Two Hundred – Yes this the 200th story posted by Mindfully Bertie!

Posted on 13/05/2020 By

Two Hundred.

To celebrate, we have a short story for you. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic was due to be held on 8 May. As in previous years, we had been asked to write a story for the programme. By the time we did, the picnic was cancelled. Instead, they have a virtual Teddy Bears’ Picnic on Facebook and the story appears on that. You may also like to see the last time the Picnic appeared in Mindfully Bertie in 2018. A glorious day for the picnic…

Bertie outside Laurel Cottage (sitting on the fence) with Trevor and Eamonn sitting on a Bobby 2 behind.

And as you know, the VE Day street party was also cancelled and took place instead in the front garden of Laurel Cottage. It was in effect a Teddy Bears’ Picnic!

And so, here is story two hundred.

The Story

Bertie, Eamonn and Trevor posing in the window of Laurel Cottage for story two hundred. An NHS rainbow with the words "Keep Smiling" is above them.

Bertie, Eamonn and Trevor.

Eamonn: “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!”

Bertie: “Wotsa matter, Eamonn?”

Eamonn: “They have cancelled the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Bertie!”

Bertie: “I know, mate . Everything has been cancelled. Even going out.”

Eamonn: “I like going out. Just think where we went last year. I’ve never been to the Teddy Bears’ Picnic.”

Bertie: “Well that’s because you were a rescue bear from Alice’s Teddy Bear Hospital. When they mended my bonce.”

Bertie amongst a load of other bears on shelves at Alice’s Teddy Bear Hospital.

Alice’s Teddy Bear Hospital.

Eamonn: “Did it hurt, Bertie?”

Bertie: “No mate. I did feel a bit detached when they took my bleedin ‘ead off. Looking at my body at the other end of the couch!”

Bertie on a sofa, with his detached head in the corner looking at his body in the middle!

Feeling detached.

Bertie on a sofa with his detached head tucked under his arm!

With me ‘ead stook underneath me arm.

Stanley Holloway:

video

Eamonn: “Why did they?”

Bertie: “My fur split and my ‘ead nearly landed in the River Thames from a big boat. So they took my ‘ead off. Mended the fur and stuck it back on again. And gave me an all over shampoo.”

Bertie all put back together and freshly washed.

Smart eh! Soft as a baby’s bottom.

Eamonn: “I’d like that.”

Bertie: “Your fur has nearly all gone. You are eighty now. All the way from Ireland.”

Eamonn: “Bertie? Why is Trevor so grumpy?”

Bertie: “He isn’t, Eamonn, It’s because he is full of beads and when they sink so does his ‘ead. Isn’t that right, Trevor?”

Trevor: “If you say so, Bertie. As a matter of interest, how much longer do we have to sit in this window?”

Trevor, Eamonn, Ellen, Bertie in the window of Laurel Cottage, with all the messages and rainbows supporting the NHS.

Trevor, Eamonn, Ellen, Bertie.

Bertie: “Dunno mate. We are supporting the NHS for all the humans who aren’t well. We should have lots of Union Jack flags and bunting as well to celebrate VE Day. But our bunting is all the colours of the rainbow. Seems right, looking at all those pictures in the window.”

Trevor: “What’s VE Day?”

Bertie: “Well, Trevor it’s 75 years since the war ended in Europe.”

Trevor: “Dunno about that. Everyone is friends now, but it’s still a sad world with all this illness.”

Eamonn: “Well, Bertie, believe me, you won’t be in this window for ever and we can go on adventures again. But I do like people waving to you when they go by.”

PS

Cartoon by Kate Green: "Think I am deliberately losing my pen - for the excited joy of finding it again."

Especially for our 200th edition. Here is a new drawing by our great friend Kate.

And finally:

Two hundred stories is a lot. Weekly, with a few special mid-week editions now continuing while the crisis persists. The first story was, in fact, a preview:

www.mindfullybertie.org.uk/mindfullybertie

Check the ideas we had at the start. I think we have gone far beyond those early expectations. When I say “we”, that includes Tim and Tracey. Our canal boat friends. Mindfully Bertie could not exist without a Technical Director doing all the clever stuff. We write. We take pictures. We have so many ideas that we will never run of stories. Without Tim, none would see the light of day. So, for two hundred stories and more – thank you Tim and Tracey.

Lighting a Candle for Diddley.

Here is the very first candle lit for Diddley for the preview.

Lighting a candle for Diddley.

Lighting a candle for Diddley.

————————

PSShort StoriesTeddy Bears' Picnic    


  1. Phil says:

    Can’t believe it’s 200! Amazing – long may the blog continue.

  2. Kate green says:

    Here’s to the next 200 !

  3. Rich B says:

    What an amazing achievement Bob (and Bertie)! Keep em coming

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *