Grannie Island's Ceilidh - Granpa's Bowl Katie Morag


Grannie Island's Ceilidh - Granpa's Bowl

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# Katie Morag

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# Far away across the ocean

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# Katie Morag

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# Over the sea to Struay

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# Katie Morag

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# Far away across the ocean

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# Katie Morag

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# Over the sea to Struay

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# Katie Morag. #

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LAUGHTER AND CHATTING

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I love parties

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and I reckon Grannie Island's are the best in the whole wide world.

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They go on way past our bedtime.

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But, as long as we've brushed our teeth and put on our jammies,

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we're allowed to stay up.

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Grannie Island doesn't call them parties,

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she calls them ceilidhs.

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Right then, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen,

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let's gather round.

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Who's ready tonight for some real entertainment?

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Most people think ceilidhs are all about dressing in kilts

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and whirling each other round the room.

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But at Grannie Island's ceilidhs we don't just dance, we sing songs,

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play music and tell stories, as well.

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Oh, well done!

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Now, whose turn is it to pin the tail on the island?

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Me! Me, me, me, please.

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You know this? You've been such a good girl, it is your turn. Come on.

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We always play pin the tail at Grannie Island's ceilidhs.

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The children take turns sticking a wee pin on the map of Struay.

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Then one of the grown-ups tells us a tale about that part of the island.

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Hm, it's the Holiday House.

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Who knows a story about the Holiday House?

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-I believe I have a good one.

-On you go, then, Peter.

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This is a story about a woman called Mrs Finlayson,

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who lived in a wee croft near the ruined village not too long ago.

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She lived with her husband and her two children -

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Donald, who was eight, and Maggie, nearly six.

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The family were poor,

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but Mrs Finlayson always made sure the children were fed and clothed.

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And anyone who knew her would say what kind

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and helpful friend she was.

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But, despite her many good points, Mrs Finlayson was not happy.

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Indeed, she would get very grumpy sometimes

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and her face would get all tight and twisty.

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Like she was eating a lemon, but forgot to add sugar.

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The family would try not to laugh,

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but the reason that Mrs Finlayson was grumpy

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was that she believed she wasn't quite as good as everyone else.

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She couldn't help but feel ashamed of their little house and poorness.

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And when she felt like that, lemony face would appear.

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In those days, a very rich woman would come to Struay

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every summer for holidays

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and stay in the big Holiday House.

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One particular day, Mrs Finlayson met the holiday woman in the shop.

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Just as she was leaving, the Ferryman's wife came in,

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and, to Mrs Finlayson's amazement, the holiday woman said,

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"Marvellous high tea, yesterday, Mrs Ferryman.

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"Delicious cake. Thank you."

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Well, you could have blown Mrs Finlayson down with a feather.

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Imagine inviting the holiday woman to high tea?!

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The idea of such a person seeing inside her own poor little cottage

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filled her with embarrassment.

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Yet, Mrs Ferryman's cottage was much the same as hers.

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She didn't know where it came from,

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but she was as surprised as everyone else when she heard herself say,

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"Perhaps you would like to come to lunch next Tuesday?"

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The holiday woman smiled and said, "I would be delighted."

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The days leading up to the holiday woman's visit

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were a hurly-burly of preparation.

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Mrs Finlayson cleaned the cottage from top to bottom.

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Maggie collected flowers for the table

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and Donald took a handful of books

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and placed them above the fireplace,

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just as if they were always there and often read.

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But still Mrs Finlayson worried.

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The reason was a person I haven't yet mentioned -

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a very old man by the name of Murdo.

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Murdo was the children's grandfather. A kind, gentle man,

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he'd lived with the family since before Maggie was born.

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He was frail and not steady with his hands.

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At meal times, he would struggle to feed himself.

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Much of his dinner landed on the table or the floor.

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Mrs Finlayson was a kindly woman

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and rarely complained when Murdo made a mess.

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But rarely isn't never.

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So she bought a deep clay bowl for Murdo.

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It meant the food didn't skitter off so easily.

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It was known as Granpa's bowl and no-ne else ever used it.

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So, Tuesday lunch arrived and the Finlayson family,

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dressed in their Sunday best, opened the door to the holiday woman

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and welcomed her to their house. At first, everything went well.

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The holiday woman made "ooh" and "ah" noises

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about the "darling" house.

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She chatted to the children, who were on best behaviour.

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Mrs Finlayson relaxed.

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Murdo made an effort to delicately eat the delicious soup

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Mrs Finlayson had prepared from the spinach they grew on the croft.

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It might have been better if he hadn't made such an effort.

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To try to be tidy, he'd lift the bowl to his lips

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but he lost his grip and it slipped from his fingers.

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In his panic, Murdo gave the bowl a thwack.

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It tumbled through the air

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and landed in front of the holiday woman

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and exploded into a dozen pieces,

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showering her with bright-green spinach soup.

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Everyone looked at the green sludge making its way

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from her blonde curls down over her surprised face to its destination -

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the front of her oyster-pink casual day jacket.

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Suddenly, Mrs Finlayson leapt into action.

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She snatched up a napkin and started wiping the jacket,

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but all she did was spread the stain further and deeper.

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The holiday woman was kind and gracious,

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but Mrs Finlayson could tell she was upset.

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So you can guess what expression Mrs Finlayson made. Yep.

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Lemony face.

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Poor Murdo felt terrible and left the table without saying a word.

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The holiday woman finished her soup. and when it was time to leave,

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politely declared she'd had a delightful time.

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But, as she shut the door, Mrs Finlayson said, "That's it,

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"Murdo is only to have bread and butter in his room from now on."

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What had she been thinking, inviting the holiday woman to lunch?

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She was a penniless nobody

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and penniless nobodies should remember their place.

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An hour passed. The afternoon was marching to evening.

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Still cross, she went back to the kitchen.

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To her surprise, she found Maggie and Donald sitting at the table

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with the broken pieces from Granpa's bowl and a small jar of glue.

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"What are you doing?" she asked.

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"Fixing Granpa's bowl," Maggie replied.

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"I can see that. Why?!"

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Maggie sighed. "We suppose that Granpa won't need it

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"now you said he is only allowed bread and butter.

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"But, one day, you'll be old like him and we will be, too,

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"so we'll need the bowl for when our time comes."

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Well, her daughter's wise words broke Mrs Finlayson's heart.

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She began to cry.

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She cried until wee Maggie came over and put her arms around her.

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Then a funny thing happened. She began to laugh.

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And Maggie laughed and Donald joined in

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and they laughed until tears ran down their cheeks.

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She went to Murdo and told him she was truly sorry

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and she'd heat a fresh bowl of soup

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and would be honoured if he'd join her at the table.

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That's exactly what he did - that day and every day that followed.

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Of course, he still spills some from time to time,

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but a little soup on the tablecloth never hurt anyone.

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As for the holiday woman,

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she got most of the stain out of her jacket.

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But on sunny days, Mrs Finlayson was sure

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she could see the merest trace of green.

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In the past, it would've filled her with shame.

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But something had changed her that day

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and the stain on the holiday woman's jacket,

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well, it merely made her smile.

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APPLAUSE

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That was a lovely story, Peter, thank you.

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-Now, Alistair and Jane, let's have another tune.

-Yes.

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We all love the ceilidh stories and always want to hear more,

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but Grannie always says the same thing, over and over again,

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"Time for another tune."

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And by the time the grown-ups have finished dancing,

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we're usually fast asleep.

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