A very charming tale of Mole, Ratty, Badger etc.

Who here has read it after high school?

Boys in high school maybe grooved on the fight to redeem Toad Hall for Toady. So much more in this book.

It is a slim volume, won’t take long to read. It paints some maybe idealised pictures of the English countryside yet, somewhat like the bible, it talks of the dreaded Wild Woods. There is redemption when the stoats, weasels and ferrets are evicted/ejected from Toad Hall.

Toad himself makes a journey a bit like “Pilgrim’s Progress” and has to disguise himself as a washer woman (such a blow to his pride!) to escape gaol/hell.

Then one of Otter’s babies goes missing, Mole and Ratty go looking—Rat soon gets enchanted by divine music, Mole takes longer but they come on the otter baby nestling between the hooves of Pan playing the, errrr, pan pipes. Pan is a merciful god—he removes the memory of seeing him from Ratty and Mole’s minds.

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)
          from The Wind in the Willows

                          CAROL

    Villagers all, this frosty tide,
    Let your doors swing open wide,
    Though wind may follow, and snow beside,
    Yet draw us in by your fire to bide;
              Joy shall be yours in the morning!

    Here we stand in the cold and the sleet,
    Blowing fingers and stamping feet,
    Come from far away you to greet—
    You by the fire and we in the street—
              Bidding you joy in the morning!

    For ere one half of the night was gone,
    Sudden a star has led us on,
    Raining bliss and benison—
    Bliss to-morrow and more anon,
              Joy for every morning!

    Goodman Joseph toiled through the snow—
    Saw the star o'er a stable low;
    Mary she might not further go—
    Welcome thatch, and litter below!
              Joy was hers in the morning!

    And then they heard the angels tell
    'Who were the first to cry NOWELL?
    Animals all, as it befell,
    In the stable where they did dwell!
              Joy shall be theirs in the morning!'

The carol I got from the web, the memories of the little book are from my mind.

If you have never read the little book or only vaguely remember it from high school—Buy, borrow or steal a bloody copy and read it.

Bother it!

i read that back in primary school. i was sooooooo pissed off when that rabbit died i never read it again

Spot

Monk's mummy read it to him when he was a wee boy.

We all know who 'Toady' is here on this Forum.