Waffling at the Windmill Grandpa In My Pocket

BOTH: Not the shrinking cap, Grandpa!

Catch me if you can!

Come down, Grandpa!

Ha-ha!

Grandpa!

'Lots of people come to Sunnysands for their holidays.

'You can go out in Bob's boat, The Boomerang.

'You can have ice cream sundaes at Miss Smiley's cafe.

'You can play on the beach.

'And the best place to stay is at the Mill on the Marsh.

'But today things were very quiet.

'Grandpa was on the balcony reading the Sunnysands Gazette

'when uncle CJ came in.'

Jules is taking Wulfy for a walk.

I'm cleaning the garage. If you need me, shout.

-Fine. Where are the children?

-In the kitchen.

Some kids from Sunnysands Summer Camp are coming today.

-Really, what for?

-Their guide is keen to teach them about windmills.

Isn't that for when it's raining?

Better to take them to the beach on a day like this.

You'd think so. I'm sure they won't be here long.

Just a quick look round.

'But the summer-camp kids had already arrived.'

Shush, shush! Gather round, gather round.

Now, here we are at the fascinating mill on the Marsh.

-Hi.

-ALL: Hello.

-Hello everyone.

-Hello. Wendy Waffle, children's tour guide.

Excuse me, I am in the middle of explaining something important.

Now, a long, long time ago,

this windmill was used to grind flour to make bread.

Now, the windmill was invented in ancient Rome

in the ninth century, or was it the eighth?

Maybe it was the tenth. No, it was...

I see why she is called Wendy Waffle, she is waffling.

-Was it the Persians?

-'Wendy Waffle was going on and on.

'Yes, she was doing a lot of...'

I'll be in the garage.

Grandpa is upstairs, but he'll go for little lie down.

-Jason will look after you.

-Thanks, Dad.

-Have fun.

Oh, we are not here to have fun, we're here to learn!

-Can we go to the beach, too?

-Don't be silly,

you can't learn anything about windmills on the beach. Ha!

Come along, follow me!

'We were still having breakfast when everyone came in.'

I have got lots of important things to tell you about our day.

First off, our windmill facts sheet.

Then time for our windmill picnic lunch.

Then, windmill make and do.

And finally...a windmill test!

A test? But we are on summer camp!

Here we are.

'Jason didn't like the sound of any of this.

'He went upstairs to tell Grandpa.'

Write your name on it. Don't lose it.

Right, we have all got our windmill fact sheets, follow me!

Wendy Waffle is a terrible waffler.

She is making it all so boring.

They are summer-camp kids, they want to go to the beach.

Maybe we could do something to help, speed up the visit a little.

-Like how?

-I'll think of something.

-Come along, gather round.

-They're in the sitting room.

Right, interesting fact number one -

this windmill is over 300 years old.

Or is it 200?

No, it's 300 years old. Anyway, it is very, very old.

'The waffle went on and on and on.'

Interesting fact number two - the Mill on the Marsh was

built by a man called Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.

-Did you know about Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller?

-Never heard of him.

Oh, I think it was Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.

Why was he called the Jolly Miller?

Because he had a very loud, jolly laugh

and loved having lots of fun.

Perhaps the ghost of the Jolly Miller still haunts this mill.

-Wooooo!

-Woooo!

A ghost! I say, how exciting!

I've never met a ghost.

I wonder if it is hiding in the kitchen.

Or maybe in the living room. Or maybe in the meadow!

Oh, I'd love to see a ghost!

Well, you won't, because there is no such thing. He was joking!

Oh.

Well, no time for jokes, we are here to learn.

Come along, everyone, upstairs now. Come along.

Feet up, we haven't all day.

'Grandpa had been listening and he just got an idea.'

The only person who can persuade Wendy Waffle to take those

kids to the beach is the ghost of the Jolly Miller.

I know what you are thinking, Grandpa.

And it will be easier for me to be the ghost of the Jolly Miller

if I am small.

Not the shrinking cap, Grandpa!

Catch me if you can!

'You know all about Grandpa shrinking.

'When he has got that cap on, he gets up to all sorts of mischief.

'He runs and jumps and climbs everywhere.

'And he can make things fly. Like this!

'He can drive around in my cousin Jason's toy car.

'It's magic!

'We came out to see Grandpa and, surprise, surprise, he had shrunk!'

Sorry, I couldn't stop him.

I am going to be the ghost of Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.

-Grandpa, you're such a mischief.

-But why?

Because I think the Jolly Miller can persuade Wendy Waffle to

leave the mill and take the kids to the beach instead.

That's a great plan. And a funny one, too.

But first, we're going to need an old white sheet.

-We've got a sheet in our bedroom, I'll get it.

-No, I'll get it.

And I've got another little job for you, too, Jason.

-A couple of little jobs, actually.

-I had a feeling you'd say that.

Come along, everyone, follow me! Here we are.

Right then, settle down, gather round.

Now then, up there are all the old workings of the mill.

Now, a long, long time ago, that big wheel up there used to turn around.

Or is it spin? Spin or turn?

'Just then, Grandpa sneaked in from the balcony,

'but nobody saw him and Wendy Waffle kept waffling.'

Wasn't that fascinating?

Right, now it is time for our windmill picnic lunch.

Can we go to the beach for our picnic?

ALL: Yes, please!

No, don't be silly! There is lots more to do here. Come along...

'Before Wendy Waffle left, Jason stepped in.'

Miss Waffle, why don't you have your lunch up here, on your own?

You deserve a break from all that waffl...I mean, talking.

Oh, I'd love a break, but who is going to watch the children?

My dad will do that. I'll check if it's cool.

That would be lovely. That is very kind.

'Wendy Waffle was on her own,

'but it didn't stop her waffling to herself.'

Ham sandwiches are my favourite.

'It was time for Grandpa to put his plan into action.

'He did this...'

Ho-ho-ho! Ha-ha-ha!

What was that? It sounded like a laugh. Or was it a chuckle?

'Of course, it was Grandpa

'pretending to be Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.

'We were trying really hard not to laugh.

'Next, Grandpa jumped into the bits and bobs box and did it again.'

Ha-ha-ha!

It couldn't be, could it? Or could it?!

Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller!

Don't be silly, Wendy, it couldn't be. But maybe it is!

-Dad's looking after everyone. Are you OK?

-I'm fine.

Now it's time for the make and do, or do and make?

Make, do, do, make... I'm off to the kitchen.

Here!

So far, so good. I think she has started to believe me.

-What's next?

-And why do you want this old white sheet?

Gather round, gather round.

I'll explain.

Now it is time for your windmill test.

We'll never get to the beach, never.

'Grandpa wanted us to get the children to leave the kitchen

'so Wendy Waffle would be on her own.'

Excuse me, why don't you show our uncle CJ your windmills?

He'd love to see them. He is mad about windmills.

-Can we? Please!

-ALL: Please!

Oh, all right. I'll tidy up.

The garage is that way.

'It was time for the final bit of the plan.'

I'm too grown-up for this kind of thing, Grandpa.

Too grown-up? Nonsense! Now get under that sheet.

'Wendy Waffle came into the courtyard and saw this!'

Ha-ha-ha!

Oh, my eyes!

'Yes, Grandpa and Jason were pretending to be

'the ghost of Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.'

I am Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller.

No, you can't be. Or can you?

-But you can't be!

-Ha-ha!

Are you the ghost of the Jolly Miller or aren't you?

I most certainly am! And I want everybody to be jolly like me.

These summer-camp kids have come to Sunnysands to have fun.

It's a beautiful sunny day.

So forget this windmill test and take them to the beach.

All right. Of course, the beach, I will take them to the beach.

I can't wait to tell them I have seen a real ghost!

Children, to the beach!

Aaaah!

Ha-ha-ha.

-Well, that seemed to work.

-I felt a bit silly, though.

Uncle CJ will be back any second, cap off, Grandpa.

-That was good.

-You two were so funny!

Ho-ho-ho, I'm Mr Marjoram, the Jolly Miller!

We couldn't have done it without you two. Teamwork, I call it.

ALL: Teamwork!

-What lovely kids. They have left, gone to the beach.

-Oh, good.

Wendy was in a lather of excitement.

-She kept going on about a ghost.

-Ghost?

-There's no such thing!

Don't take any notice, you know what she is like -

it was a load of waffle!

ALL: Ha-ha-ha!

-Teamwork!

-Teamwork!

ALL: Teamwork!