Never Mess With A Posh Girl

Daddy Steve: Normally Daphne is cool and composed.  Nothing ever seems to upset her.

Daphne: You see, sweetie, I'm rather posh.  We posh folk are just naturally blasé about everything.

The other day, however, something happened that set her blood a-boiling.  It started when she, Miguel, and Sasha were studying an art history book...

Sasha: Look at that!

Miguel: That's a statue of Apollo and Daphne, by the sculptor Bernini.

Daphne: That's my name!  What's happening to her?

Miguel: She's turning into a tree.  You see, Apollo was consumed with desire for Daphne, but she wasn't interested in him.  He pursued her, and when she could no longer run away she turned into a tree to escape him.

Sasha: Gosh!

Daphne: Hmmmm.  Is that so?

Miguel: Um, well, according to mythology.  Eep.

Sasha: Where are you going?

Daphne: I've got something to say to somebody!

Daphne: Oi, mate, if you think I'm going to turn into a tree just because of you, then you've got another thing coming!

Holly Belle: You go, girl!

Daisy: What did he say?

Daphne: Oh, he just stood there, stone-faced.

Ann Marie: Hmmmf.  Men!

Fashion or Food?

Daddy Steve:  When girls started moving into Gregoropolis earlier this year, I rather naively assumed that things wouldn't change much clothing-wise.  My girls were all likely to be on the tomboyish side and wear the same outfits as the boys.  Or so I thought. 

Boy, was I wrong...

Holly Belle: Daddy Steve gets the most outlandish ideas sometimes!

Meghan: Well, he is getting up there in years.

Yes, all my girls are big fans of 'cute little dresses.'  Except one...

Rhoda: Dresses?!  Blech!

Rhoda absolutely refuses to wear dresses.  The other girls have tried to persuade her to no avail.

Daisy: But you would look so pretty in this.  Won't you at least try it on?

Rhoda: NOOOOOOOO!!! You're not turning me into a cake!

Frederick: What does she mean by that?

Daphne: Oh, who knows with that girl.

Eventually we figured out that Rhoda was referring to 'doll cakes' -- those rather odd but popular features of a little girl's birthday party .  They're basically a mound-shaped cake decorated to resemble a ball gown with a 12-inch fashion doll trapped stuck in the center.

Rhoda is firmly determined that this will not happen to her.

Harriet: It does seem rather messy.

Frank: If I could eat my way out, I'd wear that dress!

Meghan: You're so weird, Frank.

The girls managed to convince Rhoda to give 'separates' a try.  Ann Marie is a stickler for details (she wants to be a lawyer when she grows up); she successfully argued that a dress and a skirt & top combo were two different things.

Ann Marie: Oh yes, that looks so lovely on you!  Doesn't she look lovely?

Oliver: Huh? Oh, yeah, very nice.

Holly Belle: Now don't you feel pretty?

Rhoda: Blech!

Gino's Pizzeria

Daddy Steve: The basil that Wyatt and Giancarlo planted this spring has done extremely well.

Wyatt: Wow!  Look how big it grew!

Giancarlo: We do have a green thumb after all.

So, we've been enjoying the flavor of fresh basil here at Gregoropolis.  It's wonderful in a simple salad of chopped tomatoes and a splash of vinaigrette.  

The boys really wanted to try it on homemade pizza.

Wyatt:  Yeah, I love pizza!

Giancarlo: Let's ask Gino if he'll help us.

Gino: Of course I know all about making pizza!  After all, my name is Gino, isn't it?

Gino: The secret to great pizza is in the crust.  First, you have to twirl it like this.

Giancarlo: How do you do that?!

Gino: Years of practice, amico

Gino: Okay, it's ready to bake.  We'll top it with the basil after we take it out of the oven.

Giancarlo: To preserve the fresh flavor?

Gino: Precisamente!

Gino: And now, finito!

Wyatt: It smells delicious!

Frank: >sniff, sniff<  I smell pizza.

Giancarlo: It must be good if it woke him up!

The Little Raja

Daddy Steve: Ravi is very proud of his Indian heritage, and he likes to share it with the other kids here in Gregoropolis.

Tyler: What smells so good?

Ravi: I'm making Chana Masala; it's a traditional Indian dish made with chick peas.

Mikko: I didn't know peas came from chicks.

Ravi: The Taj Mahal was built in Agra, India, between 1631 - 1653 by the Shah Jahan.  

It's considered the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired 

masterpieces of the world's heritage.

Blake: It's amazing!

Daphne: So beautiful!

I thought it would be nice to have an authentic Indian outfit made just for him.  Actually, it was Ravi's best friend Patrick's idea...

Patrick: I know just what Ravi would like.

Together we perused the internet to gather some general ideas.  We knew that we wanted a kurta, a traditional straight-cut, loose shirt that falls just above the knees.  We also wanted a vest or waistcoat in a richly embellished fabric.  We took these vague ideas and gave them to sewing virtuoso Marti Murphy, who worked her magic.

The kurta is a lovely blue color; while the vest is a rich paisley brocade trimmed in gold braid.

For shoes we dug out Robin's old Prince Gregor shoes, which we had carefully packed away.  I never thought we would use them again, but they were perfect for this outfit!

Robin: I know they're in here somewhere!

Ravi was thrilled with his new clothes and couldn't wait to try them on.

Ravi: Oh, wow!  These are so cool!

Ravi: Well?  How do I look?

Patrick: Very stylish!

Kaveh: Very regal.

Frederick: Eat your heart out, Dev Patel!

Many thanks to Marti Murphy for this beautiful outfit.  We couldn't be more pleased!

Ravi: Namaste.