I am feeling a little bit "down" and concerned today. No…I haven't been to the playground and played on the see-saw, although it is quite a fun place to visit! The only thing about going to the playground is that sometimes we have to apply all the important lessons we all learnt at teddy school when we studied mathematics, about gravity, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and weight, and all technical brainy "stuff" like that. I am just discovering now that all the things that you learn at school do really have  a practical use, you know! It does help in real life. I am soooo glad that I paid attention whilst Belinda bear, who was my favourite teddy teacher, taught all of us teddies so well, and wrote up on the blackboard lot of numbers and words. All the teddies in my school class took it in turns to bring a different variety of apple each day to give to Belinda. One day a teddy would bring a Royal Gala apple, the next day a Jonathan apple, the following day a Granny Smith, and then Pink Lady, and another day Red delicious and so on and on it went! I was just thinking the other day, Belinda must have really liked making apple pies with all these apples!!

Do you know what? I don't what to sound proud or be called a show -off but perhaps I could whisper something to you. Just come a little closer and I'll tell you it softly….I got a gold star sticker one day from Belinda for winning a spelling competition!! And a "good work!" sticker to place wherever I wanted too!! I was soooo happy! My little paws were waving wildly with excitement, and I was skipping here, there and everywhere! Little me, Kiosk-Ted, was the recipient of these 2 stickers!! Well, I was so happy inside, but then I calmed down because I didn't want to look too much show-offy! But my friends were so happy for me too!

 But anyway, back to the usefulness of learning maths, we soon discovered that we had to put our lessons we learnt into good use, because Mr. Tedderley Bear who is…hmmm…perhaps we could politely say that when he steps onto the weighing machine, the scales give a little moan!...when he sat on one end of the see-saw  poor little Ada teddy who was sitting on the other end completely catapulted up into the air and the next thing we knew , she had landed right in the middle of the sand pit which was quite a distance away from the see-saw!! It was quite a sight to see, her completely unexpected journey straight up into the air and across to quite an undignified sandy landing in the sand pit! And of course, as she landed, the nearby sand bucket got upended and she ended up wearing it on her head!! We of course all rushed over to see if she was all right, and to remove the bucker from her teddy head.! Apart from having quite a bit of sand caught in her paws, and a few bumps and bruises she was quite happy and exclaimed that "it was just like being in a rocket!! I actually was able to fly!! Super teddy can be my new nick-name!!. So…from that time on, we remembered what we had been taught in maths, and came up with the  equation  for using the see-saw. It is :   one Mr. Tedderley weight sitting on one end = 3 or  4 or more other teddies on the other end of  a see-saw!!

But back to why I am feeling a bit "down".  My little friend Meagan teddy bear is not too well.  Do you want to know how I heard this news? I heard it through the "bear-vine". I used to hear so many tidbits of news and interest through the "grape-vine" but then a most disastrous and worrying thing happened.  Little Timothy Teddy ate a grape, and he thought that the grape was a seed-less variety...and it wasn't ! It had a seed in the middle of it, and it got caught in his teddy throat!! And he didn't turn blue or even red, he just turned an even greyer shade of his grey fur!! He was spluttering and coughing and there was so much panicking occurring! The seed had caught in his throat and we didn't know what to do!! Well it just happened that Timothy lives near a golf course. And at that exact moment, a wayward and lost golf ball flew over his home's fence and hit little Timothy on the top of the back of his chest! He got such a fright and it hit him at such a force that he exclaimed loudly  "Oooh!! Ouch!!!" and with that the seed/pip came flying out of his mouth and conveniently landed in the nearby rubbish bin!! We were all sooo relieved (but I still wonder if the golfer is still looking for his lost golf ball?!!) I would not though advise being hit  in the back by a golf ball as a solution if you are choking  and have something stuck in your throat! ) That is why we don' have a "grape-vine" now, rather we exchange news through the "bear-vine". It is much safer!

I do ramble just a tiny bit don't I but anyway, back to what I was saying. Megan isn't too well, and it makes a little bit sad when one of my friends is not feeling the best. Mr. Oliver teddy bear is picking me up in his bearmobile vehicle and taking me to the bear hospital to visit her. Now…decisions, decisions!! What would Meagan like me to take her from off the Kiosk shelves? There are some lovely get well and thinking of you cards to choose from, I think I'll write on one of them. Perhaps I could take her a box of Roses chocolates, or she does like the soft fruit jubes. Dairy milk choc block is sure to be enjoyed, or maybe a packet of cream biscuits or chocolate biscuits or iced vo-vo biscuits? Perhaps soft marshmallowy snowballs would make her feel all nice and cozy and warm inside. Jam tarts??  I don't know what to choose!  Aha!! I've got it!! I've thought of the most perfect ever gift to take for her!! I'll take a packet of Continental cup-o-soup, the chicken soup variety!! Chicken soup is meant to be the number one best thing to drink/eat when you are feeling a bit poorly!

Now, there are some very lovely Residents that live at Strathalan, and I am very positively sure that they would not mind at all if I just happened to pick a few flowers from their gardens to make up a bouquet to take to Megan. If they knew her, I am sure that they would be delighted to play a part in me giving her these flowers. I promise that I will only take a couple of flowers from each garden, and so they won't miss the few flowers I take from each one. Thankyou in advance…

Oh! I can hear Oliver tooting the golden horn on his bearmobile, I had best be off. I have the packet of chicken soup in one paw and the bouquet of flowers in the other paw. ..

 Well, I have just got back from the hospital after visiting Meagan. She was so excited to see us! She did look a bit pale in the face, and her fur looked a bit "worse for wear", and she was laying quietly on the bed, but she told us that she was being cared for so well by the teddy doctors and nurses. And…she liked our present of the packet of chicken soup and the flowers!! Hmmm…just one slight hiccup in the proceedings though. A very nice helpful teddy Volunteer at the hospital came in to the room where Meagan is resting and offered to fill up a vase with water and put the flowers in it for her. Then just as quick as you could say:" Teddies take turns talking and making Megan feel a bit better.", the kindly Volunteer had returned with a vase of water with the flowers looking very nice in it. She was just about to place it on a shelf, when …the afternoon tea trolley arrived and entered the room. Somehow, the tea trolley lady did not see the Volunteer with the vase in her hand, and crashed straight into her arms, sending the flowers and water and vase flying, and the water landed on the packets of chicken soup!  Hmm…the packets of soup became quite a soggy mess! Well, the product does promise "instant soup" when water is added to it, but perhaps that is not what they meant!! I don't think the soup will be much use now but very nice Meagan reassured us that "it was the thought that counted!"

      Megan told us that she had to take anti-bearotics 4 times a day. This was to get rid of nasty germ infections. Humans have anti-biotics, us teddies have anti-bearotics. We also have a specially formulated pain reliever tablets called "bearmax", It is a bit stronger in dosage power than "panamax", and you need to have a teddy bear doctor's prescription to take it.  She also confided in us about what happened to the teddy patient in the next room. Apparently, the doctor got out the tongue tickler  which is shaped like an emery  board to look inside the mouth…and the patient took a bit too much of a gasp and nearly swallowed it!  But it was okay, and there was no need for the golf ball solution!

Well, little Meagan was looking quite tired and so we straight away decided that we should leave her so as she could have a little teddy bear nap. Talking can be really tiring you know. Of course, it was soooo necessary that we gave her a big teddy hug before we left…then we left the hospital, jumped back into the bearmobile and sped, (under the speed limit though!) back to the Kiosk.

I feel more happier now that I have seen Meagan, and know that she is being cared for well by the teddy staff at the Hospital. I think I will go to sleep now. It has been a long day.

Until next time…hope you are feeling okay and please don't eat grapes with seeds in them!

 Your friend, Mr. Kiosk-Ted Strath

                       Also simply known as "Ted"!