a party

On Willie's birthday, as you see,
these little boys came to tea.
But, oh! how very sad to tell!
They have not been behaving well.
For ere they took a single bite,
They all began to scold and fight.

The little boy whose name was Ned
He wanted jelly on his bread.
The little boy whose name was Sam
He vowed he would have damson jam.
The little boy whose name was Phil
Said, "I'll have honey! YES I WILL!"
But
The little boy whose name was Paul
While they were quarelling, ate it all!

This pair of birthday books, 1960s I'd say, and probably from Australia judging by the Marmite sandwich recipe, is one of my favourite yard sale finds: 10 cents each! And so chock-full of zany yet moderately dangerous games (everything involves tug of war, racing through the parlour or balancing eggs) that they only idea I dare use is pass-the-present. But still. Such sweet illustrations. Boys in bow ties and Oxford shoes. Girls in crinoline dresses with Peter Pan collars. And an irresistable blue donkey. Look at those sad eyes.





If you're game, here's how to play Oranges and Lemons:

Two players, one "orange" and one "lemon" - hold hands to form an arch. The rest of the party-goers line up and march under the arch to the tune of Oranges and Lemons (I have no idea what this song is. Something else must work). One player is caught in the arch and asked in a whisper to choose an orange or a lemon. Then he lines up behind the orange or the lemon. When all the children have been caught, the oranges stand behind oranges, lemons behind lemons and there is a tug of war between the two sides.