of her husband of nearly twenty-three years and now owns her own horse called Monty, which keeps her busy and active.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rose White
• Release date: Jan 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005512651

Rose White

Rose White lives in Southern California. She is the author of two books; Necessary Choices and Gabriel Frank.

Book preview

Dedication

For Bear, who has encouraged and put up with this madness, as well as providing much needed criticism

and

for CrazLoveableDee who said after reading Priscilla, George and Henry:

OMG! I love them! Do you have a favourite? Mine’s Henry! He’s fabulous. Please write a story of their adventures together in your magic fairy garden when no one’s around!

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Priscilla, George and Henry

PART 1. The Adventures of Priscilla, George and Henry

Chapter 1. Henry goes Visiting

Chapter 2. History Unfolds

Chapter 3. A New Face

Chapter 4. The Adventuring Begins in Earnest

Chapter 5. Rainy Days and Mondays

Chapter 6. Friendship

Chapter 7. Ellis

Chapter 8. Rainbird’s Story

Chapter 9. Henry Gets His Groove Back

Chapter 10. The Dog

PART 2. Spikey’s Story, The Further Adventures of the Tails in the Garden

Chapter 1. The Sadness

Chapter 2. The Drought and a New Beginning

Chapter 3. Introductions and accommodations

Chapter 4. The Awkward

Chapter 5. The Growing

Chapter 6. Spikey’s Discoveries

Chapter 7. Spikey Steps Out

Chapter 8. Meetings and Greetings

Chapter 9. The Wings

Chapter 10. Spikey Learns to Fly

Chapter 11. Spikey Explores

Chapter 12. Encounters

Chapter 13. Spikey Explores Beyond the Garden

Chapter 14. The Beaches

Chapter 15. Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 16. Rhy

Chapter 17. Spikey Begins His Quest

Chapter 18. Spikey’s Quest Part 2

Chapter 19. The Garden

Chapter 20. The Spirit of the Pool

Chapter Twenty One The Spirit of the Pool

Epilogue

Preface

This is a book which began as a blog on the building of my private garden. It has grown into a book of more chapters than I ever expected as the story began to write itself and the characters began to grow and take forms which I never expected. It has, in a sense written itself.

It has become a book for those children who still have imagination and who can understand BIG WORDS. It has become a book for those adults who still have child-like imaginations and who can lose themselves in the impossible, the magic and the joy of letting go and living in a different world.

I hope that whomsoever reads this will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it, though really, it has taken on a life of its own and has developed in scope and depth that was never intended. Often, I have had one idea in mind and then the characters and the story have just taken over and unfolded a new world that even I had not imagined. It has been my solace and my life saver, in what has been a difficult time of adjustment.

Priscilla, George and Henry

Meet Priscilla, George and Henry. They adorn my special garden. I built a special garden when we extended our house and had a patch between the end of the house and the boundary wall. It became my project to turn it into a place of peace and escape for me – Far from the Madding Crowd - which became a reality after Mother-in-law moved in with us.

The boundary wall sports an amazing Zimbabwe creeper with an humongous array of pink trumpet flowers, and which grows like a real triffid. The garden had this as a backdrop, and I could build from there. There were also large flat pavers against the boundary walls which had been installed prior to the building and I then filled in the rest. Because the garden slopes, I manhandled three huge old railway sleepers which had been cluttering up the front patio, to hold the soil and paved the terraces with cobble bricks.

Add one half wine barrel and plant it with a lime tree (I am extremely partial to lime in my soda water and can only buy such tiny specimens that I decided to try growing my own), one small bird bath and a little pond and you have the basis of the garden area.

Having installed breeze blocks with purple petunias against the house wall, two large troughs of bizzy-lizzies ( I know that’s not how you spell busy but it goes better with Lizzy), ferns under the creeper in the corner whence it stems and pots and pots of New Guinea Impatiens as well as Sun-Patiens and lots of bright Celebration Mandarins (which are little sort of bushy ground creeper things with brightly coloured trumpets – related to petunias but much more exciting!)

I needed something to give the garden some pizazz. Bear suggested Gnomes!!!! But that didn’t sit too well with me and so I went a-hunting for something quirky, which is what the special garden is. It is NOT a flippin’ herb garden, nor a bijou coffee house plaza – it was going to be a fairy garden but then the only kind of fairy I have ever been is one in Iolanthe in Grade 8 at Parktown Girls’ High!

Hunting for yet more Bright flowers and with my two amazing Morris chairs with their bright turquoise and cerise cushions I stumbled upon my three brilliant reptiles at Builder’s Warehouse one Sunday morning. They were exactly what was needed to bring the garden to life without being twee or kitsch or plain plat Souff Affrican Dutchy delight.

There they were – in brilliant colour – different, quirky and just totally mad. Listen, they were crazy expensive for sommer (ordinary) garden ornaments but they called to my Flip-off attitude to all the people I had worked with at school and who had offered to help me make my beautiful little French coffee garden!!

I don’t know if they were made from recycled material – labels didn’t indicate such, but I like to think they were. They must have been made by someone with a sense of humour because they are made of metal beautifully cut and shaped and have real character in the fact that they are all lizards/chameleons and have then been coated in the most amazing, enamelled colours.

Priscilla is called this because of course she is one of those Australian hooded lizards and her beautiful orange and red hues suggest the Australian outback and desert climes. George is georgeous in his reds, blues, yellows and purples but has very shy, big googly hooded eyes. Henry positively ogles and is striking in yellow and blue and green with that marvellous curly tail which make it perfect for him to reside in the creeper hooked on by his tail and keeping watch over everything that transpires in the garden – from bird life to insects, plants and of course Priscilla.

By the time I had got them home and offloaded all my other purchases and shown the trio to Bear, I had a pretty good idea where each would be happiest in the garden. I had also formed some idea of their different personalities and quirks – and I was right!

Priscilla is rather tarty in both appearance and behaviour as she flaunts it all but is rather a tease when it comes down to the nitty gritty – she’s coy but cunning. She sits at the north end of the garden backed by two beautiful pink mandarin plants and a little obscured from the rest of the garden by the amazing butterfly plant which is in a sunken pot in the paving. I also put Rainbird close to try to curb her wilder excesses. Only problem is that she has an uninterrupted view of George and is constantly trying to attract his attention which makes him very uncomfortable.

George sits nestling under the bird bath surrounded by an orange mandarin and a pale mauve busy lizzie and has his back to Priscilla. He is trying to escape her unwanted attention as he is, as I have said shy and besides, I am convinced by his general demeanour, bats for the other side! I also think that he fancies Henry but I’m sure that will be totally unrequited, given Henry’s outlook on life. Henry took up residence in the creeper as he has to see what is going on in the garden at all times. He’s constantly on the lookout for action at the pond below him and is always ogling Priscilla – which is why I had to put as much distance between them as space would allow. He is a dreadful Lothario and I can only imagine what sort of queer creature and what colour scheme would result from a liaison between the two of them!

I rather feel that each of my quirky beasts needs a partner with whom to associate and to break up the double love triangle but really don’t want to overdo things. Besides, the tension is interesting, and I want to see what happens next – whether any of them will overcome their reservations and which way the dynamic will sway!

Rainbird and Ellis appeared later. They are two soapstone carvings I fell in love with on a trip to Zimbabwe (then still Rhodesia!) but just seemed to belong in the garden, rather than abandoned on a windowsill in the spare bedroom.

Part One

The Adventures of Priscilla, George and Henry

Chapter One

Henry goes Visiting

The garden was quiet as it was late and the whole neighbourhood had retired for the night. It was warm, with only a gentle breeze ruffling the creeper. Partly lit by the orange glow of the streetlamp on the opposite pavement, colours were muted and changed but a glorious full moon made it a place of inviting mystery.

Henry was bored. He and the other chameleon and the flashy lizard had come to the garden only recently and been placed in their respective spots by the Funny Lady who tended the garden. He had the best vantage point, up on a branch of the creeper, but had had enough of just surveying the scenery. He slowly uncurled his tail from the branch and moved carefully forward, testing the footing with each step.

He was about to descend to the paving below his branch when he heard an astonished hiss. Swivelling his eyes in the direction of the sound he fixed a baleful eye on the chameleon at the foot of the bird bath who regarded him with timid astonishment. Do you have a problem? he asked frostily. The other chameleon shrank back and stammered What are you DOING? I’m going to explore the rest of this garden, if you must know replied Henry rattling the spines on his back threateningly. But aren’t we supposed to stay where we are? asked the other. According to whom? came the lofty rejoinder. The other chameleon suddenly remembered himself and shrank back muttering Sorry. He was now acutely uncomfortable as it was not in his nature to be so forthcoming as to question another’s actions but had had been so surprised at Henry’s bold move that he had quite forgotten himself.

Henry was intrigued by this chap and he moved over at a leisurely pace while checking his surroundings for any further surprises. He had seen the other fellow from his vantage point in the creeper and wondered why this brightly

coloured male was so retiring, Hello, old fellow he said, Henry Spikes is the name. To whom do I have the pleasure of introducing myself? The shy chameleon was dubious but looked Henry in the eye and said steadily I’m George – George Decal. Well, George Decal, said Henry are you going to just sit here under the bird bath hiding from the world under these pretty flowers or are you going to join me in finding out what other delights this garden has to offer? Now George was shy but he was nobody’s fool and so he lifted up his chin and replied that he was not hiding from the world but merely cautious of the unknown. Ha! said Henry What’s unknown around here. We’re in a walled garden with an exciting but as yet unexplored jungle of a creeper, plenty of potted plants, a not as yet very impressive lime tree and a rather nice pond. There’s also a practically immovable Rainbird over beyond that butterfly bush and if we can get past her, there’s quite a flashy looking lady lizard I’d like to get to know better.

George’s heart sank. Truth be told, it was that very same flashy lizard lady he had been trying so hard to avoid, keeping his back to her as much as was possible without appearing rude and taking advantage of the cover lent him by the birdbath and the potted flowers. He could not back down now though, having gotten himself involved with Henry Spikes and so he gingerly followed at a safe distance as Henry said Well come on then, what are we waiting for and promptly set off at a brisk pace along the base of the breeze blocks where the petunias were washed of their brilliant purple in the bright moonlight.

As they approached, Rainbird raised her head from beneath her wing and opened one beady eye to regard the pair dubiously. What are you doing over here in the middle of the night? she asked disdainfully. Coming over to say, Good evening and make the acquaintance of yourself and the lovely lady here, said Henry in his most charming manner. I don’t think that’s a very good idea and especially not at this hour. said Rainbird. The Lizard stroked her mantle and batted her eyelids at Henry. Rainbird looked at her with what could only be construed as exasperation – she’d seen this type of behaviour before and it never boded well. Well, it’s none of my business she said, but it’s not very proper whereupon she closed her disapproving eye and settled her head back into her wing.

Henry stepped quickly round her and said, Hello my Lovely! to the lizard (who now lowered and then raised her mantle provocatively) And who might you be, all the way over here and guarded by such an uncompromising companion? The lizard regarded him with frank approval and said coyly I’m Priscilla Drake and she (indicating Rainbird) is NOT my companion. I just got stuck with her when the Funny Lady gardener put us here. I thought I’d be stuck on my own with her for ever and she never says a word! Well, then said Henry, It looks as though we have come to your rescue. I am Henry Spikes and this gent behind me is George Decal and he’s not very talkative either. George gave him a black look but greeted Priscilla cordially before suggesting that the move off so as not to disturb the taciturn Rainbird any further.

The three moved off down the garden, heading for the pond where they could comfortably sit around, drink and get to know each other better.

Chapter Two

History Unfolds

As the three made themselves comfortable around the pond they began to exchange stories of who they were and whence they had come.

Although all three of the newly acquainted friends had been forged in the same factory and had been purchased at the same store, the garden in which they had found themselves had been so lovingly created and cleverly wrought it seemed magical. As the weeks had gone by and the plants had flourished in the love of