Read Mumsnetters’ special Paddington Bear stories! - £250 voucher to be won for testers!NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the 10 Mumsnetters who received a Paddington Bear cuddly soft toy.

Here’s what they say, “One of the most beloved characters of all time comes to the big screen for the first time on November 28, in a magical family film from the producer of the Harry Potter series, featuring an all-star cast that includes Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.

“Paddington is a small bear who has grown up deep in the Peruvian jungle with his Aunt Lucy. When an earthquake destroys their home, Aunt Lucy decides to smuggle her young nephew on board a boat bound for England, in search of a better life. Arriving alone at Paddington Station, Paddington soon finds that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family, who find him with a label tied around his neck which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’ They offer him a temporary home whilst he searches for the explorer who impressed Aunt Lucy all those years before. But when Paddington catches the eye of a sinister, seductive taxidermist, it isn’t long before his home – and very existence – is under threat...

“You can watch the exciting trailer for Paddington below.”

If you were a Mumsnetter who received a Paddington Bear cuddly soft toy, we’d like you to post on this thread three times in the coming two weeks updating us on the adventures of your Paddington Bear. We’d like you to take a creative writing approach when posting on this thread (embellished or completely fictional stories are encouraged!).

So, what has your Paddington Bear been up to? Maybe they joined you on the school run and snuck into class with your DC and only later did you hear about the tricks they played on your DCs teachers that day! Or maybe they came along on a family day out to the zoo and Paddington Bear tried to befriend the other bears there? Whatever adventures you and Paddington Bear have been on, we’d love to hear them!

If you have any photos of your Paddington Bear on an adventure, please do share these on this thread as well!

Everyone who posts on this thread three times with their updated story will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £250 Love2Shop voucher!

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[PommingtonBear]

19 November

Freed today from being trapped inside a small cardboard box with absolutely no memories of my previous life and no possessions aside from my hat and my coat. Finally freed from my box, I was met by 2 small, hairless creatures who immediately bounced around shrieking "PADDINGTON!", and tried to feed me wooden fruit, vegetables, and give me invisible drinks. Whilst I appreciated the sentiment, it all seemed a bit strange, and I can't help but feel that I may be in some sort of parallel universe.

Life only got stranger when, after a (real) tea, it was announced that it was time for the small hairless creatures to go to bed (perhaps a blessed relief by this point - I was very tired from my journey). Before they went upstairs, however, they showed me the strangest sight - they have stuffed versions of myself throughout the house. Effigies. Am I some sort of deity in this world?

Before bed, we read from a compendium of stories featuring - again - myself. And at last, I realised my back story. Perhaps you people have heard it before - it seems I am rather famous. A train station, a family, some buns and some home based disasters. We avoided those things here tonight. Just teeth brushed, hands and paws washed, and then to bed. I don't know how I came to be here - the oldest hairless creature suggested maybe a man in something called a TARDIS. I spent the night with the smallest hairless creature. You know, I am starting to become fond of these creatures already, for all of their quirky and noisy ways.

Apparently tomorrow the adventures really begin. Schools, trips out, and something the smallest hairless thing refers to as "tobbler group", which sounds horrific. Me, I have eyes on Jessie the Cowgirl, who resides in the eldest hairless creature's bedroom.

Love,

Paddington.

[InMySpareTime]

Paddington arrived while the DCs were at school, which is just as well as it meant I got a chance to meet him properly.
I made him us a blanket den to read in all afternoon, and it was all terribly civilised. I read proper literature while Paddington pored over railway magazines, looking for the train that brought him from Darkest Peru. His tag must have got lost on the way from the station to the delivery man, so I wrote him a new one, which cheered him up immensely.
After school, the DCs made Paddington watch a film, which he didn't really enjoy. He asked if there was any marmalade (there wasn't), and if he could possibly have a cup of tea with a saucer (he did, but insisted on drinking from the saucer, which was an unorthodox tea-drinking method to say the least!)
Once the DCs were in bed, Paddington settled down to read a box-set of Michael Bond's fantastic books. He felt the author understood his struggles, and really identified with the books. He was still reading them in the morning, and DD swapped the one he was reading for the one she took to read in bed. It seems they have something in common after all.

[TealCarpet]

A Supermarket Adventure

Paddington arrived at the home of the Teal family on a chilly November morning. Unaccustomed to travelling by post he was relieved to be released from his brown cardboard package by the two miniature Teals - Toddler Teal and Tiny Teal, who both shrieked at the sight of Paddington. Shocked at the cost of postage from Deepest Darkest Peru, he was even more shocked to be told that there was no marmalade in the house!

"We're more of a nutella jam family really" said Mrs Teal, "but we could pop to the supermarket to fetch a jar of marmalade for you if you like".

"Excellent!" exclaimed Paddington, excited at the thought of not just a market, but a super one at that! So Mrs Teal, Toddler Teal, Tiny Teal and Paddington set off for the local supermarket. Mrs Teal remarked as they left that it was just as well they were going as they had also, rather worryingly, run out of naice ham and could pick some up whilst they were there.

At the supermarket, with both miniature Teals safely contained in a trolley, Paddington noticed a lady in a large pink hat drop her shopping list. "Excuse me madam..." he began, but she had already walked off. He glanced down at the list:

1. Whole chicken (enough to last 8 meals);
   
2. Pom bears
   
3. Marmalade
   

"Marmalade!" Paddington cried. I must follow that lady and she'll lead me right to it he thought. Losing sight of the Teal Family and the lady in the pink hat, Paddington soon realised he was utterly lost. As he wondered up and down he couldn't see his new family anywhere. Finally, sitting down to rest, he looked up at the shelves towering over him and his eyes grew wide with excitment.

"Where's Paddington?" asked Toddler Teal. They all looked around worriedly. Just as Tiny Teal's bottom lip began to wobble Mrs Teal had a brainwave. "Don't worry" she said, "I've a good idea where he'll be". She pushed the trolley in the direction of the conserves aisle, and sure enough, happily sat on top of the jars, was Paddington.

"I think we've all earned a drink after that" sighed Mrs Teal with relief, and they all headed off the cafe. Whilst initially disappointed that there were no marmalade sandwiches on the menu, Paddington was nevertheless pleased with his babycino. As he sat enjoying his frothy milk and chocolate sprinkles, Paddington realised that he was going to rather enjoy living with the Teal Family....

[mjmooseface]

Love the stories - and picture - so far!!

[halfdrunkcoffee]

Well, the weather here is certainly a bit colder than in South America, so I'm glad I decided to wear my duffel coat! I’ve had a lovely time so far. The journey was a bit cramped and stuffy, as I was shut up in a cardboard box all the way from Paddington Station via Darkest Peru. I wish Aunt Lucy had told the post office to give me a bigger box, so I could have stretched my legs more and maybe had some marmalade sandwiches. But I’m here now and all is well. I’ve even spotted a book all about me on the shelf, so it appears I’m quite a famous bear.

There are two children in my new home (I’ve nicknamed them Cocoa and Cappucino). Today it was Cocoa’s fourth birthday and he kindly offered me some of his Nutella for breakfast. I told him I prefer marmalade and I did my best to eat my breakfast without getting too sticky, which is more than could be said for my two human role models.

Cocoa’s daddy had the day off work and after he had finished nursery (Cocoa that is, not his daddy), they went to a big soft play place. I stayed behind as I was a bit worried about getting lost. Both the children told me that they had had some Pom-Bears there, which the younger one calls teddy crisps. When they got back we had some birthday cake, and then I watched my new family trying to set up a marble run. “This is very difficult,” they told me. “Paddington, when you're older I think we need to enrol you at university so you can do a degree in Marble Run Assembly. Then maybe we’ll be able to figure out how to use up all the pieces.”

[PommingtonBear]

20th December

Woke this morning with a headache only vaguely related to the ingestion of marmalade products. In the middle of the night, I ventured forth from the bed of YoungHairlessCreature into the room of OlderHairlessCreature and located Jessie the Cowgirl.

Slicking down the edges of my hat and checking my claws, I fixed her with my (literally) beady eyes and asked if I might have a nibble of her marmalade sandwich. That girl has a kick on her with those boots, I can tell you. Realising that perhaps the poor girl had never heard of marmalade, I tactfully asked if I might have a rummage in her condiments instead. After which I left to nurse my poor battered skull.

This morning was ghastly - Shreddies on the breakfast table. I'm clearly going to have to educate these people. OlderHairlessCreature assures me that there is marmalade in the house, so why on earth it wasn't a breakfasting option I don't know. Plan for today: scale the fridge and stow the jar in my hat.

After abandoning OlderHairlessCreature at what seems to be some kind of zoo for Hairless Creatures ("school") I got to see the joy of the aforementioned "tobbler group". Oh. My.

Lots and lots and lots of screechy, sticky, small Hairless Creatures running round with toys. General wailing with occasional bursts of singing. The only bonus was that at least 70% of the people there WORSHIPPED ME TOO. A bear can't help but feel a little important.

After the OlderHairlessCreature returned, we went out to a garden centre to see Christmas lights. Marvellous. Enchanted, sparkly, snowy forests, sparkles, and a big Father Christmas. The Hairless Creatures told me about how he comes down the chimney and brings presents if you are good. Can you imagine?

Now, clearly I am a Very Important Bear. I clearly Have A History. I decided I must see Father Christmas. So, as such, whilst the Hairless Creatures had their baths, I tiptoes downstairs and found the fireplace. I stared up it...such a long way. I could see no toes, no presents - so what else could a bear do? Clearly, there is likely to be a large man with a wrapped supply of marmalade just waiting for me. And so, I began my ascent.

It was slow and sneezy, dark and dreary. Finally, I saw stars...but couldn't blame Jessie this time. My head was outside. No Father Christmas. No presents. No marmalade. I squeezed out of the chimney, sat on the pot and pondered. Until I sneezed. The force of the sneeze catapulted me forward, and I slid down the roof, and dropped down onto the doorstep once more. With a blackened paw, I reached up and rang the doorbell.

Once they deduced it was me, not a wild bear, and they'd scrubbed the soot from me, I was FINALLY given some marmalade on toast for tea. Apparently Father Christmas comes but once a year. I ate quietly, safe in the knowledge that if nothing else, I'd still managed to get my paws on marmalade somehow.

Love,

Paddington.

[AlfieandAnnieRose]

These stories are great! PommingtonBear you should write a book! I can't wait to read the next instalment

[PommingtonBear]

Started the morning QUITE in the Bearhouse, one might say.

I spent the night in the room of the OlderHairlessCreature, which meant I had perfect opportunity to apologise to Jessie for my verbal stumbling. Unfortunately, I had not counted upon my new nemesis - Buzz Lightyear.

The ghastly space ranger blocked me immediately, demanding my name, rank, mission and some other nonsense I missed when I flicked the helmet of his spacesuit down mid flow. I found Jessie feeding Bullseye and looking at a Woody. (He's another cowboy, it seems)

Just as I was about to offer a Sandwich of Peace, Buzz reappeared, and distracted me with idle banter. He chatted to me about Darkest Peru, and whether or not I miss my family and friends. I explained it's difficult with the amnesia, but that it would be nice to see other Ursidae. He nodded sympathetically, and told me about some wonderful beaches populated entirely by a species of bear of which I might never have heard, and how I could use the internet to discover how to visit them in their natural habitat. Apparently there might have been some near here, but they were likely to be hibernating for a few months. Naturally, I was thrilled. Buzz scribbled the genus "nudist" and "naturist beach" down for me, and sent me off with the iPad. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.

MY EYES. MY INNOCENT BEADY EYES.

I only looked for a second - honest - but it must have set off some kind of alarm system in the house because Mrs and MrPommington burst into the room, took the iPad off me, pug me on a "naughty step" (I don't know what the poor step did wrong) and I'm on a marmalade ban for 3 days.

I HATE BUZZ LIGHTYEAR.

By morning, my escapades had been almost forgotten. A lorry had crashed overnight into the local pub! It doesn't sell marmalade, so I'm not a suspect. OlderHairlessCreature got to go into school an hour later than usual, but YoungerHairlessCreature and I headed to preschool at "normal time"

You know what? I had FUN. We got to make reindeer food. This magic stuff lures Father Christmas' reindeer down onto your front garden and shows them that you are ready to receive your marmalade packages. We also made some lanterns, which I think could be used for midnight escapes to find Buzz Lightyear's off switch. Or for marmalade. I also promised I would wave a paw at The Willows PreSchool in North Bradley, whose settling in period was marvellous for a bear such as myself ?

I am hoping for a calmer weekend. We are going "to Bath" which is apparently less wet than "a bath" unless it is raining. Confusing.

[InMySpareTime]

It's all go in the Sparetime household, they always seem to be off doing something or other.
The Boy came home to do his homework before going to play at a friend's house. I wanted to go with him, but he said his friends don't understand about bears, so Mrs SpareTime took me to youth club instead. I was in charge of making gingerbread stained glass windows, which is actually a very tricky task for a furry creature such as myself. I thought Youths would be scary, but they were actually very polite and lovely, like bear cubs, only a bit bigger.
The only problem was getting the sticky boiled sweet remnants out of my fur, though I discovered I could lick my fur to get the sweets out, and the Girl helped get the gingerbread off the back of my paws by dunking me in the washing-up water.
Today I'm off to run a book stall at a book fair. Sounds more egalitarian that a book unfair I suppose.
Will report back later...

[Mamaours]

Dear Mumsnet,

First of all, thank you for giving us an opportunity to host such an interesting character as Paddington. I feel obligated to let you know though that this hasn’t been the enriching experience that I was expecting. First of all, Paddington lost his suitcase during his journey, which seemed to cause him a lot of distress. It is quite difficult to communicate with him (despite what I had been led to think, Paddington doesn’t appear to speak a word of Spanish – he expresses himself through what I could only describe as ‘grunts’), and I had difficulties to understand why he had arrived in such a mood, until DD1 pointed at his lack of luggage. We then set to replace it, using a piece of cardboard to make a tiny suitcase. This is what DD included in the little suitcase- according to her this is what bears need when they go on a holiday: my naice electric toothbrush, her sister’s little knitted socks, a bagful of random toys, a potato peeler (?), a deflated ball she kept the nice new ball for herself, a kitchen towel and a couple of nappies (we couldn’t help but notice poor Paddington is pretty much incontinent). She also offered to give him some fruit compote but he looked at it in absolute despair and made an offended grunt. Surely when you are invited somewhere and offered food, the minimum would be to say thank you, and have a taste? DDs are now both completely off fruit compote as a result.

I have to say, dear Mumsnet, that I’m not too sure about Paddington becoming my daughters’ companion. I mean, I was happy enough to host him, and in fact was hoping to learn about Peruvian cuisine (does it involve marmalade?) and brush off my Spanish skills, but he really has terrible manners. AIBU? Yes, I understand the poor thing is jetlagged, lost his suitcase, doesn’t speak a word of English, but did he have to keep us awake the whole night, rampaging through my kitchen and then the garden (looking for marmalade?), then making himself a cosy little nest by pulling out the filling from the DDs' cuddly toys? Really? Does he come with home insurance? Or is there a way to switch him off? And I haven’t mentioned his SMELL yet…

On a last note though, I found him this morning sleeping in DD2’s cot, holding her tight between his little paws as if she was his teddy. I think that the first time she slept through (she normally wakes up for a feed God knows what he fed her). This was pretty cute I admit.
Anyway, we are taking him out to London this weekend so I will be reporting back soon! (Don't worry, I’m not out looking for that Uncle Pistachio or whatever he is called to take him off my hands).

[janney3]

I finally made it to my new address after 48 hours stuffed inside a small, airless cardboard box. My new family were out on the first delivery so I got sent back to a dark sorting office for one night which was an experience not to be repeated. Cold, dark and rather noisy I was so glad when my family finally managed to get time off work to receive me.

There's a lot of them and a rather hairy, furry creature that I have tried to make friends with but who keeps on carrying me around by the scruff of my neck in his mouth. I think he believes I am his bear cub.

Whilst on a shopping trip with my family today I bumped into an old relative of mine, I seem to have a lot of relatives in this town, it's all rather exciting.

[hermancakedestroyer]

Life has taken quite an interesting turn recently. Life for me used to be as complicated as my marmalade sandwiches but since then has been most peculiar.
It all happened when I emerged from a small cardboard box with little more than my coat and hat (my sandwiches were nowhere to be seen!)
I found myself surrounded by delighted faces and squeals of delight at my arrival - the children seemed quite pleased too.
I settled into my new routine and life fairly quickly and was soon very much a part of my new family.
That evening they handed me a ticket which said England ladies v Germany ladies on 23rd November 2014 and they then took the opportunity to take a quick picture of me (see left)
The following morning the family were up early and whisked me off into the car and before I knew it I was whizzing up the M25 on my way to London.
After a fairly lengthy journey we arrived at a place I have never seen before called Wembley Stadium. There were thousands and I mean thousands of people who looked very much like my new family and a little less like me.
The atmosphere was electric. The match started and Germany ladies scored the first goal after only a few minutes. Then another goal was scored by the German side...just before half time another goal was scored by the opposition meaning only one thing - different tactics were required.
I took it upon myself to join the England ladies and pulled on an England football top with the words P.Bear and the number 32 on the back (in honour of my first home placement at Windsor gardens). I scurried down to the Wembley turf and took up my place as centre forward.
The crowd looked confused that a bear of my calibre had graced this very important game but I was 'bearly' aware of how important my input was going to be.
Within 44 minutes I had scored a hat-trick to make the score 3-3 and as we entered the final minute of the game I was fouled in the penalty area. Penalty! To me! The crowd held their breath as I stepped forward to the penalty spot as the clock ticked onwards towards full time.
Time seemed to slow as I ran towards the football and buried it in the top right hand corner of the net! We had won!
The England ladies were thrilled that I had made such a difference to the score line and they lifted me onto their shoulders cheering 'Paddington' 'Paddington' 'Paddington'
As my family took me home I could still hear the crowds cheers ringing in my ears.
Until next time, Paddington

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I arrived at this strange abode last Thursday.. It appears to be a sort of Zoo, two dogs roam freely and at last count there seems to be three little people and two big people in permanent residence. I guess I am the latest addition, and while they are a noisy bunch, they have been welcoming. I still haven't figured out who is in charge or if they normally operate to a routine, it all seems very haphazard. I think I may enjoy it here.

The middle little person took me along to a tennis lesson on Sunday morning. Honestly, they leave a basket full of balls unattended and look upset when you play with them! I thought the game looked far too easy with just one ball going back and forth but they didn't appreciate my efforts... The lady in the kitchen needs new glasses which worked out quite well for me on the toast and marmalade front, all in all a most enjoyable morning.

I don't think the big person was best pleased with me though as I was unceremoniously left in the car while they all went to a birthday party that afternoon. They have really improved car security too, almost two hours I spent trying to get that machine started, better luck next time. It seems calmer here mid week. Lots of talk of 'Christmas' which I need to get more information on. Whatever it is, it sounds like fun

[TealCarpet]

The birth of a new internet forum

The next morning, refreshed after his adventure at the supermarket the day before, Paddington enjoyed several rounds of marmalade on toast whilst watching Tiny Teal carefully and quietly smear weetabix across the table, ready to turn into cement before Mrs Teal noticed. He could hear Mrs Teal trying to persuade Toddler Teal to get dressed. She seemed awfully keen on the word "no" he thought to himself. "Right, off to the park" Mrs Teal announced. Paddington wondered if he was going to be expected to walk. He needn't have worried. "Baby bear's going in dolly's pushchair" Toddler Teal decided. Comfy in his new chariot they set off for the park. After an hour of repeatedly going up and down the slide, Paddington was tired and relieved when Mrs Teal said it was time to go and pop to the shop before home.

On their way from the park to the supermarket, a lady with a rather large boil on her neck walked past. Paddington could have sworn that he heard a loud klaxon sound in the distance. How odd. Then he spied a lady parking in a baby and child space right by the doors. As she got out of her car, Paddington wondered where her child was, until he realised she was alone. How every....Paddington struggled to think of the right word...ah yes, how very entitled of her he thought.

After picking up some shopping the Teals stopped by the cafe for another round of babycinos (by now Paddington had realised that this was somewhat of a hobby for the Teals). Sitting down to enjoy his hot beverage, Paddington overheard two women on the table next to him. The first lady read aloud to the other lady a classy little poem she had written to go in her wedding invitations asking for lots of cash instead of presents, and also informing guests that they would be expected to pay £50 per head for the honour of coming to the reception. "Are you on glue??" the second lady asked her. What a strange conversation Paddington mused.

Looking at her receipt as they left Mrs Teal muttered "we should have gone to Aldi, mumsnetters swear it's much cheaper". What is this mumsnet Paddington asked her? Mrs Teal explained the wonders of MN...how it was a forum for people to chat and find out the answer to ANYTHING.

As he snuggled down with his hot water bottle to sleep that night, Paddington thought to himself that there really ought to be somewhere to discuss all the days events online with other like-minded bears. Furrowing his brow pondering possible names, Paddington suddenly shouted "BINGO! I'll call it bearsnet" (which seemed to him infinitely preferable to the less classy sounding netbears!).

His first post would be called "AIBU to expect people without children to not park in parent and child spaces when I'm popping to Aldi to stock up on reasonably priced marmalade to make sandwiches to take to bridezilla's wedding as I refuse to fork out £50 for a buffet". He wondered what the Aibu consensus would be....perhaps he'd chicken out and post it in chat just to be on the safe side

[InMySpareTime]

So, I helped at the book fair at the weekend, it was really interesting to see all the wonderful books on the stalls. There was a stall with poetry books, a stall with cutted up books in frames, and even a fellow who showed people how to bind their own books.
Mrs SpareTime and I were on a stall with a pretend grass cloth on it, and the books were hung from the branches of a pretend tree.
I asked why, apparently it's something to do with marketing.
The book fair was in a pub, and being a resourceful bear I quickly found the bit of the pub where they keep the food. I passed a lovely hour or two among the jars of marmalade and the buns, then the chef found me and was really cross about something.
Mrs SpareTime calmed him down by offering him a lot of signed books, and promising that next time she'd leave me behind.
I didn't have much of an appetite for dinner after that, so I went off to bed, but as I went upstairs I'm fairly certain I heard Mr SpareTime say "thank goodness, I wasn't sure I could take much more!
Much more of what, I wonder...

[PaddyBearinTown]

The Arrival

It was an ordinary day, in an ordinary house on the outskirts of an ordinary city. Mrs Carter had finished the washing, tidied up the breakfast things and hoovered the floor. Just as she was sitting down with a nice cup of tea, there came a loud knock at the door.
Grumbling a little under her breath, Mrs Carter opened the door. But no one was there! As she gazed around with a puzzled frown, her eyes fell onto a small, innocent-looking package on the doorstep. Whatever could it be?
Her curiousity aroused, Mrs Carter carried the package carefully to the table and proceeded to attack the wrappings. Inside, she found a small brown bear, curled up and snoring softly. His cosy, blue duffle coat was wrinkled from the journey, and his black hat had been dislodged so that it covered his face. The bear's nosed twitched and he shifted a little in his sleep. As she peered down at him, Mrs Carter felt a peculiar lump in her throat.

Less than an hour later, Paddington (for that was the bear's name) found himself comfortably ensconced in Mrs Carter's best armchair, sipping a lovely cup of tea and munching a marmalade sandwich. The two of them were chattering away like old friends and Paddington had shared much of his life story. Tales of the Peruvian jungle, a tremendous voyage by boat and the hustle and bustle of Paddington station. Stories of friendship and fun with the Brown family.
Here, Paddington seemed to hesitate, as if a little afraid to continue. (But not very afraid. After all, nobody could call him a scared bear.)
“And now...” he continued, “I feel I'm ready for a new family. A new adventure. I was rather hoping... That is, I thought... I wondered...” His words faded away, leaving just a whiff of hopefulness in the air. Hopefulness and a smidgen of anxiety.
Mrs Carter smiled a long, slow smile. “You wondered whether you could stay here,” she stated. “Well... the answer's yes. But be warned- if it's peace and quiet you're looking for, you won't find it here! You haven't met the rest of the family yet.”

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I had the most amazing morning with the smallest little person .

Wait until you hear what we did. What we created... I am sure there will be a huge demand for the Rice Krispie carpet up and down the country once word gets out! He may look small and harmless but that boy has a mind for trouble and a spirit for adventure that finds us working nicely together

The first step is to make sure no big people are about. The small one suggested we wait until she started changing the bedding in the rooms they sleep in upstairs. This task is done weekly I am assured . Anyway, with the big one upstairs and the other little people at something they call 'not school again' we got to work.

Using a kitchen chair and lots of determination the small one got to the cereal cupboard. We were almost rumbled at this point, by the big one walking past but she appeared to be carrying a sheet mountain and didn't spot us. The box of Rice Krispies was freed from its designated place and we used a wooden cart to move it to the lounge.

After careful consideration we decided that the most effective outcome would be if we covered the big persons new beautiful huge pink wool rug with all the Krispies. That's right, ALL of them. We set to work, making sure to spread the layers as evenly as possible and to cover as much surface area with the tiny grains of cereal dust. It was joyous! It went everywhere.

As we stood back to admire a job well done, we had the unexpected bonus of discovering that the new carpet of Krispies talked! Can you believe it? It snapped, crackled and Popped as we ran up and down.

All this fun was rudely interrupted by the arrival of the big person. She seemed to say some sort of prayer on seeing our hard work, there were lots of words I hadn't heard before.. I didn't ask her to explain there and then as she appeared to be a bit grumpy, perhaps I'll fix her a marmalade sandwich later and ask her then .

[PaddyBearinTown]

A Walk in the Park

Later that day, a rather nervous Paddington accompanied Mrs Carter on the school run. He held Mrs Carter's hand tightly as they weaved their way through the throng of awaiting parents. A hundred thoughts jostled for attention in his mind. What if the children didn't like him? No one could call him a scared bear... but he was just a little anxious.

A moment later, Paddington's thoughts flew apart as he was bowled over backwards by a small, blonde child in an astonishingly pink dress.
“A bear! A bear! A real bear! Mummy can we keep him, can we, can we.... please...?”
“Isla, calm down! Yes, we can keep him,” said Mrs Carter. Isla's pigtails went flying as she jumped up and down in glee. Paddington gasped for breath as her small arms pulled him into a big bear hug. Just as he was beginning to recover, he was squeezed tight by a slightly larger child, brown hair streaming untidily around her face. Rosie reached down to hug her little sister, before moving on to her mum and then back to Paddington.

Mrs Carter turned to Paddington with a rather apologetic smile. “As I said... don't expect peace and quiet!”
“That's quite alright,” said the slightly flustered bear, “It's great to be part of a family again!”



On their way home, the Carter family made a detour to the park. Rosie and Isla pulled Paddington along by his paws, excitedly showing him all the local landmarks. Although it was a dull day, the autumn foliage created a splash of colour and the children's voices echoed brightly in the air. Paddington was enjoying himself immensely.

Until the tree incident.

Later on, the girls would (of course) blame each other. Rosie swore that it was Isla's fault- after all, it was her idea to collect 'interesting and unusual' autumn leaves. Isla was equally convinced that Rosie was to blame; it was Rosie that spotted the beautiful russet leaf, blowing gently at the topmost branch of a nearby hawthorn tree.

Paddington was never quite sure how it happened, but he found himself clambering bravely into the lower branches. (After all, no one could call him a scared bear).

“Just a bit higher,” he said.
“Almost there...” he muttered.
“And now...”
“Perhaps if I try....” And reaching up, Paddington grabbed on to a higher branch. “Ouch!” he yelped. “Prickles!”

At the bottom of the tree, Isla craned her neck, trying to see what was happening, while Rosie shouted encouraging (but not very helpful) advice.
“Go on, Paddington! Up to the next branch. No, go back a bit!”
Paddington valiantly tried his best to follow instructions. He inched forwards. Higher and higher. Further and further. Desperately, he tried to avoid looking down. Then, with a last, tremendous effort, he launched himself towards the elusive prize. Paddington's paw closed on the leaf. His jubilant shout filled the air.

“Got it! Oooh... Oh no! Ummm....”

The fall seemed to happen in slow motion. He wobbled to the left. He scrambled to the right. He flung his arms out wide. Then, with a tremendous crashing and a-clattering, he fell. Bump! Bash! Paddington's poor little bottom seemed to bump every branch on the way down. Finally, he landed in a crumpled heap of leaves. Rosie and Isla rushed straight to the spot, to hear a very small voice uttering the words, “Oh dear.”

Fortunately, Paddington was not badly hurt. A little bruised, perhaps, and a little embarrassed, but still proudly clutching the vividly coloured leaf that had caused all the upset. The girls dusted him down, straightened his hat and hugged him.

“Silly old bear,” said Rosie. But she said it with a smile and Paddington was not in the least offended.

The Carter family- with their new arrival- settled down to watch the sun set at the other end of the park. As he nestled against Isla and Rosie, Paddington felt a sense of contentment sweep over him. He had found a home.

[PommingtonBear]

It's been a while since I wrote last, and that's because I've been leaping into life here nose-first.

I've been along to Bath. It was very wet, but not bubbly, and there were no taps involved, but lots of buying things.

I have seen the OlderHairlessCreature at his Drama school, been back to Pre-School with the YoungerHairlessCreature, and been into Big School with the OlderHairlessCreature too! I've learnt Christmas songs (more luring of the Man in a Red Suit), learnt Maths, built lots of Lego...I think I'm doing this New Family thing very well. YoungerHairlessCreature has now bought a blue hoodie with toggles and my picture as an emblem upon it. These people can't help but worship me.

It seems that this coming Saturday we will be going to the cinema as a Great Treat - to see ME. ON SCREEN. Perhaps this will cure my amnesia and I can learn more about from whence I came.

[InMySpareTime]

Spent time with the SpareTime children, they showed me what they do when they're not at school. They switch on their computer and play a game called "MineCraft". It all looked very strange at first, but after a little while I was annihilating zombies with the best of them!
When the children went to bed I tried my hand at mining, to see if I could turn up some glow stone or even Gold, as bears are excellent diggers!
After digging all night I found some bits of old pipe and a few cables, but no glow stone or Gold.
Mrs SpareTime saw what I'd done to the garden and was aghast! I had a good think about how to make it better, and decided that a bit of art always cheers people up. I arranged the bits of pipe into a pretty pattern, and when I showed it to the SpareTimes they said I had a talent for mosaic-making, then miss SpareTime noticed a grubby coin right in the middle of the mosaic.
We took it to the antique guy on the high street, and he said it was Roman and quite valuable.
With the money we got from the coin, we built some raised beds in the garden.
It was likeMineCraft in real life!

[Mamaours]

Paddington had a nice few days here (apart from general mess - and constant demands for food). We went on a day out to central London and Paddington had fun jumping in the 'muddy puddles' with DD1. He had trouble to stay still in the bus and climbed on top of the seats with his dirty paws, frightening other passengers. DD of course followed suit, running around and 'grunting'. I of course pretended not to be with them and cooed at baby DD2 instead, who is still too young to misbehave.
I had wanted to show Paddington around the city and for him to see the landmarks, Big Ben... so we went for a long walk along the riverside, but he wasn't remotely interested. Instead, he went sniffing at people, looking for food I suppose. Or marmelade. I am still struggling to get through to him, but the children seem to like him! Although DD1 told me, in confidence, that Minnie Mouse (her current best friend), didn't want him to stay with us. Minnie was promptly admonished for being so unwelcoming towards our little foreign guest, and as a result was not allowed to come out with us. Paddington seemed fascinated by the merry-go-round he went on with DD, and refused to get off when it stopped, thus sending DD into complete meltdown I ended up paying for a second round. He then fell asleep next to DD2 --in the buggy's basket, and we had a rather peaceful evening.

[hermancakedestroyer]

Hello, Paddington here again.

As I have spent the last couple of days resting up after my football adventure, I decided that today would be the day that I snuck myself into hermancakedestroyer's bag just to see what humans do during the day. It turns out that my human works in something called a science department in a secondary school. I quickly realised that science can be fun and later I realised that science can also be hazardous to the fur!

I started by looking through a magic lens which made the smallest of beasts seem huge. I then explored the department finding all numbers of interesting chemicals. There were also lots of interestingly shaped beakers and equipment.

Then, to my amazement, I discovered that when you mix chemicals together you can create a rainbow of colours. I continued my mixing of different solutions and all was going well.....until........BANG!
My hat blew off and I almost dropped my marmalade sandwich!

In ran my new human carer who couldn't work out whether she was more surprised to see me and my marmalade sandwiches or the mess I had made through my science experiments.

Anyway, we quickly went about cleaning up the laboratories and seconds after I had put my hat back on, dusted down by fur and jumped back in hermancakesdestroyer's bag, the headteacher appeared in the doorway wondering what that loud noise had been.

From within my bag I hermancakedestroyer explain 'no, everything's fine. Just a normal day in the science department'.

Later that evening, the children arrived home. They had science homework to complete.
'Can Paddington help us with this?' they asked.
'Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!' screamed hermancakedestroyer.

Until next time,

Paddington.

[halfdrunkcoffee]

Before coming to England, I’d had quite a lot of fun birthdays in Peru, with marmalade sandwiches followed by a generous slice of a cake decorated with the likeness of my own good self, but even I am exhausted after the latest antics here in my new abode. Cocoa’s birthday seemed to last for days, and for his mum and dad it must have felt like several years. All this and with Christmas to come in just a few short weeks!

The children’s aunt, uncle and cousins came to stay last weekend to celebrate the oldest one’s fourth birthday, bringing with them their little dog Lucky. The Cat of the House was most displeased and spent most of her time at an unknown location (quite possibly someone else’s house) or hiding away in a dark recess where the intruding and unwelcome canine was unlikely to be able to find her. I was just pleased to have another furry creature come to visit, although I was disappointed to find that he could only communicate in rudimentary barks and yaps. He was also inordinately interested in chasing a small ball, and never seemed to lose interest in repeating this pursuit during his waking hours.

The family all went to the park on Saturday where Lucky was able to indulge in his ball-chasing habits. There was a birthday tea in the evening before we all played Pass the Parcel. I loved helping Cocoa’s mummy assemble it and eating some of the chocolate coins that she put in, but for some reason this made her get a bit confused and then she lost count of how many layers there were.

And then came Cakegate. Mrs Halfdrunk tried to pin the blame on me again, but I hadn’t been helping this time – I was having fun in the playroom admiring some of Cocoa’s presents. Mrs Halfdrunk needed to make a cake that would be big enough for about 20 children plus their mummies and daddies. Now, I would like to be able to say that Mrs Halfdrunk went on the Internet and researched how to make large size cakes, as she had only made normal size ones before, but for some reason she didn’t do that and instead just decided to multiply the ingredients by four. Anyway, needless to say the cake took a rather long time to cook. It looked quite impressive when it was all decorated, but it was not quite as tasty as the other cakes I’ve had since I’ve been here. Never mind, it looks like there will be plenty of bake sales at the school when she can try and do a bit better. After a couple of hours of 20 plus children at soft play, Mr and Mrs Halfdrunk were very exhausted and felt like they needed to lie down in a darkened room for some time. If everyone just stuck to marmalade sandwiches, life would be a lot easier, I can tell you!

[janney3]

Well it's certainly busy in this household. I've only just managed to sit down and think clearly. There always seems to be someone wanting something or activities to attend or school or work to get to. My new children all really love me which is great but they do exhaust me. They all want me to be in their room overnight, I wouldn't mind my own room actually as I think I might get more sleep. One of them snores and its a terrible din.

My family took me to see Father Christmas this week on a special train and when we got there it had been snowing and Santa had his reindeers with him. The reindeer seemed fairly friendly but I wouldn't trust them entirely they did look me over a bit strangely. Santa was great he knew all about me and said he knew where to deliver a few presents to me this Christmas, how does he know so much about me when I know so little about myself? My Christmaslist is fairly straightforward marmalade, marmalade and more marmalade.