Great Aunt Loretta on Duty Grandpa In My Pocket

Not the shrinking cap, Grandpa!

Catch me if you can!

Come down, Grandpa!

Grandpa!

It was a quiet morning at the Mill on the Marsh.

I was with Grandpa and Wulfy,

getting ready to go on a nature ramble with Mr Yomper Stomper

and lots of other Sunnysands friends, up Mistymoor Mountain.

It's nearly 10 o'clock. Mr Yomper Stomper's running late, as usual.

Have you got your water bottle, Josh?

'Just then, Great Aunt Loretta, Grandpa's sister, came in.'

-DOG TOY SQUEAKS

-Oh, I hate that squeaky sausage!

Here's your lunchbox.

It gets chilly up that mountain. How many socks have you got on?

Ahem! Excuse me.

I'm in charge of Josh today, thank you. I'm in charge of everything.

I've got hotel guests coming at 12 o'clock

and the things I have to do by then would make your hair curl!

'Poor Grandpa was going to have to put up with...'

Right, I'm glad that's understood.

'I wondered what she'd put in my lunchbox.

'Great Aunt Loretta makes the most disgusting food.'

Cauliflower and treacle sandwiches.

I might have known.

Come on, let's go downstairs and find you something that you CAN eat.

-'Just then, we heard...'

-Riddle-di-ri!

'Mr Yomper Stomper was here at last.'

Oh, Mr Yomper Stomper.

That's me. Sorry I'm late. I got distracted by a squirrel

and forgot what I was supposed to be doing. Look.

'Mr Yomper Stomper is always forgetting

'what he's supposed to be doing.'

-We have to hurry.

-Calm down, Josh.

Oh, it's always good to see your smiling little face.

It's always smiling, Loretta, happy as a lark, I am.

# Riddle-di-ri Riddle-di-ri

# It's a rambler's life for me

# Up in the mountains and down in the dales

# Rivers and waterfalls, valleys and vales

# Yomping and stomping through England and Wales

# Rambling and gambolling free. #

Yes, very nice. But we don't have time

for song and dance today. I'm busy.

And I'm all ready for my ramble.

New maps, new boots, new compass, mirror and a whistle.

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

Great gear, Mr Yomper Stomper. Right, Josh, come and get your backpack.

They'll all be waiting for you at Mistymoor Mountain.

Excuse me, Grandpa. I'm on duty, remember.

And, before Mr Yomper Stomper goes off on his ramble,

he can help out. I'm rushed off my feet, I am. Here.

Come on, Josh.

Get pegging!

Here you go, Josh - sausages, some cheese

-and Miss Smiley's Groovy Grape Delight.

-Thanks, Grandpa.

We must chivvy Mr Yomper Stomper along. He gets so easily distracted!

I wouldn't be surprised if he's forgotten why he's come.

And Grandpa was right.

Outside, Mr Yomper Stomper was beginning to enjoy

pegging out Great Aunt Loretta's washing

and he'd completely forgotten why he'd come.

# Yomping and stomping through England and Wales

# Rambling and gambolling free! #

It really is time to go, Mr Yomper Stomper.

Oh, yes, I quite forgot.

-Sorry, Josh.

-Excuse me, Grandpa.

I haven't quite finished with Mr Yomper Stomper yet.

Let me remind you, I am on duty here and everybody has to do what I say.

Whee! Rambling and gambolling free, whoo!

She's not going to listen to me, she's "on duty".

What can we do, then, Grandpa?

Well, if I can't get you off on your ramble when I'm big,

maybe I can when I'm small.

Not the shrinking cap, Grandpa!

Catch me if you can!

'You know when Grandpa shrinks, there's no stopping him.

'He can run faster than a cheetah

'and he can jump higher than a kangaroo.

'He can fly on Gordon, the toy seagull,

'and he can drive around in my cousin Jason's car.

'But, today, he ran outside and he hid in Mr Yomper Stomper's backpack.

'Great Aunt Loretta was all giddy from spinning round.

-'Suddenly, Grandpa did this.

-LOUD WHISTLING

'Then, he hid again.'

-What was that?

-I think it was my whistle.

-Maybe it's trying to tell me something.

-Don't be so silly.

Whistles can't blow themselves. It was you, wasn't it?

Ooh, oh, I feel all giddy.

'While Mr Yomper Stomper fanned and calmed Great Aunt Loretta,

'Grandpa climbed up the washing line.

'Then he did this.'

Time for a ramble. Time for a ramble.

I think your sock just told me it was time for a ramble.

That's what I'm here for! Of course!

Oh, Mr Yomper Stomper, you're a right one!

First you say the whistle blows itself

and now you tell me I've got a talking sock!

Help me up.

Oh. Right, come on.

More jobs to do indoors.

Sorry, Josh, be as quick as I can.

We'll have to try something else.

Grandpa gone for a little lie down, I suppose. No help at all, as usual.

-Now then, Mr Yomper Stomper...

-'Just then, Grandpa came inside.'

Here, and here, and the muck sucker.

And...here. And...

-Well, come on.

-I'll be five minutes, Josh.

Come on, up the stairs. Go on, hurry up.

I've had an idea, Josh. Maybe we can hurry him up

-by making him think it's later than it actually is.

-Right!

-And Grandpa changed the clock from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock.

-Catch me!

-Now for the clock upstairs. You wait here.

-OK.

'And up he went.'

'Upstairs, Mr Yomper Stomper and Great Aunt Loretta were having fun.'

I'm coming to get you!

'Just then, Grandpa arrived in upsy-downsy.'

Good grief.

'Grandpa jumped down,

'ran across the table then got into the Sunnysands grandfather clock

and changed the time from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock.

He got out of the clock as quickly as he could,

ran across the floor and hid.

Look at the time, Loretta. I almost forgot my ramble with Josh!

I should be at Mistymoor Mountain!

'And Great Aunt Loretta loaded up Mr Yomper Stomper.'

Oh, she's never going to let him go.

'She filled upsy-downsy with other things and sent it down.

'Then she suddenly had an idea.'

I'll just shut that door so the dust can't get in.

-This is going to be a problem.

-'This was a disaster!

'Upsy-downsy had gone downstairs and all the doors were shut.

-'Grandpa was stuck in the sitting room.'

-Ah-ha!

'But Grandpa, being Grandpa, had an idea.

'He jumped off the shelves, got into my helicopter

'and flew up the chimney.

'While Great Aunt Loretta showed Mr Yomper Stomper

'where to put the muck sucker, Grandpa flew in.'

-When they come in, Josh, pretend to turn on the radio. OK?

-OK.

-Let's listen to the radio.

-Oh, good idea!

Let's have some music while you work.

'At that moment, Grandpa started to pretend to be on the radio.'

And it's just gone 12 o'clock. My, my, doesn't time fly?

-12 o'clock, my word.

-And today I have Gavin with me in the studio.

Hello, Gavin. "Hello."

Now, Gavin loves going on nature rambles, don't you, Gavin?

-"I love nature rambles."

-So do I.

And that's why I'm here and we are going to be late!

We wanted some music. Not boring old talk. Find some music.

'So I had to turn the radio on to find music.'

Oh, it's Rick the Rocking Raver! Ooh, he's my favourite!

Come on, Mr Yomper Stomper, strut your stuff.

I have to get my phone, Josh, it's upstairs.

'So, while Great Aunt Loretta and Mr Yomper Stomper danced,

'I picked Grandpa up and put him in my pocket and upstairs we went.'

Ooh, the time! The guests.

Oh, they'll be here before you know it and I'm not ready.

And I've got to go now. The other ramblers will wonder where we are.

You can't go. I need you to help.

'Upstairs, I was helping Grandpa with his plan.

'I dialled the number of the Mill on the Marsh.'

PHONE RINGS

Mill on the Marsh, Loretta speaking. How may I help you?

Yes. Who? Who?

ELDERLY VOICE: Oh, hello.

We were supposed to have arrived this afternoon,

but I'm afraid we're unable to come because my wife has...

-'Grandpa needed an idea.'

-..has had a baby.

-Oh!

-Yes. She's had a baby.

Right. Well, actually, I'm quite glad you can't come,

because we're not ready for you. Goodbye.

Oh, Mr Yomper Stomper, what a relief. The guests have cancelled.

Phew! I am going for a little lie down.

And I am going on my ramble with Josh.

Josh? Josh?

-Cap off, Grandpa, quick.

-We did it, Josh.

You're going to get your ramble after all. I call it teamwork.

Teamwork!

-Ready, Mr Yomper Stomper?

-Riddle-di-ri, I most certainly am.

Loretta's gone for a little lie down. The guests have cancelled.

Have they? Oh, dear, what a shame.

DOORBELL

-That'll be the guests.

-Will you be OK, Grandpa?

-Of course I will.

I'm on duty!