The Flickr Katykoala Image Generatr

Paddy and Scout are visiting Katy Kola, who lives in the gum tree we planted on the nature strip outside our house for her to live in.

KATY KOALA: *Munches gum leaves contentedly.*

PADDY: "Happy Australia Day, Katy!"

SCOUT: "Yes, Happy Australia Day Miss Katy!"

KATY KOALA: *Stops munching gum leaves.* "Oh why thank you Paddy and Scout!"

SCOUT: "We thought that as an Australian ma... mar... marsup..."

PADDY: "Marsupial, Scout?" *Helpful.*

SCOUT: "As an Australian native, we thought we should wish you a happy Australia Day. Miss Katy!"

KATY KOALA: "That is very thoughtful of you, Scout. Would you two care to join me for an Australia Day tea party?"

SCOUT: "A tea party!" *Excited.*

PADDY: "Why thank you, dear Katy."

SCOUT: "What are you serving with the tea? Shortbreads? Caramel fudge? Grumbly tummy Miss Katy! Grumbly tummy!" *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

KATY KOALA: *Giggles.* "Oh no, Scout! Something much better than shortbreads or caramel fudge!"

PADDY: "Daddy's shortbreads are pretty hard to beat on a deliciousness scale, Katy."

SCOUT: "What could be more delicious than shortbreads or caramel fudge, Miss Katy?"

KATY KOALA: "Well, you see I’m not particularly keen on shortbreads or caramel fudge, so I’ll be serving these gum leaves instead." *Holds up gum leaves. "These ones are especially sweet and juicy because they are young and fresh. Here try some.” *Holds them out for Paddy and Scout to try.*

SCOUT and PADDY: *Nibble tentatively at a bit of gum leaf each.*

PADDY: “Oh dear!” *Sticks out cute little bear tongue.* “These gum leaves they..."

KATY KOALA: "Yes?"

PADDY: "Well, they taste… err... that is to say that from my perspective...”

KATY KOALA: "Yes?"

SCOUT: “They taste yucky!” *Sticks out cute little pink bear tongue.* “They taste yucky Miss Katy, even more yucky than prunes! Blagh!” *Sticks out cute little pink bear tongue again.*

PADDY: “Scout!"

SCOUT: "It's true Paddy!" *Nods seriously as he screws up his muzzle in distaste. "And Daddy says that we must always tell the truth!"

PADDY: "I know, but... well there is such a thing as decorum." *Shakes head in disapproval.*

SCOUT: "Who cares about decorum! Those gum leaves taste yucky, Paddy! Blagh!” *Sticks out cute little pink bear tongue again.*

PADDY: "Well, thank you so much for the invitation, Katy, but I think we may stick to our own Australia Day tea party with shortbreads and Krówki Polish creamy fudge for our elevenses.”

KATY KOALA: “Goody! More for me then! Grumbly tummy Paddy! Grumbly tummy Scout!” *Proceeds to munch on gum leaves contentedly.*

PADDY: “Hullo everyone and everybear! Do you know what? Today, the 26th of January is Australia Day: Australia's national day! Now for many people and bears, it is a day of celebration and tea parties and fun as we celebrate the joy of living in such a beautiful and wonderful country with unique flora and fauna - like Katy who is not a bear, but an Australian marsupial, which is an animal that carries its babies in a pouch. However, for some others, Australia Day is not a day that represents happiness. If you are celebrating Australia Day today, happy Australia Day! If however you are not, whilst we are not political bears, we are diplomatic and we respect that too, and we would like to wish you a lovely Sunday anyway!"

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.

Katy Koala is a special guest, who was going to live with one of my goddaughters some years ago, but I became rather attached to her, so she never made it there, and instead took up residence in the gum tree we planted the same year she came to live with us. The profits raised from her purchase go towards preserving native habitat for koalas.

PADDY: “Hullo everyone! Do you know what? Today, the 26th of January is Australia Day! To celebrate the occasion, we are having a wonderful feast of elevenses!”

SCOUT, COUSIN PADDINGTON and BOGART: “Hoorah!” *Jump up and down excitedly.*

PADDY: “And, I have invited a very special guest to join us for elevenses today.”

SCOUT: “Who Paddy? Who?” *Trembles with excitement.*

PADDY: “May I introduce Katy Koala.”

KATY KOALA: “Hullo everyone!” *Waves.* “Thank you for asking me to join your Australia Day celebration!”

BOGART: *Scratches head.* “Miss Katy, you look funny, for a bear.”

PADDY: “Bogart! Where are your southern manners?”

BOGART: “Sorry Katy.” *Puts paw to mouth in embarrassment.*

KATY KOALA: “It’s quite alright Paddy. Bogart is obviously from America, judging by his accent, so he has probably never seen a Koala.”

BOGART: “No I haven’t Miss Katy.”

KATY KOALA : “Well, then I must tell you that I don’t really look strange for a bear, because I’m not a bear.”

BOGART: “You aren’t, Miss Katy?”

KATY KOALA: “No, I’m not. I’m actually a marsupial.”

BOGART: “Oh!” *Scratches head with paw.* “Excuse me, Miss Katy, but what is a marsupial?”

KATY KOALA: “A marsupial is an animal that carries its babies in a pouch. See? I have a pouch here.” *Points to the pouch on her tummy.*

SCOUT: “But you have no babies in your pouch Katy.”

KATY KOALA: “No, you are right Scout, I don’t at the moment, so today I am using it to carry something equally important.”

SCOUT: “What Katy?”

KATY KOALA: “These!” *Withdraws gum leaves from her pouch.*

SCOUT: “What are those?” *Looks unimpressed.*

KATY KOALA: “They are gum leaves, Scout.”

SCOUT: “And why did you bring them? If you wanted a table decoration, we could have picked some roses from the garden.”

KATY KOALA: “Oh no, Scout. They aren’t for decoration. They are to eat.”

PADDY, SCOUT, COUSIN PADDINGTON and BOGART: “To eat?!?”

KATY KOALA: “Oh yes! You see I’m not particularly keen on shortbreads or caramel fudge, so I’ll eat these gum leaves instead. These are especially sweet and juicy. Here try some.”

SCOUT and BOGART: *Nibbles a bit of gum leaf eatch.*

BOGART: “Oh yuck!” *Sticks out cute little bear tongue.* “They taste…”

SCOUT: “Yucky!” *Sticks out cute little pink bear tongue.* “They taste yucky Bogart, even more yucky than prunes! Blagh!” *Sticks out cute little pink bear tongue again.*

PADDY: “I think we may stick to shortbreads and Krówki Polish creamy fudge for our elevenses, thank you Katy.”

KATY KOALA: “Goody! More for me then! Grumbly tummy Paddy! Grumbly tummy!” *Proceeds to nibble on some gum leaves.*

SCOUT: “Krówki Polish creamy fudge, Paddy? Grumbly tummy Paddy! Grumbly tummy!” *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

BOGART: “I think a nibble of some shortbread will take away the bitter taste of gum leaves on my tongue, Paddy. Grumbly tummy Paddy! Grumbly tummy!” *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

COUSIN PADDINGTON: “Then I shall play mother and pour the tea, and we can celebrate Australia Day!”

PADDY, SCOUT, COUSIN PADDINGTON, BOGART and KATY KOALA: “Happy Australia Day everyone!”

This beautiful nursery tea set is made by the Shell China company in the 1920s. It features six cups, saucers and plates (not all the set is being used today) as well as a teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl, gravy boat, serving dishes and lidded tureens all gilt and featuring different nursery rhymes including: "The Queen of Hearts", "Ride a Cock-Horse to Banbury Cross", "Goosey-Goosey Gander", "Sing a Song of Sixpence", "Jack and Jill", "There was a Little Man who had a Little Gun" and "To Market to Market to Buy a Fat Pig". The set was a gift to me from a close friend. There are also doll (bear) sized tea spoons which are sterling silver salt spoons, and the spoon in the "Ride a Cock-Horse to Banbury Cross" sugar bowl is an Eighteenth Century sterling silver mustard spoon. There are also sitting on the edge of the serving plate some 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.

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.

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.

Bogart has only arrived in the last few months. He has travelled all the way from Georgia, via Alabama as a gift to me from a friend. I look forward to getting to know his character, but I can already say that he has lovely Southern manners and seems to be a fun and gentle soul with an inquisitive nature.

Katy Koala is a special guest, who unless I get to attached to her, is going to live with one of my goddaughters later this year. The profits raised from her purchase go towards preserving native habitat for koalas.