Mr Oakwood's Pizza Shop

Hello there!  Today we are venturing into Town, as Mr Oliver Oakwood would like to show you around his Pizza Shop.

The Pizza Shop is a very popular spot for Town critters to buy a quick yet tasty meal.  Mr Oakwood prides himself on making the best pizza in Town.

Each morning, his first job is to make sure everything is ready for the day.

He restocks the takeaway menus, wipes down the benches,

makes sure he has all the ingredients he needs for the day,

and makes the dough for the pizza bases.

While it is proving, he heads upstairs to ensure the dining area is neat and tidy.

When everything is ready, he lights the big pizza ovens...

... and then he is ready to open for business!

His first order of today was made over the telephone, so he got started on it straight away:  a Tuna Special, and an Oakwood Supreme!  Into the oven they went, using the long-handled peel...

Pizzas do not take long to cook in the hot ovens, so Mr Oakwood likes to get the boxes out ready for them.  When the second one - the Oakwood Supreme - was ready, he slid the peel in under it...

... and lifted it out, sliding it directly into the box.  That way it would stay nice and hot for as long as possible.

Right on time, the front door opened, and Mr Aaron Purr came in to collect his order.

"Hello Oliver," he said.  "That smells wonderful!"  His whiskers twitched appreciatively.  While his wife Theodosia was a good cook, he knew she appreciated a weekly takeaway meal.  Sometimes it was dinner, but this week they had decided on lunch, as Aaron had the day off work.  Theodosia hoped that their baby triplets might nap while she and her husband ate together.

The next customer of the day was Alice Marshmallow, who was on her lunch break.  She worked three days a week as a receptionist at the hospital, and liked to treat herself to a slice of pizza now and then.

Luckily, Mr Oakwood sells his pizzas by the slice as well.  He finds that these sell very well at lunch time, especially during school holidays when teenagers are out and about with their friends.

Alice enjoyed her pizza very much - she took it away, deciding to walk off a few of the calories as she ate!

"Have a nice day!" called Mr Oakwood as she left.

He then turned to start working on his next order.  It was shaping up to be a busy day - Mr Oakwood's favourite kind!

Toward the end of the lunch rush, Mr Harry Spotter and his son James dropped in for lunch.  They were on their way home from a Sylvanian Scouts meeting, and had decided that it was the perfect opportunity to indulge in a delicious pizza without Mrs Spotter, who disapproved of casual eateries, much preferring to dine out at fancier restaurants.

"We shall have a men's lunch out," said Harry, and James, who was fifteen, felt very pleased and grown up.  

As he ate his last slice of pizza, James' eyes drifted toward the arcade machine in the corner.  

Mr Oakwood had had it installed as a way for children and teenagers to entertain themselves whilst waiting for their meals to arrive, and indeed it had proved very popular.  

James wondered whether he was too grown up to play with the game (at least whilst attending a "men's lunch out").  Little did he know that Harry was fully planning to have a go at it himself!

So next time you are in Town, do take a stroll down to the corner of Cedar Avenue, where you will find the Pizza Shop.  Mr Oakwood will be ready and waiting for your order!

"What can I get for you today?"

A Bright & Happy Easter

This morning, Mandy Brightfield woke up bright and early.  It's Easter! she thought excitedly to herself.  She was looking forward to her family's traditional Easter picnic with their friends.  She jumped out of bed, washed quickly, and got dressed in her favourite dress.  She went out into the living area, and what did she find?  A large basket of Easter goodies!  There were chocolate eggs, fresh flowers, and a large chocolate bunny head.  How exciting!

By this time, she could hear her little sister Jenny waking up.  Mandy knew that if Jenny saw the basket, unpacking it would be all she wanted to do, so Mandy rushed back into the bedroom to help her little sister get ready for the picnic.

"What dress do you want to wear, Jenny?  What about this pretty blue one?" she suggested hopefully, but the response was just what she had expected.

"No," said Jenny.  "I want to wear like Daddy."  Jenny adored her father, and admired his postman's uniform so much that her mother had asked Mrs Prickles to make her a miniature dress to match.  Now it was all Jenny ever wanted to wear.

"Fine," Mandy sighed, exasperated.  "But you'll at least wear your pretty flowery hat that Mummy bought for you, won't you?  Quickly, put it on - I've a surprise to show you!  The Easter Bunny has been here!"

Jenny agreed to the hat, and the girls spent several minutes investigating the delightful Easter basket, and wondering what flavours the chocolate eggs might be.

"I could eat that whole big blue one!" Jenny announced.

"You would be sick," said her sister.

Finally, their parents were ready for the picnic too, and they were duly dragged over to admire the basket.

"My, the Easter Bunny has outdone himself this year!" said Mrs Nancy Brightfield.

"Yes indeed," her husband Billy agreed.  "Look at that chocolate rabbit - I could fancy biting his ear right off!" he added with a grin.  His daughters giggled.

"Mother, do you think we should take the basket to the picnic?" suggested Mandy.  "Then we could share all these lovely treats with our friends."

"What a lovely idea, sweetheart," said her mother, pleased.  "Let me put these beautiful flowers in a vase though - they will wilt if we take them with us."

She carried them off into the kitchen, smiling.  She was touched by Mandy's generosity, and looked forward to seeing it rewarded.  She knew that Mandy would be just as pleased as Jenny, when they discovered later that evening what was hiding in the kitchen cupboard!

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Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it, from the Brightfield family (and ours!) to yours.

Happy New Year 2024!

Hello all, and Happy New Year!

As you can probably tell, last year was a busy year for our family, and therefore not one in which I had much time for my Sylvanians, I'm afraid.  They have definitely not been forgotten though!  I have lots of new critters to introduce to you, and so many ideas and projects I want to do with them!

To start with, I'd like to show you some of my Christmas presents (just the Sylvanian ones!)  I was lucky enough to be given several new families:

(The penguins simply could not wait to get out of their box!)

I am so pleased to be welcoming all these new critters, but must give a special mention (VERY excitedly) to the delightful mole family, which was sent to me by my lovely forum friend Terra!

More details will come about these new additions, but I also want to share with you my very first Sylvanian project of the year - just a little one, but definitely a step in the right direction:

Meet Lolly Chocolate!  She is the youngest child of a family of Chocolate rabbits who live in our seaside area, Starlight Cape.  Soon I will update our Meet The Families page with their names and pictures, but first I had to make Lolly a dress (couldn't have her being mistaken for Freya Chocolat, now could we?)  lol

Here is the back:

I wanted a nice bright Summery feel for Lolly's dress, as not only does she live at the beach, but she is a bright, bouncy sort of bunny, who definitely needed colourful clothes.  I am quite pleased with the result.

So from everyone in Macadamia Grove, Starlight Cape, Town and beyond, as well as from Caitlyn Hazelnut and myself, welcome to 2024 - a much more Sylvanian year!