The biggest pumpkin ever...I think..

My most exciting garden project this season is to grow a pumpkin that I hope will be bigger than me. I got the seeds in spring.

I need a lot of help to make it grow big. First of all I need good weather and lots of sunshine and warmth. I need rain too. 

Henry @henryandfriends came to help me and that was bestist help for me.

Frank and Bonnie can help too. 

I had planted the pumpkin seed in a pot before Henry cam to visits. When he came it was time to plant it in the real soil and all big plants likes to be in the ground and not in a pot. 

Henry is good at writing so he wrote the tag that said pumpkin. It is very useful for a plant to have a tag. It is a bit like a place card at a dinner party. The plants knows where to grow and I can see who they all are if I don´t remember their name. 

After we had checked the little pumpkin and Henry had written the tag, we were ready to plant Pumpkin where she is to live this summer. Assistant had weeded and mulched a little bed for her and Henry and I planted here there. 

Since we planted Pumpkin we have looked well after her and made sure she had enough water. She has grown a bit, but since Henry left the weather has been cool and I am not sure she like that a lot. I am looking after her every day. 

What is left for me to do now is to have tea and biscuit and wait for Pumpkin to grow big. I will keep you informed about the development. 

Friends and Easter

Hello. I am nibbling on the Easter chocolate my friend Jeremy Bear (@JezzerBear ) sent me and I am having a cup of tea too. Enne, who came to live with us form Fuzzy Bear (@i_am_fuzzy) and Henrietta joined me. We share a love for chocolate...

While we are sitting here and having a good time I thought I should tell them about my trip to England and the friends I have there.

I was in England in March and I had a great time. I met my friends and that is the bestist thing I know. Clapton (@claptontarrier), Tim and Julie and I met at a restaurant in London called The Goat. I took great care to make sure there were no real goats there before I got in.... goats eats everything...even small bears and particularly the chocolate they bring their friends as a treat.

There were no goats and I think Clapton was quite interested in the chocolate.

It was really nice to meet Clapton. He is very funny and friendly and we got on really well. And it was really nice to see Tim and Julie too. They are friends I have had for a long time and it is always so nice to see them and spend time with them.

Clapton and me and...fizzy water in the background...

 
Since I was in London I did a few of the things I like bestist in London. That is going on the bus and sit upstairs, traveling on the Underground when people are at work.... and having tea at Fortnum and Mason's. I like other things too, but the assistant won't fund it.

I like tea at Brown's or Ritz, I would like a chauffeur driven Bentley and staying at a fancy hotel in Mayfair or there about. I am working on the funding and when I get there I will invite my friends because everything becomes nicer with friends I think. 






I was in England for a long time and I spent some days with Henry (@henryandfriends). We explored small villages, roundabouts and we found a lovely town called  Hitchin.... that Henry pronounced Itching..... So we had a good scratch..

Me and Henry in (H)itching

 I also met my colleague Tour Guide Ted (@TourGuideTed) and he is the bestist travel adviser I know. He has been all over and even done some floor tiling in Florida. I had a great time with him and he knows a lot about the world.

I really liked Ted's sweater too. He has style and a certain flair I would say.

I feel really lucky because I have friends that are so nice. And that my friends have time to spend with me. It makes me feel really good in my beans. ...

On a day trip to Cambridge I met someone who could have needed a friend ... It was a warm and lovely spring day and he was sitting there on his own.









I had a very nice time in England and I hope I will be back again soon to see my friends and enjoy the change of air. Now we have Easter break here and the sun is shining. It is nice to be home too and I am on my way to the summer cottage to help spring on it's way.



With a reindeer that was in our supermarket I with you all a Happy Easter *hugs*

It has been snowing every thay this year

It had been snowing every day so far this year I think. I was at Lillehammer two weeks ago and this is form the main street. Since it is a pedestrian street they heap the snow in the middle of the street. Where I live people are getting frustrated because the snow take up space where they want to park their cars. I think a chauffeur driven car is the answer.


I visited my summer cottage last weekend and all the plants are sleeping under a blanket of snow.

 I will have a cup of hot chocolate now.

Winter has arrived

We have had very strange weather so far this winter and it has been mild and rain all the time. Normally we have snow from December and all the time until March or April.

Until yesterday we had warm degrees and then it change. I woke up and it was snow. That made me happy and today I went for a walk in the park.

We have not much snow but it makes our short days much brighter.

If you wonder if I get cold I can tell you that I stay in the pocket of the assistant and that the assistant is wearing a down jacket with fleece lined pockets. ...and I wear my scarf too.

I tried to sit out of the pocket for a little while, but it was too cold. It was fun to see all the children on their sledges having fun. I think would like to have a sledge.















After our walk I convinced the assistant that we should go to the new coffee shop and have hot chocolate. There were evidences on the out side that some of the other smaller ones form the park had managed to convince their assistants too....

It was a good day out and the people were happy.

A Sunday in December

...that is today...that Sunday in December.

I just wanted to tell you what I did today. We visited some family that lives a little drive away and it was a nice drive. The sun is really really low theses days so I saw some pretty landscape during our drive.

It was a nice visit with family and I got cake and icecream too. After the party we stopped by IKEA. Assistant dreads it, but since it is Sunday and we were there about dinner time it was quiet and all came out sane. In Norway the shops are only open on Sundays in December. The rest of the year they are closed on Sundays. We had dinner there since they had "stick meat". That is dried and cured lamb ribs steamed on birch twigs.

I felt like a lucky bear that got to eat with my assistant, some had to wait in the trolly.

On our way out we saw a very nice ginger bread village and we bought gingerbread dough so we can make some our self.

Then we went home and made some tea and lit a few candles and agreed that it had been a good day.

A Saturday in Oxford

Seated comfortable at home it is nice to look back on the pictures form my Saturday in Oxford some weeks ago. Since I was in London my journey to Oxford started at Paddington Station. I am not the only bear who has been to the station. I actually think the train station is named after the famous bear Paddington. He has got his statue there and I was glad to be pictured on his suitcase.

In Oxford I met with my dear friends @Tim_kirby and @mrsfiddlestick. They are so nice to be with and the perfect guides for a day in Oxford. They know all the interesting places and where to get really nice food. We had pies for lunch and huge deserts involving chocolate and cream and ice cream.

Oxford is famous for universities and colleges and murders too. I have been watching a crime series on TV that is called Inspector Morse and all the murders are happening in Oxford. I was a bit anxious to start with.... but  didn't see any bodies or Inspectors.

Instead a got really fascinated with all the beautiful buildings.Some are very famous and some are not so famous but really beautiful and old and interesting

The Bodleian Library is really famous. It is a round building, so it is not what you see here. What you see her is a square building that is next to the library and part of it at the same time I think.








Alice in Wonderland holds a readers card. I might get one myself.









The bridge of Sighs is another land mark. I have friends who has had their picture taken here and therefor I thought I should have one too. Even if it was quiet when I was there I could not hear a sigh form the bridge.

My dear hosts took me to the river Thames and looked at the rowers.I wanted to make a report from the river, but the photographer go so focused on a goose that I gave up the project  for a little while. 

Many of you will know that I don't really give up so I had a chat with the photographer and we were back on track for a report.




Lots of fresh students were out testing if they wanted to take up rowing in their student years. There are so many things they have to master, including getting the really long boat into the boat house.

 

I spoke with some lovely students that had just finished their rowing training for the day. A girl form the team asked if I wanted to try the cox's seat... and I did like it there. 

 

The girl recognised me from interweb and said that I was famous.  She was really beautiful and very bright and I am sure she will become famous herself one day if she likes to. Objectively, she is the most clever student I have ever met. She studies at Pembroke College and I wish her all the best in the world....as I wish all humans.

Thank you for reading my report form Oxford.

Berkeley.

Beyond the Acrtic Circle with Flat Marley

This week Flat Marley and I went to the far North of Norway. We stayed at an island called Andøya or Duck Island as it translates.We will show you a round a bit.

We are at the northern tip of the island and the lighthouse is the most northern point.

The lighthouse looks out into the Arctic sea and south across the island

I have made the first pictures so you can see the lighthouse, then you know where we are.

 Andøya has a town called Andenes and that is where we stayed. It has streets and lovely white beaches and nice people and a lovely bakery with a cafe.

Duck Island is known for midnight sun and Aurora Arborealis, which we call the Northern Lights.   And for whales and for rocket launchers.





If there is midnight sun  you can not see the Northern Lights (because it is light all night). There were no more midnight sun when we where there so we had high hopes for the Northern Lights.






Both me and Flat Marley liked the beaches a lot. We went for long walks and looked at birds (Marley wanted to play with them I think) and sea shells. I don't think the water was very warm... it never is in the Arctic.

We were not the only one who liked the beach...

This is two minutes walk form the main street...

There was a disco call duck disco, but we didn't go there.

 

One evening we went for a drive and looked at the mountains and lake too. Autumn colours where beautiful and we really liked it. Andøya is the third largest island in Norway and about 5000 humans lives there so it is not a busy place. It is a very calm, friendly and beautiful place. I think it is a special place 

 

I watched the sun set in the ocean.

We saw Northern Lights every evening and we agreed it was a great trip.