SCOUT: "Paddy? Paddy!"
PADDY: "Yes Scout?"
SCOUT: "Paddy, have you had a happy birthday?"
PADDY: "Oh yes Scout! You know what? I think this is the most wonderful birthday I have ever had!"
SCOUT: "That's good Paddy. Do you know why?"
PADDY: "No Scout, why is that particularly good?"
SCOUT: "Because I love you Paddy, very, very much!"
PADDY: "I love you too little Scout, very, very much!"
SCOUT: "I think all birthday parties should end with a snuffly birthday kiss. So here is one from me to you!" *Gives Paddy a snuffly birthday kiss.*
PADDY: "Thank you Scout! Do you know what?"
SCOUT: "What Paddy?"
PADDY: "I think that is the nicest snuffly birthday kiss I have ever had!"
SCOUT *Smiles happily* "Happy birthday Paddy!"
PADDY: "Hullo everyone! Do you know what? Bears have two birthdays. Do you know what else? Today is one of my birthdays! And do you know what else? Today is my Daddy's birthday too! Isn't that a wonderful coincidence! Now Scout and I are not allowed to use the oven for fear of singeing our plush fur, so even though it is his birthday, Daddy has been so kind and has baked me a birthday cake! It is a Victoria sponge with raspberry jam between the layers, dusted with icing sugar and hundreds-and-thousands! Grumby tummy Daddy! Grumbly tummy!" * Rubs tummy vigorously. "Isn't Daddy nice to do that just for me? I can't eat that cake all by myself, even with a grumbly tummy, so I am having a birthday party. I have invited Scout, Cousin Paddington and Daddy of course. I've also asked my pug dog Cabbage to come along, and also Chippy the monkey who lives in the front room. I know that everyone who I've asked to come will enjoy the occasion!
If today is your birthday too, I'd like to wish you a very happy birthday full of big little bear hugs and snuffly birthday kisses. Even if it isn't, I'd like to wish you a very happy day full of big little bear hugs and snuffly kisses. Would you like some cake too?"
This beautiful faerie tale pantomime nursery tea set was made in England by the Shell China Company in the 1930s. It features six cups, saucers and plates (not all the set is being used today) as well as a teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, platter, sandwich plate, a lidded soup tureen on its own dish and a gravy or cream jug on its own dish. Each piece is gilt edged and decorated and feature different faerie tales including: "Cinderella", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Dick Whittington and his Cat", "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" amongst others. The set I acquired from England, and it is a sister set to a 1920s Shell China Company nursery rhyme tea set that I was given as a gift some years ago by a close friend who knows I collect nursery ware and children's tea sets. The party goers also have a tiny doll (bear) sized nursery napkin each which is hand embroidered with a donkey motif. There are also doll (bear) sized tea spoons which are sterling silver salt spoons, and the sugar nips in the "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" sugar bowl are Eighteenth Century sterling silver.
My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his Macintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.
He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.
Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.
Cousin Paddington is a recent visitor to our family. Travelling all the way from London, he was caught in transit thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, so it looks like he is stopping with us for a while. The more I look into his happy, smiling face, the more attached I am becoming to him.
Chippy the monkey came to live with me when I was four. His name is derived from his innards, which are broken chips of hazelnut shells. He was made in America some time in the mid Twentieth Century. He features beautiful brown glass eyes, a felt face, hands and feet. He was given to me by one of my Grandfather's friends who worked in a small high street toy shop which sold a mixture of new, vintage and antique toys. Chippy was vintage at the time, and had been well loved prior, so with a few holes, some worn plush and patches, he was too worn to be sold, but my family friend knew that my gentle nature and respect for my toys meant he could find a new home with me for a long time. All these decades later, she was proven right, for he still lives with me; a bit more loved, a bit more worn and with a few more patches. He also has some red chalk marks on his right hand which I remember putting on him by accident when I was six! He wanted to draw a rose on my chalkboard and I helped him do it!
Cabbage is Paddy\'s Pug Dog. He was a gift to Paddy from a friend who also likes Pugs. He is fiercely loyal to Paddy and Scout, but seldom stays around long enough to have his picture taken, as there are always new adventures to sniff out.
