Hugh's Hamilton Holiday

Hugh Grunt adores the theatre - reading plays, watching plays, even acting in them himself!  His teachers say he has some talent in this area, and he is almost always chosen as the lead in the school musical.

So when his mother, Constance Grunt, found out that a very famous musical would be playing soon, she really felt that seeing it would be a valuable experience for her son.  Of course, there were problems with the plan:  the musical was not being shown in Macadamia Grove - they would have to travel a long way to see it.  The triplets, she felt, were too young for the play, and would not cope with a long journey.  Also, there was no way the whole family could leave the farm for so long anyway - there were just too many things to do, and the crops would suffer.

When she raised the idea with her husband, he thought carefully for a moment, and then said, "I don't see that it is a big problem.  Why don't you just take Hugh yourself?  And Olivia too, if she is interested?  I can hold the fort for a week or so, and I'm sure Sacharissa will help with the triplets if necessary."  Sacharissa Pennypress was a good friend of Constance's, and was well up to the task of taming the energetic triplets.

When the children were asked, Hugh was as excited as could be imagined, but Olivia was reluctant.  

"I would really rather stay here and help Dad with the farm," she said.

And so it was decided.  One bright early morning, Constance and Hugh set off on their holiday adventure!  Neither of them had ever been in an aeroplane before...

"Whoa, look Mum, we're above the clouds!"  Hugh said, awestruck.

When they reached their destination, they checked into a hotel, and then ventured out to explore.  The city was large and very busy, and they felt quite overwhelmed at first.  It wasn't long before they started to find their feet though.  Hugh bounced along excitedly, pointing out landmarks and theatres.  Constance smiled - it was nice to see him so happy, and actually she found she was quite enjoying this break from the normal routine too!  There were a great many interesting shops in the city, and Constance took the opportunity to purchase some gifts for her family and friends.

"Hmm.. Perhaps I shall buy a pot as a thankyou for Sacharissa..."

"But oh dear... which one??"

However, they were still country Sylvanians at heart, and they both agreed that one of their favourite places in this big city was the large, beautiful Botanical Gardens.

They spent many happy hours exploring these gardens over the course of their stay - it was a perfect place to picnic, to examine all the different types of plants and trees, or just to stroll and recharge their batteries before more sightseeing.

Of course, the main event of their trip was the musical!  Hugh was so excited he could hardly hold still while his mother tied his bow tie.  She had also bought herself a fine hat for the event.  At last, they arrived at the theatre!

As the curtain rose, mother and son grinned at each other, and settled in to watch.

Afterward, they both agreed it had been wonderful, but couldn't decide which part they had liked best.  Hugh wanted a photo as a keepsake, and another theatre-goer kindly took it for them.

"Do you think I could play Hamilton one day, Mum?"  Hugh asked.  "If I work as hard as he did?"

"I'm sure you could, dear," his mother smiled proudly at him.

The next day was the end of their trip.  As they boarded the bus to take them back to the airport, Hugh said, "Mum?  Thank you for bringing me.  This was the best holiday ever."

"You're welcome, dear," Constance answered, and gave him a hug.  She knew this was a trip they would both remember always.