Mince all over his warehouse coat

Mary's been landed with the job of organising T.Aldous' end-of-year celebration of the National Year of Reading. She's roped in Bronwyn, Maybelle and Frog; they've cadged favours from some of their usual contacts and had nearly all the ideas knocked back by Mary for various reasons irrational. So the printed programme for the day is:

• Carols from the choir of St. Barrabas, Helminthdale
• A demonstration of corn dolly-making
• A poetry reading
• A juggler
• Mince pies will be provided

Not especially literary, as I mention to Maybelle.

"I'm too busy worrying about the mince pies: Mary says she's going to be buying them so I expect we'll be having the usual panic first thing on the day."

The voice of grim experience.