The children were at the Theatre, acting to Three Cows as much as they could remember of Midsummer Night's Dream. Their father had made them a small play out of the big Shakespeare one, and they had rehearsed it with him and with their mother till they could say it by heart. They began when Nick Bottom the weaver comes out of the bushes with a donkey's head on his shoulders, and finds Titania, Queen of the Fairies, asleep. Then they skipped to the part where Bottom asks three little fairies to scratch his head and bring him ...
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The children were at the Theatre, acting to Three Cows as much as they could remember of Midsummer Night's Dream. Their father had made them a small play out of the big Shakespeare one, and they had rehearsed it with him and with their mother till they could say it by heart. They began when Nick Bottom the weaver comes out of the bushes with a donkey's head on his shoulders, and finds Titania, Queen of the Fairies, asleep. Then they skipped to the part where Bottom asks three little fairies to scratch his head and bring him honey, and they ended where he falls asleep in Titania's arms. Dan was Puck and Nick Bottom, as well as all three Fairies. He wore a pointy-eared cloth cap for Puck, and a paper donkey's head out of a Christmas cracker-but it tore if you were not careful-for Bottom. Una was Titania, with a wreath of columbines and a foxglove wand.
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We are Kipling fans, dyed in the wool, but had never heard of this gem. Two children enact "Midsummer Night's Dream" twice in a row at the foot of "Pook's Hill," on their farm. This conjures "Pook," who is ... Puck, who "jests to Oberon!" From this inspired beginning ensues the summer's adventures for these two children, who in their playful rambles continue to encounter "Pook," or "Puck," the most enchanting (literally) companion ever encountered. In these summer adventures Puck introduces them to figures from English history whose stories, or rather histories, took place on what is now this very farm. The book is a delight, clever and endearing, unexpectedly moving, utterly wonderful.
margaret b
Aug 1, 2011
Specialized fairy story
It's not exactly exciting, but if you like historical events then it is quite interesting. I read it for the life of the Picts having been on Orkney and visited Skara Brae and Maeshowe.