A TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC

f you go down to the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today, You'd better go in disguise. For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain because Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Well it is Ann's birthday celebration and YIPEE we had it in the Daisy Hill Forest with lots of other bears and friends.

I was dressed as an Aussie traveller because Ann loves travelling to different places in Australia.

Would you believe a real live Wallaby came to visit our picnic.

She even had a little joey in her pouch. I wish I had a pouch it would be handy for carrying a honey pot.

Uh Oh! There is a kookaburra checking out our picnic table. They are known to swoop down and steal food off your plate. I'm hanging onto my cake.

                                

These two old fellows obviously shop at the same shirt shop. Hee hee.

I'M A PHILATELIST

It is Paul's birthday and boy are we glad to see him here. He is very sick with Asbestosis Cancer. He is always having treatment to kill the tumours and the pain. However, when he can he enjoys collecting stamps. So I thought I would bring my stamp collection to share with Paul for his birthday.

 Paul was happy to see my collection but he was also keen to see what was on the menu at the Baan Thai Restaurant in Springwood.

Her are all my wrinkly friends: Bob, Bill, George, Paul, MOI, Helen, Chris, Mary, Ann and Diane took the photo.

I'M A PARTY GIRL

 It is Helen's special, big 70 birthday celebration. The wrinkles and I went to the Chatswood Tavern for lunch. We were lucky that the grey nomad travellers, Chris and Bob were in town and they joined us. It is always good to hear their stories of travelling around Australia in a caravan.

Chris, Diane, Mary, Helen, MOI, Paul, George, Bob, Ann and Bill took the photo.

I was wearing a a lovely party outfit and I felt very beautiful. Don't you like my sparkly, party shoes.
I brought a cake and a box of chocolates for the wrinkles to share.

Helen was happy to have me celebrate her 70th in style.

Mary dressed me for the occasion.

 My mouth started watering when Helen cut the cake. Bears love cake!

Oooops she nearly forgot to blow out the candles.

BEAR GOES TO BRIBIE

For Diane's birthday my wrinkly friends took me to Bribie Island for a few days in a nice resort overlooking the beach.




                       We went for a walk along the beach and I got sand in my furry feet.

Well that doesn't say No Bears but I guess I had better keep my clothes on.

The back of the resort overlooks the hinterland hills. At sunset we set off for dinner at the hotel across the road.

Ann had dressed me for Diane who had just returned from visiting her family in LA.

I am at the airport waiting to fly home to Australia and sad to say goodbye to the grandkids. The hotel manager gave Diane a free dessert for her birthday. She couldn't eat it all so I was a lucky bear and got to eat it all up.

The next day we went for a walk in the bush and along the bay side beach. It was beautiful weather for winter.

Then we visited the beach markets where the wrinkles met a friend of theirs, Joanne, who has a fabric stall. Boy I could get some good outfits there.

GOING DOWN MEMORY LANE

It was Mary's birthday and Helen helped me make an album of all my outfits and all the places where we have celebrated birthdays over the last eight years. Helen called me Memory Bear.

 It was a cool night so Helen gave me a warm scarf and hat to wear.

 Mary was looking forward to going down memory lane with me.

 I was even given a camera so I could record tonights celebration to add to the album.

 My wrinkly friends enjoyed looking at my album and remembering. It is a bit hard for them sometimes to remember stuff.

 They all got stuck into the Indian food at the Ceylon Inn in Graceville. It was too hot for my little bear mouth.

But Ann shared some of her Mango Kulfi ice cream with me. It was cold and not as nice as honey.

TRUCKIE BEAR

I was so excited when Mary dressed me as a Toll truck driver so that I could be like George before he retired. It is George's birthday celebration and I am going to remind him of the time when he was a truckie.

 Mary gave me a uniform, a clipboard, parcels and a truck. Wow am I thrilled.

 This is like the truck George drove.

 Mary took me to the Fishmonger's Restaurant where I stood proudly waiting to surprise George.

 I even had special work boots.

We had a great lunch and I even got a sip of wine and some chips/fries.

Yummy!

 Mary was the clever one who designed my outfit for today. Now lets go drive a truck!

CYCLONE MARCIA POSTPONES BILL'S BIRTHDAY BASH

I was all ready to go to Bill's Birhtday celebration, but it was pouring rain and blowing a gale. There was a cyclone moving down the coast towards Brisbane. The wrinklies decided that it might not be too safe going out if the weather was going to get worse as predicted. So the party was postponed for a week. Anyway, I felt safe in my waterproof bag but I still hoped Ann's roof wouldn't fly off in the wind.

The next week the weather was good and in fact the cyclone weakened before it arrived over Brisbane so we were all safe but very wet. It rained and rained. Good weather for ducks but not bears.

At last I could climb out of my bag and make a coffee for Bill when he arrives at the Chatswood Tavern for a birthday lunch with our wrinkly friends. Ann made me a special Barista's T-Shirt. It says, "HOWEVER YOU LOOK AT IT. IT IS COFFEE TIME". She also bought me a coffee machine and taught me to make coffee with a pattern in the throff. It so happens that Bill craves coffee about 10:30am everyday. It doesn't matter where he is it is coffee time when the clock hits 10:30am. I understand how he feels because I feel the same about honey. Bill also collects caps and loves trains so I have a cap with a train on it, which I will share with him. I also brought him some books to read by Dick Francis, one of his favourite authors.

Ann gave me the idea to be a Bear Barista and help Bill get his coffee everyday.

This is my new coffee machine.

I made a picture in the coffee and found some sexie sugar for Bill.

The wrinklies always have fun with me at their Birthday lunches. It was the first time we have been to this hotel and the staff were very interested in why I was at the party. One waiter came and asked why I was there. She  thought I was pretty good to have instead of a boring birthday present.

SANTA'S HELPER

I was so lucky. I applied for a job helping Santa make toys for all the children in the world. Santa usually employs elves for the job but this year he was happy to have a Bear help because he needed someone to make toys for all the bears in the world. Whoo Hoo how happy was I.

Ann dressed me and took me to Sunnybank Hotel to  celebrate Christmas with my wrinkly friends. See my mode of transport. I had finished making toys and it was nice to have a break. I hope all my bear friends enjoyed the toys that Santa brought them.

We had a great Christmas lunch. Even our travelling wrinklies, Bob and Chris were in town and they could join us. The staff at the Sunnybank Hotel are very good to us they are used to me coming to their place for lunch and they decorated the table for me and always set me a place.

Don't look now. Bill let me have some beer because it was Christmas. It had a sour taste but it made me feel good inside. It would taste better with some honey in it. No Christmas Cake but a swig of beer.