๐ฐ๐ท Happy (Belated) Birthday, Samantha! ๐ท๐ฐ
What with the move to the new apartment ๐ฆ, and then getting a cold ๐คง directly afterwards, I didnโt get to take Samantha on her usual birthday outing to the local botanical gardens ๐ชป๐ผ๐ฟ until last weekend; but last Sunday, I finally felt well enough, so off we went! Nellie and Jip ๐ came along too, as usual, and this time Sam and Nellie brought along their own dolls, Clara and Nora, as well.ย
Stay tuned at the end for a few bonus pics of the gardens!
As it was properly summer now, the gardens were more hot and humid than in past years; still, the girls had a nice picnic amidst the blossoms.
After they ate, Marley brought out a (slightly flattened) gift wrapped in pink floral paper with a cream-colored bow. โSorry, it kinda got squashed in my backpack,โ he apologized.
โOh!โ Samantha exclaimed. โLook, Nellie! Itโs the dress I wore for the talent show!โ She held it up for her friend to see.
(NOTE: This is NOT the original Pleasant Company dress, because I am not nearly that wealthy! It is a very lovely โ and as far as I can tell, faithful โ reproduction from lovvbugg.com)
After theyโd packed up their picnic supplies, the three friends wandered the gardens a little. Daring Samantha, of course, couldnโt resist the temptation to walk the edge of a fountain pool. โPlease be careful, Samantha!โ Nellie cautioned as her friend wobbled along the slippery wet stone, but Sam kept her balance and hopped down easily at the other end.
(NOTE: This actually was a bit of a dangerous photo op, even with the precautions I took, but once Iโd had the idea I couldnโt get it out of my head! And it really did end up being perfectly fine.)
โYou know,โ Samantha commented to Nellie as they played with their dolls, โthis place always sort of reminds me of when we first met. You remember?โ
โOf course!โ Nellie smiled fondly. โIn the hedge with the lilac blossoms all around. You gave me a piece of your gingerbread. I was still working as a servant back then; I couldnโt believe the wealthy girl next door had taken an interest in me. And later on, you gave me Lydia!โ She looked at the blonde doll in her arms. โI love Nora so much, but I do miss Lydia sometimes.โ
โYouโll get her back, one day,โ Samantha promised, laying a comforting hand on her arm (while Marley tried to conceal their own doubts on the matter ๐
).
By now, the day had turned cloudy, and the sun slowly began to set. As the light faded, the mosquitos began their onslaught; shortly after, gusts of wind caused Nellie to glance nervously at the sky. โYou donโt think itโs going to rain, do you?โ she asked.
โMaybe weโd better leave, just to be safe,โ Marley responded. โBut letโs take a picture with all of us first!โ But when another strong puff of wind made the tripod sway, Marley decided it was time to go. (It ended up not raining the whole way back, but just as the friends walked in the door of their new apartment, they heard the first drops patter against the windows! โGood timing!โ Marley breathed.)
