I have just had the most  fantastical, best, brillliant, and "not too bad" idea for the Strathalan Kiosk! Are you ready to hear about it? You are ? Ready... get set...go! The idea is ... I am going to set up a shoe shining business at the Kiosk! I really, really like shiny, sparkly shoes! Shoes that dazzle in the sunshine! I could call my teddy business the " Sunshiney, sparkly shoe shining singing-as-I-work teddy" work service. You could bring your shoes into the Kiosk, and whilst buying your Kiosk purchases,  I would get to work straight away on cleaning up and shining your shoes! You would then walk out of the Kiosk with happy, smiling feet! I could set up a little corner with a royal red plush stool for me to sit on whilst I do my shining work.( I always think that the red plush soft  seating that you see in castles looks soooo luxurious, don't you? You could sit on the seating and straight away fall asleep! Hmmm.... I had best be careful that I don't fall asleep when I am cleaning your shoes! I would then have nightmares of cleaning and shining and cleaning and shining... and still the shoes would not be clean and bright! And my teddy paws would get achey! Pain always seems to be present in nightmares!)

But... there is something a bit strange that is associated with shoe shining. People talk about up using Kiwi shoe polish. Hmmmm.... I do NOT think that putting pieces of kiwi fruit on your shoes is going to make them shiny! I do know that kiwis have a lot of vitamin C in them, but when I was last reading the nutritional tables and benefits of fruits and veggies, I do not remember reading that shoes are lacking in vitamin C. I could be wrong, but the latest medical facts are that shoes don't need this vitamin. Also, did you know that they also don't need vitamin D tablets because they are out in the sunshine quite a lot. It is quite handy, because I have heard a whisper that shoes are not good at swallowing tablets.( I will tell you a little secret. I am not good at swallowing tablets also. I don't have a wide enough mouth! I know what you are thinking... I do have a wide enough mouth to chat with you ! But... that is different!)

       I was reading in  the latest edition of the Country Bears Association hints and tips magazine, ( which is a very good magazine to read if you wish to keep up with house trends, recipes, nutrition and food related items! ) and it informed me that self raising flour is good to sprinkle on shoes!  They do NOT guarantee that it will happen every time, but apparently sometimes when you dust shoes with self raising flour, the next time you wear them.... you start to fly! That would be sooooo much fun!  !  I could fly all around the Kiosk! It would be a very quick mode of transport ! The only thing is, that the flour might make me sneeze. I have a strange allergy to loose sprinkled flour! Pepper doesn't worry my nose, but flour makes my nose twitter and wiggle ! It is good that we are all different isn't it? !  I can cook steak with lots and lots of pepper and I know that I will never sneeze!

   Hmmm... I an having second thoughts about my shoe shining business. One of my teddy friends, Samuel the Shoe Shining teddy, has his own business and I would feel awful if he thought that I was stealing customers from him. With the way unemployment and jobs are at the present, I would not like him to be forced in voluntary teddy bankruptcy!  ( I know that he doesn't charge anything for his shoe shining service and I wouldn't either, but it is the principle of the thing! I would be taking away his customers.) I think I had better "Kiosk shelve" the idea and just stick to giving out friendly smiles to everyone who comes to the Kiosk!

     Well, I must say goodbye now... I need to go and shine my shoes!

          Until next time ,

                       Sprinkle some self raising flour on your shoes and you may be able to fly!

          Your friend,

                  Kiosk-Ted Strath