SCOUT: “Paddy! Paddy!”
PADDY: “What is it Scout?”
SCOUT: “Do you know what today is?”
PADDY: “I believe it’s the 27th of April. Why do you ask?”
SCOUT: “No! No! No! Paddy. Do you know what day it is today?”
PADDY: *Frowns.* “I thought I just told you, Scout. It's the 26th of April.”
SCOUT: “No Paddy, I mean that something is celebrated today." *Excited.* "Do you know what it is?”
PADDY: “Let me think.” *Ponders.* “Well it isn’t Daddy’s birthday or mine, and you’ve had yours not long ago. I give up. What is celebrated today?”
SCOUT: “Mijn beste vriend Peter and your beste vried Oleg will be celebrating today because in Holland today is King’s Day, which is the Dutch King’s birthday!"
ROSIE: "Oh yes, mijn prins Peter will one day be a king, and I will be a queen." *Preens.* "I hope he is celebrating King's Day with Oleg and all the other bears today!"
SCOUT: "Oh yes Rosie! Apparently, flags are hanging everywhere, and people wear fancy dress orange clothing. All kinds of fun things are organised all over Holland like markets and games and everyone eats festive orange food. I'm sure that Peter, Oleg and the others will soon be having oranje slagroomsoesjes with orange lemonade and sweet oranges for breakfast!”
ROSIE: “Goodness Scout! That does sound like lots of fun!”
PADDY: "Oh yes, such fun!" *Pauses.* “Err… what are oranje slagroomsoesjes, Scout?”
SCOUT: “They are Kings Day orange profiteroles, Paddy! Delicious! Grumbly tummy Paddy! Grumbly tummy!” *Rubs tummy vigorously.* “Do you think Daddy would let us celebrate King’s Day too? I want us to celebrate with mijn beste vriend Peter and with Aurora! It will be Aurora's first ever King's Day at Mummy Marian's house!" *Excited.*
ROSIE: "Oh I want to celebrate with mijn prins Peter too!"
SCOUT: "And you should celebrate with your beste vriend Oleg, Paddy! You can have Orange Pekoe Tea together like ancient bears.” *Giggles.*
PADDY: “Scout! Don't be cheeky. Oleg and I are not ancient! Anyway, I don’t see why we can't celebrate King's Day too, Scout and Rosie.”
SCOUT and ROSIE: “Oh goody Paddy!” *Jump up and down with excitement.*
SCOUT: "Come on Rosie, let's go and ask Daddy if he could make us some orange paper crowns."
"ROSIE: "We can ask him if he has has any oranje slagroomsoesjes too.”
PADDY: “I don’t think he will, Rosie, but we will see if he has anything else that is festive that we can eat that is orange.”
*Scout, Rosie and Paddy all run off to to the kitchen to speak to Daddy, who is having a quiet moment of reflection and peace with a cup of tea.*
SCOUT: “Peter! Peter mijn beste vriend look! We are celebrating Koningsdag! We may not have any oranje slagroomsoesjes or orange lemonade, but Daddy has given us some delicious chocolate orange Easter Eggs that he still has left over from Easter, and we are having them with tea using our real Dutch tea set !"
ROSIE: "Oh mijn prins Peter, look! we all have orange crowns that Daddy made for us! I am dressed up just for you, like a real prinses!"
SCOUT: "And look mijn beste vriend Peter! I have an orange paper crown too, so I can be king for the day! Hoorah!” *Jumps up and down with excitement.* “Ik hou zoveel van je mijn beste vriend Peter! Veel berenkusjes en knuffels voor mijn beste vriend Peter, van Scout!”
ROSIE: "I love you mijn prins Peter! Happy King's Day! I am sending you lots of soft snuffly kisses." *Blushes red beneath pink woollen fur.* "At lewast 10,000! Heel veel berenkusjes voor mijn prins Peter!"
PADDY: "Ik hou zoveel van je mijn beste vriend Oleg! Happy King's Day! Veel berenkusjes en knuffels voor mijn beste vriend Oleg, van Paddy!”
PADDY: “Happy King’s Day to you all whether you are Dutch or not! Help the King celebrate his birthday by wearing something orange and eating some celebratory food! Scout, Rosie, Daddy and I are sending you all lots of big little bear hugs and snuffly kisses!”
My bears Paddy and Scout have made very good friends with two bears in Holland called Peter and Oleg (www.flickr.com/photos/40262251@N03/galleries/721577154558... and www.flickr.com/photos/40262251@N03/galleries/721577233464...) and their MummyMarian Kloon (on and off). Peter and Scout are very similar and have become best friends. Peter loves Rosie and Rosie loves Peter, so they have become prince and princess to one another. Paddy and Oleg are very similar too and have become best friends as well. Paddy, Scout and Rosie want to celebrate King’s Day with Peter and Oleg so they can feel closer to their friends across the ocean. I think that is a lovely idea, don’t you? You can see Peter, Oleg and Aurora celebrating here: www.flickr.com/photos/66094586@N06/54476953194/in/datepos... or in the first comment below.
This beautiful nursery tea set is made by the Shell China company in the 1920s. It features six cups, saucers (not all the set is being used today) as well as a teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl, all gilt and featuring a pattern called "Old Dutch", which seems appropriate for the occasion. It matches the shapes of the Shell China nursery and faerie tale tea sets and Blue Willow set I have from the 1920s and 1930s. There are also doll (bear) sized tea spoons which are sterling silver salt spoons.
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.
Rosie is Scout\'s cousin, because like Scout, she is a free trade knitted bear from Africa. She was made in Kenya by one of the Kenana Knitters, Martha Wanjira. She is made from home spun and dyed wool. She was a gift to me from two very dear friends, includng the one who gave Scout to Paddy.
