SCOUT: "Oh look Paddy! More beautiful pink primulas!"
PADDY: "Oh yes, and pretty yellow tulips too, Scout. How lovely!"
SCOUT: "Let's go and play hide-and-seek, Paddy."
PADDY: "Only if I can hide first, Scout. You have hidden first the last four games. Fair is fair!"
SCOUT: "Oh alright, Paddy. I..." *Pauses.* "Paddy! Paddy!"
PADDY: "What is it, Scout?"
SCOUT: "Paddy! Who is that?" *Points to a small tan bear amongst the pink primulas.*
PADDY: "I don't know, Scout. Shall we go over and say hullo?"
SCOUT: "Do you think we should, Paddy? He could be a big bad wolf in bear's clothing." *Puts paw to mouth in concern.* "Look and the big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, Paddy. He disguised himself as Grandmamma, and gobbled up Little Red Riding Hood!"
PADDY: "Nonsense Scout! There are no big bad wolves here. Let us go and say, hullo."
SCOUT and PADDY: *Walk over to small tan coloured bear.*
PADDY: "Hullo there little bear."
CAL: "Oh hi there! How exciting! Another bear!"
SCOUT: "Hullo." *Peers cautiously from behind Paddy's legs.*
CAL: "Oh two bears! Hi! How doubly exciting!"
PADDY: "Who are you?"
CAL: "Oh, my name is Cal." *Ponders and puts paw to mouth.* "Oh dear! I am not trespassing, am I? Is this your garden I am in? Please don't be cross if it is. I'm not doing any harm. I was just smelling the flowers."
SCOUT: "Primulas don't smell." *Shakes head knowingly.*
CAL: "Yes, I noticed that."
PADDY: "How do you do, Cal. My name is Paddy, and this is my friend Scout." *Scout waves shyly.* "And no, this isn't our garden. This is a public park, so we can all be here and enjoy the flowers. They belong to all bears and their Mummies and Daddies."
CAL: "Oh that's a relief!" *Wipes forehead with paw.* "I came here with my Daddy. He is going to photograph me in the flowers."
SCOUT: "How exciting! We came here with our Daddy and he is going to photograph us too, Cal!" *Less frightened and more excited.* "After Paddy and I have played some hide and seek of course."
PADDY: "I notice that you have an American accent, Cal."
CAL: "Yes. That's because I am from California. That is why I am named Cal, after California."
PADDY: "How very clever, Cal."
CAL: "Thank you, Paddy. It seems to me that you are British."
PADDY: "That's correct, Cal. I am."
CAL: "But I thought we were in Melbourne, not London. I must tell my Daddy that we are lost again."
SCOUT: "But we are in Melbourne, Cal. You and your Daddy aren't lost at all!"
CAL: "Oh that's another relief!" *Wipes forehead with paw again.* "Why do you have a British accent then, Paddy?"
PADDY: "Well, I came from Britain with my Daddy to live here in Melbourne."
CAL: "How funny, my Daddy found me in California when I was little and asked me to come and live with him in Melbourne."
DADDY: "Hullo there Cal. I have just met your Daddy. We would like to take photos of you with our cameras."
CAL: "Oh, hi there Paddy and Scout's Daddy! Hi my own Daddy!"
DADDY: "Now, get ready and say 'grumbly tummies'!"
PADDY, SCOUT and CAL: "Grumbly tummies!"
*Cameras click and whirr.*
SCOUT: "Do you like hide-and-seek, Cal?"
CAL: "Oh yes I do, Scout!"
SCOUT: "Would you like to play hide-and-seek with us, Cal?"
CAL: "Oh yes please Scout! I don't get to play hide-and-seek with other bears very often!"
SCOUT: "Hoorah!" *Jumps up and down with excitement.* "Well, Paddy is a very good seeker, so let's you and I go hide. You count to ten Paddy!" *Looks seriously at Paddy.* "Now cover your eyes! No peeking!"
PADDY: "I told you four games ago, I never peek, Scout, unlike some little grey bears I know."
SCOUT: "Well, I still don't know who that is, but cover your eyes now Paddy and start counting please, so Cal and I can go and hide. Alright?"
PADDY: "Oh very well, Scout." *Sighs deeply and covers eyes.* "One... two... three... four..."
SCOUT: "Goody!"
CAL and SCOUT: *Run off to hide in a bank of pretty pink primulas.*
On a recent fine day (unusual in what has been a very wet and overcast spring) I took Paddy and Scout out to play and to take some photographs in Melbourne's Domain Gardens, only to run into another man who was doing exactly the same thing with his bear, Cal from California! Fancy that! What do you think the chances are that two such like minded Daddies should happen to be in the same place, at the same time, doing the same thing?
In spring 2019 the gardeners of the Fitzroy Gardens on Melbourne's business district outskirts excelled themselves with several annual and perennial borders in the area around the Model Tudor Village planted with beautiful pink petunias, lollipop primulas in pink and white and rows of golden yellow tulips.
Three years later in 2022, the Melbourne City gardeners have extended their plantings of brilliant yellow tulips and pink primulas to other parks and gardens around the city centre.
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 mackintosh 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.