Wilson is addressing a packed and enthusiastic meeting in the Village Hall, where a crowd has gathered to celebrate this year's World Anteater Day*.
I think Wilson has been watching rather too many TV Election Broadcasts, for his oration is liberally sprinkled with anodyne platitudes such as 'For the many anteaters, not the few!' and 'Get the ants done – they're oven ready!'
Before he started speaking I took him to one side and begged him not to use the phrase, 'My Biggest Fault is that I'm Too Honourable!' or anything even remotely like it…
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* I'm not making this up: http://www.paxtag.org/world-anteater-day-details/
The hall is now pretty much filled by two big cardboard boxes, each one far too heavy for even Nërp to move.
According to the delivery note, they are full of Wilson's Xmas CDs, but for the time being they remain unopened, and we are having to carefully pick our way around them.
Wilson says he'll unpack the boxes as soon as he has a spare moment, and once that's done perhaps I wouldn't mind loading them into the car and giving him, Byron and Antony a lift to the village record shop Village Records.
After which he's planned a trip into Brighton to visit HMV, Virgin Records, Rough Trade and Wax Factor, then on to Eastbourne and Crawley…
I had been under the impression that 99% of record sales took place online or via streaming services, but I'm not an expert…
When I was Wilson's age, one of the first Harbingers of Xmas was Ironing Last Year's Wrapping Paper ready to use again. Maybe that was a post-WW2 austerity thing, I don't know.
For Wilson, though, the equivalent activity is Sorting Out the Decorations.
Although I have told him he can't start putting up Xmas Decorations until 1st December, he's got some of the decorations down from the loft so he can dust them off – he's very excited, knowing that Xmas can now be only, as he puts it, 'Days away!'
This will be Pterry's First Xmas with us – he is paying close attention to what's going on, and trying to make some sense of it.
Even Jīqìrén has briefly torn herself away from the tv and is observing the proceedings, although I suspect she is as mystified as Pterry!
I'll ask Wilson to explain Xmas to them both before the Big Day dawns…
