Storytime

Storytime

The Pukeko Family

	Pete Pukeko, Supreme Hunter is a bit of a bloke, who likes to hunt and fish. Trout fishing is a specialty of his. He ties his own fishing flies, and is always on the lookout for bits of fur and feathers to make the ultimate fly. He has a big heart. If anyone is in trouble, you can guarantee that Pete won't be far away!
	Pua Pukeko, Pete's beloved wife, is a gentle soul with passion for cooking and a wicked sense of humour. She doesn't say a lot, preferring to sit in the background. She has an old fashioned kitchen, with a temperamental coal range that she somehow coaxes into helping her produce gourmet delights. She knits in her spare time, and her nest weaving abilities are legendary.
	Percy is the youngest of the two chicks, pecking out of his shell a good few hours after his sister. He is a mischievous and cocky chick (no pun intended) whose sharp eyes and sweet tooth have landed him in trouble more than once. Percy is good mates with Kenny Kiwi and Shazza Sheep. The trio love to head out into the New Zealand outdoors in search of new adventures.
	Pippa is the eldest of the chicks. A responsible level headed creature, with long eyelashes she uses to her advantage. She remains level headed when Percy gets into trouble, saving his skin on more than one occasion. Pippa has a passion for natural health remedies. She and Pua spend hours dreaming up new conconctions, brewing them up on the coal range . Percy is usually their closest victim when it comes to trialling their latest mix.

One Autumn morning Pete Pukeko was feeling very miserable. He had a chesty 'flu, and it was all he could do to pull the feather eiderdown over his head and shiver some more. His wife Pua had taken little Percy out for the morning, for his weekly elocution lesson with Uncle Paisley. Pippa, their daughter, was taking care of her Dad.

Now Pippa had a passion for natural health remedies. Seeing her Mum was away, she decided that she would make up a remedy to cure her Dad's malady. She got out Great-Grandmother Petunia Pukeko's recipe book. It was a musty but much thumbed book, its red leather cover polished with use and its pages were somewhat ragged and yellowed with age. "This will help Dad" she thought, feeling pleased with herself.

" 2 tsp salt 3 drops eucalyptus oil, 1/2 cup Inkweed berries, crushed. 1/4 cup hot water 1/4 cup rolled oats 2 Tbsp cider vinegar.

"Mix all the ingredients together and store in a jar in a dark, cool place. Apply liberally to the chest when cool. Do not drink! "

Here the page ended, unfortunately for Pippa she didn't turn it to see the rest of the instructions. Oblivious, Pippa gathered her berries, and made the poultice. As it was cooling she made her Dad a lemon honey drink, with honey and a dash of whisky as she'd seen her Mum do. "Here you are Dad!" Pippa gave him the steaming mug of lemon. "I've got just the thing for your chest too!"

Too miserable to care, Pete groaned to himself as Pippa applied the still warm poultice. "There you go Dad. You'll be feeling better in no time." She placed cabbage leaves over the poultice and gently bandaged them in place. "That feels nice and warm chook. Thanks for looking after your old man." Pete was starting to warm up. He sipped the lemon drink. "Didn't think I was ever going to get warm." he coughed.

"Now you just go to sleep Dad. You'll feel so much better." Pippa tiptoed out of the room and left Pete, dozing off, and went to clean up the kitchen before Mum got home.

Half an hour later Pua and Percy came home. Pua's sharp eyes noticed the clean kitchen and Great Grandmother Petunia's Recipe book sitting on the bench. "How was your morning dear?" Before Pippa could reply there was a scream from the bedroom. Pete had leapt out of bed and was hopping from one foot to another, trying desperately to loosen the bandages. "I'm cooking here!!!! Help me!!!" Calmly, Pua snipped the bandages and they fell to the ground, along with the steaming cabbage leaves, and all the bright purple feathers from Pete's broad chest. He was horrified.

"Shower dear - quick!" before you could say Petunia Periwinkle, Pua had Pete in the shower and washed off the last of the poultice. Then she tucked Pete back into bed, where he moaned about losing his manly plumage.

Later, Pippa explained how she'd helped her Dad. " Ahh! I see. Oh well, no permanent harm done. I was going to wait until you were a little older to tell you about this special recipe. A girl your age doesn't need it just yet." She took down the old recipe book and read from the next page. "Warning: this poultice should be left on no more than 5 minutes. Longer than this and the grey feathers will not return to their former purple glory, but may fall out. Re-growth takes 6 weeks." Without realising it, Pippa had found a recipe not for chesty colds, but for one for dying grey feathers purple again!

"I think you'd better get knitting, my girl, your father will need a scarf or two to keep his chest warm this winter. Next time you wait for me, understand?" Pippa nodded, and fetched her needles and wool. "Mum, can I use the last of the poultice to dye my wool?"

The interesting thing was, Pua thought to herself as she hung Pete's feathers out to dry, I haven't heard Pete coughing since I came home. Maybe Pippa is onto something. Pua smiled.

May be given away to friends and family if this line is included. Enjoy! Moana Bianchin.