Bedtime Story (24/2/2016)

Every now and then, I am influenced to write a story about one of my favourite things.  This week is no exception and this week, I'm writing about something of a British institution: The "Fry Up."

For the podcast edition of this story, just click here!

Enjoy!

Claudia Cooks Breakfast

The sun was barely rising, when Claudia hopped out of bed.

She'd rather have been sleeping, but she had things to do instead.

Today was her dad's birthday and she had plans to start;

She'd cook him a scrumptious breakfast - it couldn't be that hard!

Claudia had seen her parents cook breakfast so many times before,

That she didn't feel at all nervous, as she opened the kitchen door.

A full English fry up would send her dad to Birthday Heaven!

She was sure it didn't matter much that she was only seven...

Claudia opened up the fridge and found sausages and bacon,

Then she thought: "Pancakes!"  But she didn't know how to make them.

She knew that eggs were involved somehow, butter and flour, too.

But first, the bacon and sausages needed to cook - now, that much, she knew.

Whilst the oven heated up, Claudia searched the cupboard for beans.

Then, she rummaged on the shelf, for a recipe book she'd seen.

She flicked through the pages, to the pancake recipe.

There weren't too many words - in fact, it looked pretty easy.

So, Claudia put the bacon and the sausages on a tray

And she put them in the oven, so they could cook away.

She opened up a big drawer and found a frying pan.

Then she found a bowl and whisk - then the trouble began...

First, Claudia squeezed the bag of flour and it sort of puffed up in her face.

She turned white, just like a ghost - the mess was all over the place!

Then, she cracked some eggs, but the shell went in the flour.

She glanced up at the clock and gasped; Dad would be up in an hour!

Quickly, Claudia whisked some milk into the mixture in the bowl.

She added butter to her pan and watched it froth and roll

Around the surface, melting fast, until at last she knew that it was ready.

Claudia poured the mixture in and held the frying pan steady.

She wasn't sure how long it took for pancakes to be done

And Claudia had so many jobs to do, she thought she'd start another one.

She pulled the ring on a can of beans and poured the beans into a dish.

She shoved them in the microwave, then gave the frying pan a swish.

The pancake sort of lay there, all golden and quite flat.

Then, Claudia smelt a burning smell... "Oh no, whatever's that?!"

The bacon needed turning, it had gone all dark and crispy.

Claudia didn't want it to burn, that would be too risky.

She turned the bacon over and the sausages as well,

But was that pancake ready?  There was only one way to tell...

Claudia took a deep breath and then, with a confident feeling,

She flipped the pancake up... And it got stuck on the ceiling.

Then. she heard a popping noise coming from the microwave.

Oh, no!  The beans were overcooked - the situation was rather grave.

The beans had crusted to the dish and they didn't look that tasty.

Claudia would have to find another can and she'd have to be quite hasty!

But before she could get that done, she smelt the burning smell again.

The bacon and the sausages were turning black - and then...

Just as Claudia was trying to prevent any further harm,

There came a sudden beeping sound - she'd set off the fire alarm!

Her parents both came running downstairs, with sleep still in their eyes.

When they came into the kitchen, they got quite a surprise.

With burnt meat, crusty beans and no pancake, Claudia looked sad.

Her bottom lip trembled and she whispered: "Happy birthday, Dad."

Luckily, her dad just smiled and gave his girl a cuddle.

"Oh, Claudia," he chuckled. "You've got into quite a muddle.

You could have burnt the house down, all by making breakfast.

You had a really sweet idea, but it was a little reckless."

So he and Claudia's mother quickly got to work,

Clearing up the mess, with a barely hidden smirk.

Then, once it was done and everyone was definitely ready to eat,

Claudia's dad took them all out for breakfast as a special birthday treat.

"I don't think I'll cook again just yet," Claudia announced on the way.

"Next time, I'll help you," her dad replied.  "We'll try again another day."

Meanwhile, back at home, something they'd missed was peeling...

With a tiny little "splat," the pancake fell off the ceiling!

THE END