Sunday 7 October 2012

Storytelling Sunday Two: The Words The Pictures


Welcome to Storytelling Sunday! It's our first-Sunday-of-the-month gathering of storytellers, tale spinners, journalers and memory keepers. I'm ready to make a start if you are..

The Fastest Fancy Dress

On Friday I told you about our family's love of dressing up. Fancy Dress holds no fears for the Fairs! And we start 'em young..

So: start of October. The talk about costumes for the family Fancy Dress Party begins; and, in the middle of it all, the Parent Teacher Association send out their flyer about the Annual Fireworks and Fancy Dress Parade. It's The Small One's first year of school, and we can tell she's tempted. Last two, we didn't go, Loud and Bangy Things being at the top of The Tall One's Big List of Things to Avoid. So, we talked about it and considered it and in the end we decided not to go: we would stay at home, under the kitchen table in our hard hats.

And that was that. The day of the Fireworks display arrived and I spent the afternoon cutting out costumes for the family party (Pirates of the Caribbean, I think it was that year. One miniature Jack Sparrow, one even more miniature Elizabeth Swann) before serving up a big shepherds pie in time for tea. As we ate, I watched a very small Small One slump in her chair. She stirred her potato round her plate. She sighed loudly for added effect; and eventually we just had to ask her what was the matter..

"I want to go to the Fancy Dress," she said. "I want to go."

"But you don't have a ticket. Or a costume," we replied.

"I really want to go," said a very small Small One, in an even smaller voice, and she pushed her plate away and looked at her toes.

"I suppose I could take her," said her Dad. "But it starts in twenty minutes and it's a sell-out, no tickets left, i'd have to talk our way in..and then there's the little matter of her costume..."

It was true. The Pirate costume was still in pieces on the Dining Room table. 

We looked at each other. Thomas! we both said.

I told you we never throw anything out. "Thomas" was a four year old cardboard box fashioned into a steam engine to suit The Tall One's fancy, and it was sitting ready in the attic. We fetched it. It fitted. She got in the car, clutching an old cap for her head and with Thomas beside her, and they drove off into the night...

..and about half an hour later they were back. With First Prize! They had arrived with seconds to spare. The Fancy dress Parade was already parading and the judging was about to begin. The Small One had clambered onto the stage and joined in at the end of the row. Her dad had popped the cardboard box Thomas over her head and stuffed the train driver cap on her head. It had been enough. The judges had liked it. She accepted First Prize and, as the first fireworks flared in that dark October sky, The Small One was carried home to bed.


And that's almost the end of the story. Almost, but not quite. With a bit more preparation, she won the next year..and the year after that..and the year after that the PTA decided I'd better do the judging instead. But that sounds like the beginning of a different tale entirely..

..and that's my story for today. Like to join in with one of your own? We'd love to have you! Everyone welcome. Simply write your story, with an introduction to Storytelling Sunday and come on over. add your link and we'll come and enjoy...and don't forget - tell your story your best way: if that means photos, not words, then that will do very nicely indeed. We'll take our stories any way you care to offer them! If you make a layout to go with your story, i'll pin it to the Storytelling Sunday Pinterest Board: it's beginning to fill up very nicely with reminders of Sundays past. Now, let's  tell stories...

36 comments:

Jimjams said...

Am I first? That's what comes of scrapping until the wee small hours and then "just checking" my e-mails!!! :o)

Love the story - the VSO must have been so happy that she spoke up and had an understanding dad and a SUPER-mum with awesome creative skills!

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

Great story. Awesome at your/her string of victories!

Melissa said...

How wonderful that she won first place several years in a row! How funny that then they asked you to do the judging.

It's been crazy busy around here lately, but I realized I had a layout to share with the nieces dressed up for their dance recital so I'm joining in with this month's theme!

Unknown said...

Aww, doesn't she look fab and happy :D Great story this month, will we look forward to part two with the tales of judging. I'm thinking 'minefield' :)

Missus Wookie said...

Definitely the fastest fancy dress in the west - congratulations to the maker of that Thomas and the several other costumes.

She does look so proud and happy.

Becky said...

Great story and I love the Thomas costume - Thomas was (and still is with my steam enthusiastic husband) a great favourite in our house!

Anonymous said...

Love your story Sian. I had a similar experience having forgotten that a party was fancy dress. It is amazing how quickly you can whip up a bat costume from a black t-shirt, black tights and two black bin liners! On another occasion I can remember taking hours and hours to make Gracia a Little Mermaid costume for the school fancy dress - she won first prize too but I then had to make another one for her best friend Keidie as when every she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up always replied 'A Little Mermaid' the upside was that as Keidie was so much smaller than Gracia once they had grown out of their respective costumes Gracia's one could then be passed on to Keidie. -Ops sorry, almost another full Story Telling Sunday in the comments!

Irene said...

The things we do for our children... but she knew you had it in you to come up with the goods. The most delightful Thomas I have ever seen! Great photograph. What I love about your story is that the whole family is involved in the making of it. Lovely memory.

Maria Ontiveros said...

I love your story! We recycle costumes all the time here!
I promise to tell a fancy dress story or two later this month . . .
Rinda

Alison said...

LOL at her winning and then you being asked to be a judge...a minefield indeed-dare I ask if she ever won again?!
Alison xx

debs14 said...

Love the twist at the end, where her continued success resulted in you being appointed judge! How lucky your kids are that they have a mum who can rustle up a costume at the drop of a hat.

Carmen said...

What a great story. I have visions of Dad running down the road with child under his arm :D

Sian said...

Alison - the competition was only for the first three years in school, so she did her three years and moved on and then they asked me. I had friends' kids entering then though - it was a really hard job!

This West London Life said...

How lucky that your children have such a super talented mum! Great story.

Jennifer Grace said...

Great Thomas costume! And well done to the small one for winning so many years! That's a true costume lover. Does she still like to dress up? Also well done to Dad for volunteering to take her - my hubby would not offer this on such short notice too! x

alexa said...

Lovely story - and what great parents that listened and made it possible for her ...

Fiona@staring at the sea said...

How lovely that you made it possible even at such short notice. My bigger one still likes to avoid the loud bangs, so we just take the smaller one out on bonfire night and he has a cosy night in with Gran.

scrappyjacky said...

And I bet that she always remembers how you let her go ....even at the very last moment.

Wanda said...

I can just imagine how excited the small one was to make her last minute entrance and to win first place on top of it! As far as the PTA is concerned, they probably decided that if you knew enough about costume-making to win multiple times you would certainly know a prize-winning get-up when you saw one!

humel said...

It doesn't surprise me at all that you're a super provider of fancy dress costumes :) Congrats to T(NS)SO on her wins! She made a great Thomas :)

(The Tomboy has similar feelings about Loud and Bangy Things....)

Jo said...

Great story about a real winner, you are certainly a family of kings and queens when it comes to dressing up!

Lou said...

how lovely, all those wins.That's what happens when you have super talented parents!! I can't believe you still had the Thomas box in the loft. great photo too x

Rhona said...

I take my hat off to you - I'm afraid I've never been any good at making costumes. I love the photo of T(NS)SO in the Thomas costume :) x

Miriam said...

Oh Sian you have reminded me that we used to have to go to "bangless firework displays' when Ben was little and yes there were a number of them where we lived. Thank you for your story and for hosting STS x I have had a lovely afternoon reading, drinking tea and wishing I had cake.

Ifa said...

Oh fab! I have a few dressing up episodes to share. My little one used to love dressing up. He used tell me what and how to make, aged 4....that cap needs to be so long and that hat needs to be a bit floppy etc.

Jane said...

I really wish I had been good at making costumes!!

Barbara Eads said...

Don't you just love it when something you pull together at the very last minute is a winner?!! I'll bet the small small one was really excited---and by the looks of her, she looks too small to even realize she was in a contest!!

Lisa-Jane said...

I take my hat off to you Sian, I would have used the opportunity to explain how we can't just drop everything at the last minute and be expected to create things and go places. I like your way MUCH better :-)

Lizzie said...

I do love reading about your family's dressing-up/fancy dress exploits! I used to long for great fancy dress costumes, when I was a little girl; my mum made us clothes, but she wasn't any good at costumes.
It's such fun to vicariously attend those Fancy Dress parties / parades, via your family; I love seeing the results of your ingenuity and imagination. I also love to read that your children won prizes - they were always so well deserved (even the "Thomas Fireworks Costume")!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful story Sian and congrats (a few years late) to the NS SmallOne on all those wins. She looks so cute as Thomas.

Karen said...

I've made a few Halloween costumes in my day. I'll have to see if I can find a photo for one that I could tell a bit of a story about.

Ginger said...

Seriously that is the cutest costume, and that sounds like quite the competition! Good for her :)

Scrappi Sandi said...

Such a lovely story & what a great Thomas costume!! Would love to hear what happened with you judging the 'year after that'!!

BTW Thanks for doing the 'linky' thing for me...I'm sure I forgot this morning!! :D

Julie Kirk said...

You know this makes you sound like some sort of costume mobster cornering the market don't you? ;-) Wondering if you ever regretted setting the bar so high from the start!

A lovel story Sian - and thanks so much for linking me up while I was away. xx

Valerie said...

Thank you for the lovely story. It's been an overwhelming month and your story brought back memories of my mom and her ingenious costumes she would make for us.

Alana said...

Its me again, commented on the wrong post. Great story Sian, Im a little late with mine but done now.

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