Here was I, just me who is little Kiosk-Ted, sitting on the floor of the Kiosk admiring the lovely sunshine that was streaming through the windows…when all of a sudden there was a "whoosh…splash…splish…splosh" sound!  My neck twisted around so fast that I almost got teddy bear whiplash as I tried to see what was causing this problem. I didn't have to go looking very far because I saw immediately a fountain of water jets sprouting out from the nearby tap and sink!! Something had happened to the plumbing and the sink had turned into a cascading eruption of water jets exploding spurts everywhere, and I didn't know what to do! My teddy mind started racing and racing trying to think up ideas to stop this water from turning into a flood. I could just imagine the next day's heading in the Herald-Sun: "Drowned teddy bear found at the Strathalan Kiosk. His last words were: ' My fur is so very, very soggy! It feels so very heavy on me!' " 

What do I do? What DO I do? I don't know. Then it hit me, I would ring the teddy bear plumbers' tradesmen advice and helpline. I got out my bear mobile phone and gave them a ring, and after listening to my precarious predicament they gave me the phone numbers of some reputable teddy plumbers. But…unfortunately because it was "out of normal business hours" there would be a surcharge on their services and an additional call-out fee.. Well, the situation was getting quite drastic with water overflowing a lot of the room by then, so I told them that I would just have to accept paying the extra surcharge and call out fee. Firstly I rang Penelope the Plumber bear but she was out taking her little daughter to a teddy kid's birthday party. Then I rang Patrick the Plumber bear, but he was out at footy training. Next on my plumber list was Patty the Plumber bear but she was right in the middle of making a soufflé and her husband told me that if she left it to talk to me it may sink down very, very quick!  The last teddy plumber name that I was given was Pete the Plumber… so I attempted to make contact with him. And he proved to be a very, very happy and cheerful teddy who reassured me that he would come at once to "rescue" me. Relief flooded my mind, and just as I was awaiting his presence, I heard a lovely whistling sound as Pete appeared marching up the Kiosk pathway whistling a happy tune. He had bright blue work overalls on, a spanner in one hand and his bright red tool box in the other. Waving a "hello" to me using his spanner, he entered the Kiosk and went straight to work on the sink and the water. I decided that since there was so much water around, I would grab some Windex window cleaner off the shelves and make the Kiosk windows sparkle and glisten. Pete the Plumber was a very good trades-teddy, and fixed the problem very well.  He even helped me to mop up the water mess. When I went to ask him what I needed to pay him for his good workmanship his reply was:  "Teddies are friends and we all stick together. You don't need to pay me because remember that teddies don't have pockets so where would I put the money?! "

So…I paid him with a GIGANTIC "thankyou very much", a BIG smile and a cup of Nescafe coffee and some lemon tarts. We had a good chat about teddy friends that we knew and reminisced about times gone past, and then he said that he had better leave because it was his little son's first piano learning lesson that day, and he wanted to get home to hear how it went.

I finished off doing the last cleaning up of the Kiosk, and by that time, with all the excitement of the day, I was a very tired little teddy! I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I dreamt pleasant dreams of beautifully landscaped English gardens filled with ornate fountains spouting out water….zzzzz

 Until next time,

                        Your "unsoggy" friend, Mr. Kiosk-Ted Strath

                       Also simply known as 'Ted".!!