Turning Over A New Leaf: Episode 14 – ‘This Grounds Town’

Hey ho, after Tortimer’s Island back to the humdrum world of being Mayor of Dalby.

I think any sort of town that is a little less zombie would be an improvement (unless everyone in the town likes The Vapors).

Or maybe Maelle’s simply telling me to go to bed after my umpteeth trip to the museum giving them lots of goodies from Tortimer’s Island.

I issued my first ordinance, increasing Bell production. As most of my time is spent harvesting, fishing or catching bugs for sale to build improvements, this is a no-brainer.

I really don’t need to hear about Blather’s necrophiliac tendencies. Whatever your thoughts are starting to race about, keep it under your tank top, owl features.

The dinosaur collection is looking pretty respectable at last. An archelon, a spinosaurus, a tricerotops and a stegosaurus (my favourite dinosaur) are all complete. Should keep Camofrog happy.

Oh, the temptation to say what I really thought! But I’m not that horrible.

This was all rather sudden. I stocked up on writing paper and gift wrapping paper just in case it took a week.

Sigh!

And yes, I fell for it again.

Blame me for the hippo with the French sounding name being made to speak like a character from a bad BBC Jimmy Perry and David Croft comedy.

Any day soon, he will see the flashing knobs – perhaps Blathers in an unguarded moment with that Spinosaurus.

If there is a visitor to Dalby to avoid, this is the one:

Yes, the old carpet and wallpaper were back up again tout suite!

That camel gave me the hump, being to interior design what rabies was for the European tourist industry.

Saharah is also  the first transsexual I’ve encountered in this loony bin – supposedly a female but with a male voice.

There came a bit of a shock shortly after this farrago.

I asked Kevin to reconsider, much to my surprise. Yeah, he’s got an ego so big it has moons orbiting it, but he’s nice enough, gets on with the others, and does his share of watering the flowers (even if he’s not fond of them).

Better the loonies you know.

Another outbreak of the fleas, with Camofrog and new arrival Lucy being tasty bites for the itchy little bloodsuckers.

That’s Fauna, Bones, Camofrog and Lucy having fleas once, Kevin twice,

Wasn’t Hippeux the one that rejected an orange a few days back?

Orangeade: I suppose it’s as close to getting him to take his five-a-day as I’m ever likely to get.

Notice Sylvia and Maelle singing the town turn after I did Sylvia a good turn? This is when you know you’re doing it right.

If a villager asks to copy what another villager is calling me, I roll with it. It’s no big deal.

Asking for a new catchphrase however I’ll only do if they ask specifically for a new one. If they merely ask if I think they ought to change it (usually because another villager has said to them their catchphrase is crap) I tell them to keep it.

There’s more important matters to think about, such as where to put the new campsite.

What a tiswas that was, trying to find somewhere in Dalby it could be put. Eventually it ended up close to Bones and Cookie’s homes in the centre left section of the village.

Guess who paid for all of it too? I don’t think the residents have chipped in a single bell for any of the projects to date.

It’s all for a good cause – campers can appear and if any are suitable they can be invited to become residents. Now Dalby is capped at nine residents, the only extra will be one of my choosing.

What’s going to be appearing behind the tarpaulins surrounding Nookling Junction right now however is anyone’s guess. As mayor, I’m always the last to know it appears.