Do you like balloons?  I do!! I like holding them in my hand and looking up at their very colourful colours (isn't that a great description that just sounds very poetically poetic!) as the balloons float up in the air!! I like to think that each balloon holds lots of special thoughts in  them for each of my dear friends, and  just as the balloons float about high up  in the air, the love, support and care from my teddy family and friends also makes my inside feel uplifted too!

Oh, but I just have to tell you about the day when there was a bit of a "disastrous problem" all due to the balloons I was holding! I had attended the birthday of little Bethany the balloon -liking bear. She really, really likes balloons you know!! Her mum and dad teddy wanted to make her birthday extra special, so they told her that they would make sure that their home was decorated with 101 balloons! You may like to know why they chose the number 101 balloons and not 100 or even 99? Well I will tell you!! 99 balloons just doesn't seem right, just not enough balloons, and it is a double odd number.  They could have chosen 100, but decided on 101 just in case one of the balloons went "pop!" and burst, so then there would still be 100 balloons left.  I don't think they had planned ahead in case 2 balloons went "pop" but they were absolutely, positively, assuredly, and certain that  only one balloon would ever burst… with a very softly whisper: "we think,  maybe, do hope so" !!

Well, Bertie and Bettilena , who are Bethany's mum and dad, decided that they had better start getting the balloons up onto the walls of their home quite early in the day, so that everything would be ready for little Bethany's birthday party in the afternoon. Hmmm…. Have you ever seem a teddy daddy bear turn red in the face? No?  I hadn't either, particularly when teddies are usually brown or grey fur coloured. But… Bertie's cheek definitely turned red from blowing up 100 and another one balloons! He was blowing and blowing and blowing and blowing… until he was quite exhausted!! I felt so very sorry for Bertie! He didn't want to disappoint little Bethany  because he had promised her that she would have at least 100 balloons for her birthday and so he was determined that he would just keep using every little and big teddy gasp and blow from his mouth that he could! It was getting a bit hard though by the time number 88^th  balloon came around! We didn't think he was going to make it!( oh, I do mean make blowing up the 101 balloons, not that he was not going to survive to attend the birthday party!!)  All his teddy friends were standing around him in a circle and cheering him on! Due to Teddy Occupation and Health Safety regulations, it is a teddy law that due to health concerns, only teddy dad's of the birthday teddy girls are allowed to blow up balloons that will be hung at their parties. Blowing air into a balloon must comply with health regulations. That meant that we weren't allowed to help Bertie out by blowing any balloons for him. It really is red tape that held us back from being a part of the "blowing up balloon event" and not the piece of string that Bertie tied around the end of each balloon.

Sooo …we all stood around cheering Bertie on by saying: "nearly there! Just a few more balloons to go! You've nearly made it!" (And all the time hoping that he didn't have a mini teddy heart attack! Although I did do my St. John's teddy first aid course not too long ago. I passed the course with "flying colours"!! Yes, the colours were red, green, yellow, blue and lilac. With my much distinguished and important role as official Kiosk-Ted for the Strathalan Kiosk, I thought that I should know first aid in case someone needed medical attention when visiting or helping at the Kiosk. But… I'll tell you a little secret. But you have to promise that you don't tell anyone else!! Do you promise that? Yes? Okay, I'll tell you. I don't really like the sight of blood! I go a bit woozy in the head. So if you happen to cut yourself in the Kiosk, and you see a teddy fainting, just realise why this is happening! I do recover quite quickly though from fainting spells! )

Bertie did NOT have a teddy heart attack and he DID get the 101^st balloon blown up and he DID then flop straight down onto a nice soft comfortable sofa and had a good sleep for an hour to pep up his energy levels again!! Whilst he had his nap, we all rushed around everywhere through the house and hung up the balloons.

The time came for the birthday party and little Bethany was just so very, very excited! Her face had a big grin on it from one teddy ear to the other teddy ear non-stop for the whole afternoon. She kept excitedly pointing at the balloons and giggling with happiness. It was such fun to see it!! And I was happy too because I like balloons also!

After the party was over,  Bethany  was so very kind and said that she would be delighted if all her friends took some balloons home with them so as they could have a happy balloon home too. Isn't that thoughtful of her?!! I was given some balloons to take with me back to the Kiosk, and so I went skipping off quite happily. Hmmm… I do wish that I could have said that I got home to the Kiosk and placed them so as everyone who visited the Kiosk could see them but… this day did not have a happy fairytale ending!! I was skipping along with the balloons in my hand, when all of a sudden a hugely big gust of wind appeared out of nowhere… and I went up in the air like Mary Poppins with the balloons lifting me up higher and higher! I do admit I got a little bit scared! I thought that my only option was to release the balloons from my teddy paws, and that would make me fall down onto the ground. As soon as I let go of the balloons, the descent to the ground was very rapid and I landed amidst some geraniums which nicely scented my fur and were a soft landing position spot. Goodbye to my balloons though! It didn't matter though because I was "safe and sound", I had enjoyed a happy birthday party day with Bethany, her family and my teddy friends, and I was coming home to the Kiosk to enjoy a good night's rest.( And perhaps a few biscuits from the shelves of the Kiosk? They do look yummy!! Perhaps a jam tart would be nice? Hmmm…)

Until next time,

        Enjoy watching colourful balloons floating high up in the air!!

            Your friend, Mr. Kiosk-Ted Strath

                Also simply known as "Ted"!!