This year at Upton House and Gardens the theme is Aesop's Fables. Please see below each of the stories adapted to represent Upton House and the surrounding area. I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who put their time and effort into these displays. Most are done by the volunteers who work very hard throughout the year, each doing their part. We spoke to a young lady who put the lights on the big tree using a very tall ladder - very brave.

The display is a real treat so please see the link to Upton House and Gardens which is owned and run by the National Trust. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visi...

Music:
"Silvermansound - Christmas Spirit" is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).
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"Keys Of Moon - Magic Lights" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license.
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Music powered by BreakingCopyright:

The Donkey and the Thistle

A donkey rode to Upton one still Christmas Eve
He carried ingredients for a delicious meal.
Turkey, goose, truckles of cheese
Plum pudding and trifle with lashings of cream

Edge Hill is a climb when you’re laden with grub
Small wonder our donkey stopped awhile by the pub.
He needed a rest and some small snack.
Yet he never considered the food on his back.

He ate not a morsel of the festive fare.
He munched a thistle he found going spare.
“Gracious”, said a dog. “Mister donkey.
You must be an ass!”
A prickly thistle can’t be a tasty repast.”

The donkey stopped chewing.
He thought for a mo’
“Why do I like thistles?
I don’t quite know.”
“To me thistles are scrumptious; like them I do”
“Thistles are my favourite; they just don’t suit you.”


The Fox, the Crow and the Cheese

Upton’s table groans under a tower of cheese.
Brie, camembert, Oxford blue
Stilton, wensleydale, cheddar too.
But wait, something’s amiss with this cheesy feast.
It’s been nibbled by some little beast.

High up in a glistening pine
A crow chomps on his lucky find.
“Now then”, he ponders. “How do I outwit the sleek-feathered fella?”

“Dearest crow”, he calls up in his friendliest tone.
“You’re the handsomest bird I ever did see.”
“But is your voice as divine as can be?”

The crow opens his beak; he caws with all his might
Below, the fox eats the cheese in one bite.
“Thanks, mister crow”, says the fox, full of glee.
“Next time beware, false flattery”.


The Fox and the Grapes

The fox trots on; what does he see?
“A purple fruit on a peculiar tree.”
A bunch of grapes high on the vine
Plump and sweet to make Upton’s wine.

“I’m partial to nibbling grapes with my cheese
If only I’d more inches above my knees.”
“Bother, blow, these grapes are hard to pick.”
“Dear Father Christmas, send me a stick!”

The fox soon gave up and sulked off home
His wife suffered long to hear him moan
“The grapes were sour; my time is too precious to waste.”
“Rot”, said his wife. “Husband, you’re beaten, accept it with grace”.


The Vain Jackdaw

A jackdaw dresses for Christmas lunch.
In the company of peacocks, a handsome bunch.
He anxiously pictured their turquoise plume.
He saw his dark feathers and felt a fool.

To fit in quick, to match the pack
He wove peacock feathers along his back.
Alas, his efforts came to nought.
The peacocks knew he was a fraud.

Oh dear me, our Jack was upset.
‘Til one kind peahen gently said,
“You’re a one-off Daw with feathers so fine
Value your own beauty; let’s see you shine”.


The Leopard and the Fox

A leopard and fox lie resting;
They’re stuffed with Christmas lunch.
“Bless my spotted skin, groans the leopard,
Not another turkey could I munch”.
“I really am a gorgeous cat”, he boasts,
And strokes his glossy tum.
“What wouldn’t you give, ‘eh foxy fellow,
To have my spots on your bum?”

“Oh, I don’t know”, replied the fox,
Sensing the leopard’s game.
“My fur’s a bit wiry but my brush brings me fame”.
He knows he can outsmart the leopard
And teases, “I suppose you’re a pretty puss”.
“Good man, my coat would outrival Dior”. But
The fox yawns, bored by this fuss.

“Now listen, Mr Leopard, the fox sagely says.
“We all know your spots are sublime.
But we don’t wish to see them on the
Catwalk for the umpteenth time.
It’s nearly new year; a chance to make anew.
If it’s true beauty you’re after
Look inside, within you!”


The Cockerel and the Jewel

Christmas continues inside the coop.
The hens are making a hullabaloo.
Old cockerel struts into the yard.
“Gollykins”, he says. “Thos chickens can’t half yam”.

He scratches and scrapes the straw-strewn ground
He was not impressed by what he found.
Although fit for a queen, a string of pearls
Won’t help the cockerel feed his girls.

He kicks the pearls away from sight.
He’s far from festive this Christmas night.
Still, he knows he’s got a job to do.
He crows, “Merry Christmas, to all of you”.