The Puddlefords´friends

Dear Readers:

As you have seen in the previous post, The Puddlefords are living happily in their small cottage.

They are glad they made the decision of moving to Sweet Berry Valley.

They were friendly welcomed in the village and they  have already made some good friends.

The Timbertops, the first family who helped The Puddlefords as soon as they arrived, are their best friends. Beth and Nelson will be grateful for their help for the rest of their life.

Nelson is always happy to meet Taylor. He just wished Taylor didn´t pat him on the back so strongly when they meet.

"How is my good friend Nelson doing?" 

They also have a close relationship with their next door neighbours, The Truffles.
The truth is Nelson didn´t like Eustace straight away and the triplets were even scared of him but appearances can be deceiving and now Nelson feels very lucky to have such a nice family as neighbours.

Beth is also a very good friend of Eleanor Bramble. They have lots of things in common and enjoy talking about their needle work skills and projects. Beth was thrilled the day Eleanor gave her a signed copy of her "Book of needle work".

Sitting down in the front garden is still one of Nelson´s favourite pastimes.He likes reading the paper and he even enjoys making small talk with some of the villagers.

Nelson is always glad to see Pete Petite,the village postman. Pete delivers parcels of fabrics and sewing supplies very often. Once a month, he also brings a fragile package that contains a bottle of wine from Beth´s sister, Jemima, who runs "The Old Creek Pub" with her husband Ernest in Marigold Creek. Nelson won´t ever admit it openly but he´s looking forward to having a sip of the bottle of wine his sister-in law sends each month.

One of Nelson´s favourite villagers is Hornbull Buttercup, the milkman.

He is a polite, reliable and quiet man who minds his own business.

However, Nelson has a very different opinion of Hornbull´s wife, Daisy.

Most of the time, he pretends to be asleep when he sees her approaching his cottage. 

"MORNING MISTER PUDDLEFORD!

Lovely day, isn´t it? How is Beth? Who is she making new bedding for at the moment? What about the kids? Are they at the nursery? I heard you prefer homeschooling, is that true?..HELLO! Did you have a bad night sleep ,Mr:Puddleford? Did you know that naps during the day will affect your sleep at night? HELLOO! HELLO!

I wonder what´s wrong with this man! He has such a deep sleep! I must tell Dr. Murdoch about him. I will, definitely..."

Even though it´s true that Nelson is fond of homeschooling, he is considering taking his children to the nursery run by Beatrix Spotter.

The kindness and sweetness of this lady won Nelson over.Her triplets seem to get on well with Beth´s and Nelson´s children too.

A villager who took a while to grow on Nelson was George Mulberry. His motorcycle noise wasn´t very pleasant but George always waved hello when he drove past The Puddlefords´cottage and seemed to be friendly.

When Nelson got to know George a bit better he even accepted to go for a ride with him.

It was just a shame  the helmet was too big for him.

"You are not "big-headed", Nelson, that´s for sure!"

Nelson didn´t like change and he was always complaining about the arrival of new villagers when he lived in Sugarbush Valley.

Being a newcomer himself in Sweet Berry Valley made him much more friendly and kind to foreigners. Now,he is always willing to be of some help.

The Timbertops´ generosity and hospitality

towards Nelson and his family when they arrived at Sweet Berry Valley taught Nelson a lesson that he is already trying to teach his young children:"Treat others the way you want to be treated".

Beth is delighted to see how her husband has changed for the better. He is usually in a good mood, he is more sociable and he seems to enjoy life.

The Puddlefords are a happy family! 

Hope you are also happy!

Thanks for reading, my friends!

A big hug!

Illustration by Susan Wheeler