Ferrari!

Before we reached Bournemouth we stopped off in Lyndhurst in the New Forest for some lunch. 

Although Lyndhurst is a tiny, picturesque village, there is a famous Ferrari dealership there, and Wilson wanted me to take his picture standing next to one of the cars, looking as though he owned it.

One of the salesmen came out and W asked him whether it would do 200mph. The salesman smiled and enquired whether we'd like to take it for a test drive to find out, and I just managed to decline before Wilson accepted. 

The salesman told us to enjoy looking, but would we try not to get paw-prints on the paintwork…

We're off to the Big City of Sin!

We are all packed for our holiday in sunny Bournemouth and we'll be leaving in a few minutes! 

Wilson has left everyone in the kitchen busy making-up Mk2 WASTE clocks on a sort of production line, with strict instructions that the first consignment must be completed by the time we return. 

He's just taken Antony in to say goodbye to a very disappointed Tiny Toy. TT isn't allowed to accompany us on our getaway because W is afraid that Antony will lose him somewhere. Bournemouth is a big, dangerous city where a teeny-weeny stuffed toy would not be safe. 

Actually, he's quite worried about taking Antony there for the same reason.

Tiny Toy fears he might become an orphan!

Wilson sniffed pointedly and raised one eyebrow.  

Antony shuffled and coughed a little before amending his narrative.

'Well, her exact words were "We'll see" which — as everyone knows — means Yes, Definitely!'

'Of course it does, dear' Polly assured him, giving him a peck on the cheek, before going to comfort Tiny Toy who had burst into tears at the thought of losing his daddy to the lure of the bright lights of Show Business.

Wilson muttered to me that he just hopes Antony doesn't start calling everyone Daaahling!

Antony reveals his true vocation!

Antony, unused to being the centre of attention, was a tad nervous as he told everyone about his adventures in Theatreland.

'It was all about this little girl called Thumbelina, and she was as little as I am,' he began.

Wilson nodded approvingly as Antony continued outlining the plot, the music, the dancing etc. Then he started to describe his meeting with Miss Julia, the choreographer:

'We had coffee together and she said she was pleased to meet me. Well, very pleased, actually! Then I told her how much I had enjoyed the show and how I would like to be in showbiz, and she smiled.'

Wilson nodded again as Antony continued.

'Then I asked her if I could be Thumbelina if they ever did it again, and she said "Yes!" Well, she said "Yes definitely — the part's yours, you'd be perfect!" actually.'

W sniffed and raised one eyebrow.

Wilson meets Miss Julia!

When the show was over, Antony said it was the greatest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life — he had laughed, he had cried, he had even fainted with excitement at one point (when the Black Widow Spider appeared unexpectedly)… He may be only a stuffed toy anteater, but he is a very emotional stuffed toy anteater.

Standing outside the theatre Wilson was quite overawed to see the young dancers and singers milling around in groups or with their parents, and asked several of them for their autographs. 

Then he went for coffee with his friend Miss Julia, who had choreographed the production, and he introduced a very nervous and star-struck Antony to her.

A keen sense of anticipation...

It wasn't long before Wilson led us into the auditorium so we would 'avoid the last-minute rush.'  

Embarrassingly, he keeps waving his Cruise Boarding Pass and calling out, 'Bar Service, please!' to any passing the usherette.

I'm not certain Antony really needed his own ticket, but it's all in a good cause. He's very excited, and W has already had to take him to the loo three times, and the show doesn't even start for over an hour!

Theatreland — realm of tinsel and magic!

Here we are in what Wilson insists on calling 'Theatreland.'

While it's not actually Drury Lane or The Strand — it's Dartford, opposite a closed-down Waitrose supermarket — to him and little Antony it might as well be The West End, or even Broadway, so magical and glittering does it seem!

The show doesn't start for several hours yet, but Wilson wanted to arrive early in order to get a good seat. 

Our tickets are numbered and reserved, so I assume 'getting a good seat' is a euphemism for 'Going to the Bar…'