Well, would you like to hear about my exciting expedition that I went on with my teddy friends?  I would enjoy telling you about it, so settle back on a comfortable chair with a nice cushion, and I'll tell you all about it!!

Some of the nights here in the Kiosk can seem a bit long. But I really do like living here in the Kiosk, and I often get out my "boom box" music stereo player and do some dancing in the area outside the Kiosk whilst everyone is asleep. (Yes, that is why you might hear some music playing some evenings!! I try not to cause too much noisy disturbance to you!! I prefer to think of it that I am providing a "bright lullaby" sound to send you off to sleep and try to ensure happy dreams!) I really like dancing the night away!!

But, back to the expedition that I went on. Mt friend Mr. Oliver the Bear said that he and his friends were going to head to the local library and get some books to read. He is very kind-hearted and suggested that reading these books during the night might make the time pass quicker for me…or it would make me more sleepy and send me off to "teddy bear sleep-time"  quicker. Also, I could read some great novels through the day too. So… it was arranged that Mr. Oliver and our other teddy friends would arrive in their bearmobile at a certain time in the evening,  and off we would go. It was such a lovely night when that time arrived. The stars were twinkling, there were no clouds to be seen, the world was quiet, and I was so excited to be going out with my friends!! Well, off we went in the bearmobile, and we all had fun singing a happy tune on the way to the library, then suddenly we were there as quick as could be. Because the library was closed, the only entrance into the library was the library book returning chute. The first two of my teddy friends made it through the library chute very well. The next teddy (who we do have to admit is what you might call cuddly chubby!!) started to go through the chute and got his head and part of his chest through…then oops…he got stuck!! He literally was stuck in the library chute with his head pushed through one way into the library and his little legs were dangling on the outside!! What a funny sight!!And his little legs were working furiously as if riding a bike to see if that could propel him through. Well, what could we do?!! The only suggestion was for the first 2 teddies to do some "pulling" of his front half, and Oliver and myself to do the pushing on the outside!! But one "slight" problem arose, we all got the giggles and our "stuck" teddy friend was the one giggling and chuckling the most and it just made the pulling and pushing manouevres more and more difficult! He was totally wedged there!! And what would happen if any library security staff came or anyone else saw us?  We could just imagine the front page of the Herald-Sun newspaper with a photo of a teddy bear "splashed" across it with the headline: "Half stuck teddy bear in a library chute! Head made it through…the rest of his body and legs didn't!!" It would be sooo embarassing!! No, we could not have our friend suffer that embarrassment!! And we most definitely couldn't just leave him just stranded there!! ( Anyway how could the first 2 teddies get out of the library? Their way of exiting the library was also what was their entry point… and at that moment there was a "little" obstacle in the form of a friendly teddy bear blocking it!)

Well, we pushed and we pulled and we used all our muscles and we put on our "don't laugh" faces and we tried and tried and … eventually we got him through the chute and he landed with the big "thud" inside the library!! Hooray Hooray!! We all clapped !! Hmmm…in all that commotion we had forgotten a very "tiny" thing. We went about it the wrong way, because we now have our teddy friend inside the library, but how are we going to get him back outside again!! We were "no way" going to try to get him back through that chute again!! So... it was "inspector sherlock teddy bears" on the case, to try to find an alternative exit route! We got out our magnifying glasses and crept around the library…it would have been such a funny picture seeing us teddies tip toeing from one area of the library to the next, through the fiction, and non-fiction areas, through the children's books, the large print section, the paperbacks…until we found a door that has been left open ajar a little bit!! Well, we sped over to the door, and we all took a deep breath in…and squeezed through this door opening!! Yay! We were all back outside and jumped back into that flashy bearmobile. (And in all the commotion we hadn't even picked up any books to read!! Perhaps next time we visit the library we will pick up some books then?) We headed straight back to the Kiosk to drop me off first. I quickly got out, and shouted to my teddy friends a quick "Good night! Keep bright! Stay in the light! You'll be right!! Fly a kite! Alright!!" , which is ALWAYS the goodnight teddy greeting that we call to each other before saying goodnight or going to bed. ( Oh! I do hope that we don't happen to waken up any of the Strathalan Residents with our shouting goodnights? We do try to be considerate and not shout "too" loudly. But we are happy little teddies, and we like to send each other special teddy goodnights!!)  I marched into the Kiosk as fast as my legs would take me, and after all that had happened, I decided that I should treat myself to a calming supper of some items from the Kiosk shelves!! Now, what would be good to settle my nerves? Thinking, thinking…aha! Yes, I've got it! Indeed I've got it! I will grab some long life milk, pour it into a cup and "dunk" some milk arrowroot and ginger nut biscuits in it. That will certainly calm down the nerves of a bit of a ''frazzled" teddy after such a big adventurous night!! Shortly after my "dunking and drinking" supper, I lay my head and body down on a comfy seat in the Kiosk…and slept pleasant Kiosk dreams which contained all the special Kiosk customers that I see each day!!

 Goodbye for now!!

        Your friend, Mr. Kiosk-Ted Strath

        

      Also known as "Ted'