Bart Bear's Blog

Where does the time go? It's over a week since Christmas and my substitute author (Dad) hasn't got away from his hobby desk to update the blog for me. A quick poke with a sharp pencil has got him back to the keyboard. Well, the first thing I did on Christmas Eve was to get a goodies plate ready for Santa and Rudolph. Now I know that reindeer don't eat carrots, but tradition has to be followed. The plate is always empty on Christmas morning anyhow. Then we went over to Bro Trent's place to watch the carols on his ginormous TV, eat pizza, drink wine and swap presents. Of course there were presents and a sizable bit of cash under my tree in the morning. One of the new things I found this Christmas (actually Mum found them) is marzipan fruit. I was not sure that this was suitable small bear food, but one bite and all doubt disappeared - this is wonderful fodder. We met up with many friends, including my favourite, Unka Patrick, who makes me interesting holiday shirts. Actually, the strangest thing about Christmas is the way that the Oldies dress strangely and act even stranger. Christmas is a great time at our house.
 

Labels: Canberra, Christmas

This new shop has opened, just in time for Christmas. It's a genuine LEGO shop. I got my first look at it last week and was both fascinated and slightly disappointed. Fascinated by the great display models but disappointed by the fact that there were no kits in the price range that this small bear could afford, mostly just kits of the display models. In fact the best range of kits was in the toy section of a department store in the same shopping complex. Hopefully the LEGO shop will get a bigger range in time for the Christmas sales. Over to you Santa....
 

Labels: Canberra, Christmas

December 1st has come, time to get the Christmas decorations out and set up to entice Santa to stop here. This year I have concentrated on snow globes, snow lanterns, snowmen and gingerbread houses. There is also a fantastic observatory, too big to fit in with these so it is over with my Christmas tree (you can see photos of tree and observatory in previous years posts). I also have a big star on the window that faces the main roads, it flashes and swirls and can be seen from blocks away. No excuse for the old whiskery fellow this year. I may be 19 in actual years, but it is a well-known fact that small bears are always just 12 years old as far as action and mischief are concerned.
 

Labels: Christmas, Santa

Every year we make at least one visit to the Bredbo Christmas Barn. Bredbo is a small village an hour south of home and the Barn is one of the few shops in the village. It is absolutely jam-packed with Christmas decorations, everything from huge Christmas trees to tiny dangling things for decorating the tree. There are Santa statues in all sorts of colours and ethnic dress and elves of all sizes everywhere. It's a great place for a small bear to explore while the Oldies try to find something that is different to what they have collected from here over the years. I always get a laugh from the animals that sing Christmas carols. This year the Bart Silly Prize goes to a turtle that sings a Christmas version of "Shout" while its neck gyrates in random ways (no image, I was too busy laughing). Now for the fun of getting all our Christmas gear out and turning the lounge room into a Christmas cave, ready for the old whiskery bloke (Santa, not Dad).
 

Labels: Canberra, Christmas

Labels: Christmas, Santa

Labels: Christmas, Santa

It's less than a month to Christmas so the time had come to make our yearly visit to the Bredbo Christmas Barn. We went there last Friday. This barn is a magical cavern full of Christmas decorations of all sorts, ranging from the sublime to the absolutely quirky. I love it because there are all sorts of places where a small bear can hide from the Oldies and play with the larger things. I tried to get the gold sleigh to fly, but evidently the half-reindeer figurehead's batteries were flat.The bear family were fun and that hoodlum, Goldilocks, didn't show. There is a whole aisle of gingerbread houses of all sizes. This is one of the bigger ones, still not big enough for me to fit through the door. Nutcracker soldiers are there in all sizes. This one was even taller than Mum. Hundreds of people from Canberra take the hour-long drive up to Bredbo every year, it is worth it. Did you spot me in the first photo?

Labels: Canberra, Christmas

Due to some technical glitches, mostly caused by Dad, I wasn't able to wish you all a great Christmas and New Year before now, so please accept my best wishes for you and yours for the coming year. I was a bit worried that Santa mightn't be able to find me now that we have moved into the new place, so I set out some markers and lures. First step was to make the balcony obvious to those hypersonic STOL reindeer that haul Santa around. Some battery-powered ornaments and a string of flashing Christmas lights marked out the runway. Then some munchies to get Santa in a good mood. The Oldies say Santa likes beer, chocolate and fruit mince pies. Funnily enough, so do the Oldies. Anyhow, it all worked because next morning the munchies were gone and there were two notes for me from the old whiskery guy. One said that teenage bears should be able to choose their own presents, the other note was a $100 one. Presents are being contemplated, but I am overwhelmed by the available choices. Of course there is always a clown in any Christmas gathering. Dad found a reindeer happily singing to itself and managed to get bitten by it. Funny, I couldn't find the rest of the reindeer on the other side of the wall; these deer of Santa's are really extraordinary critters.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

You probably think that this Christmas card is a bit early, but my holiday starts tomorrow and I will not be back near my computer until next year. I have supervised the Oldies while they put up my Christmas tree and some ornaments. I have written to Santa to let him know that I will be at sea on "Voyager of the Seas"; he should be able to find me there. And one of the ornaments is just the right size for a small bear to ride. Antlers make great handlebars. Now, if I can find some wheels that fit him I will have invented a reindeer-bike.
All the best to my readers around the world. Next year the Oldies should be over some of their health problems and I will be able to show you more pictures of interesting places we travel to.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

Wow! What a surprise. Of course I was up early on Christmas morning. What small bear wouldn't be. Thinks: "What? Only one Bart present near the tree? Wait on, it's a big one, maybe something extra special." I needed help from the Oldies to get the Santa bag onto the table where I could undo it and see what was inside. My very own Vespa motor scooter. And with extra features added to make it fit a small bear. With Royal Aussie Bear Force insignia, like some of my other vehicles. Extra control panels - I am still trying to sort out what some of the dials and switches are for. Working headlight and horn. A motor that turns on and revs up when I push the right paddle down. Bling buttons to work the break levers. Everything that a small bear's scooter should have. How does Santa know what the special, sensational presents for everybody should be? Actually, I have a bit of a clue in this case. I caught Dad working on modifying one of these Vespas a few months ago. He said it was a special Santa job for a special small person living nearby. Does Santa employ Oldies as helpers? Hmmm... Dad does have elf ears that he wears to parties sometimes. There just may be a link here.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

2014 has been a year of ups and downs for the Oldies and I. It finishes with me having to be Nurse Bart and look after things while Mum slowly recovers from a ruptured disc in her back and Dad is going through hormone treatment to get his prostate shrunk to a size that is safe to zap with radiation. Next year must surely be better. Anyhow, we are all set to relax and enjoy the Christmas-New Year break. I wish all my readers all the best for the holiday season, and hope Santa is kind to you all.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

One of the things that I love doing is checking out the Christmas light displays. Search Christmas lights in the blog search box for photos from other years. In the city centre there is a big tunnel absolutely covered in lights. It is an attempt for Canberra to once again get into the "Guiness Book of Records" for the most Christmas lights in one display. Last year a family in Forrest made the record, but the traffic was horrendous in the suburb so this year they combined with some sponsors and moved the lights (plus a lot of new ones) into the city. The lights are computer-controlled to change colour in time to Christmas carol music.Personally, I don't think it is as spectacular as it was in previous years at Forrest because there are a lot of statues and big baubles that weren't bought into the city, but it still looks good and will probably get the record again. Can you find the bear in all the images? You may notice that I don't read signs where Santa is involved. Only 12 more sleeps to go and small kids and bears are getting excited!

Labels: Canberra, Christmas, Santa

Hey, it's December once again. Time to start making the house look like a place that Santa would consider stopping at. Mum and I spent the weekend putting up decorations and our little tree. Actually, we just bossed Dad around while he did the lifting and unpacking of storage boxes, but the planning was entirely ours. Don't Christmas trees look all bare and lonely without presents stacked up underneath them? That's something that will have to be worked on, leaving room for those vital pressies that the Old Whiskery Fella brings. You have probably noticed some of Mum's "Egyptian bonsai" (statuettes) behind the Christmas decorations. Well, why not? The ancient Egyptians would have celebrated Christmas and hoped for a visit from Santa if only they hadn't been a couple of thousand years too early. Now to post out the cards, hang a stack of tinsel things and finish my email to sclaus@northpolegoodiesdepot.Earth   ......

Labels: Christmas, Santa

Last weekend was a 3-day one in all of the states of Australia except Western Australia. We call it the Queen's Birthday weekend, even though it is not exactly the Queen's birth date. I love long weekends because the Oldies always find time to do more interesting things than they can manage on ordinary weekends. Mostly we stay around Canberra because the roads are full of people driving fast and crazy. This weekend was even better because the weather was much warmer than it usually is at the start of winter. Saturday night we finally got the chance to learn how to drive Mum's new telescope. Actually, it was delivered 3 years ago and we have been waiting for a clear night with no other commitments to slowly learn the operating system. I have to say that the 'scope is a little beauty. It fits into our car easily, takes only a few minutes to set up and another 15 to calibrate, then it automatically finds whatever you ask for. Dad is particularly impressed. He spent his working life using huge telescopes and now we have a small one that finds things just like the big ones do. I can see a lot of cold nights outside under the stars coming up. On Sunday we drove up to Bredbo because the Christmas Barn has just opened for the year. This is a magic place for small bears. It is full of Nativity and Santa stuff. Speaking of Santa, the Bredbo clone was still snoozing in the Sun, just where I saw him last year. Hopefully he is sneakily reporting to his boss and Santa thinks of the same thing that I am thinking would go well towards completing my vehicle collection.

Labels: astronomy, Canberra, Christmas, Santa

Well, Santa managed to get through all of my Santa detectors and leave me some things that I couldn't talk the Oldies into buying for me. How does he manage that every year? There was a big present and a little one, so naturally I opened the big one first. Wow! A Bart-size drum kit. Dad had it assembled for me very soon and I could start playing. Look out neighbours, the Little Drummer Bear is here. Now to find other small bear musicians and form a rock group.  After all, if chipmunks can do it small bears should be ever so much better. Then it was time for the little present. A pirate movie and pirate costume: sword, hook, eye patch, hat, sash and badge of rank that says I am second in command of Black Bear the Pirate's ship. Aargh, avast there me hearties, splice the mainbrace, Black Bart is aboard.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

The tree is up and decorated. Christmas-type things are on almost every cupboard top.  My wish list has been emailed to Santa. Reindeer traps have been set. Recording motion sensors are lined up ready to be activated before I go to bed tomorrow night. I am ready for the old whiskery fellow to drop something interesting in the way of presents under my tree.

A Very Beary and Happy Christmas to all of my readers and their families. I hope that Santa will treat you properly and that the holiday season is a time of peace and happiness for you all.

Labels: Christmas, Santa

How about this for a Christmas tree? It was on the main concourse of "Voyager of the Seas" and it is nearly 4 decks high. I've never seen one so big and so covered in ornaments. You can get an idea of the size of the ornaments by comparing the bigger baubles to me in the second photo; remember that I am 18cm from top of head to stub of tail. That's a great tree. I wanted to see how Santa would manage to find the ship and deliver the right presents, but our cruise finished 2 days too early. As far as the Oldies were concerned, they would have loved Santa to give them the Morgan sports car, but that didn't happen either.

Labels: boats, Christmas, cruising, New Zealand, Santa

I'm back from a great fortnight cruising around New Zealand on a magnificent ship called "Voyager of the Seas". The Oldies are busy downloading and processing the 2100 photos and 56 video clips that they took, so I can't show you much about the cruise yet, but here's a photo of the ship docked at Hobart. Actually, the captain had a Norwegian accent that made the city sound like "Hobbit", so that's what I am calling it for a while. The ship is the 8th biggest cruise liner in the world; you can see it dwarfs the buildings on the wharf behind it. Anyhow, there will be lots of photos of the cruise coming. I had not been to New Zealand before, and it is a really beautiful place. The main thing is that I am home for Christmas and Santa will not have to look around the world for me. Have a wonderful Christmas and may the New Year be everything that you would wish.

Labels: boats, Christmas, cruising, Santa

Incidentally, I had a great Christmas. I really love my new bobsled, but it was also lots of fun spending the day with Unka Mark and Aunty Vicki. These Oldies of mine (and I include M&V as honourary Oldies) really know how to let their hair down and enjoy things. Large mugs of Jingle Juice were consumed, along with lots of superb people-type food. Speaking of hair, what do you think of Unka Mark's blue fuzzy top? Guess what, it is not really his hair. You can look like that too if you have a blue cobweb broom handy. Not that many of us would want to look like that... I helped with the Christmas lights again (check Unka Mark's and my effort from earlier Christmases in older posts). We had cousin Billy T with us, he doesn't get out much, and I introduced him to the art of wiring and lights. It might be a bit hard to see us in the photos, but we are there checking out the lights. Love Christmas time with real friends.

Labels: Christmas, family

Santa played a mean trick on me this year. He left my present under Unka Mark and Aunty Vicki's tree, so I had to wait until lunchtime to get to it. All morning I was taken around to other places for breakfast and morning tea and had to watch Oldies and kids unwrapping presents. That's really tough on an impatient small bear. Eventually we made it to MY present. Just what I had asked for, my very own bobsled. That covers a vital gap in my transport fleet. I can now zip around in snow. All I need is snow, which doesn't fall in Canberra very often, but when it does I am ready. In the meantime the bobsled has tiny wheels that let me zip across the tiled floors. Note the Royal Australian Bear Force markings. This goes with the RABF aeroplane Santa bought me last year. I suspect that Santa contracted the construction of both vehicles out to one of his larger elves. I can't say which one, just in case I spoil future jobs, but the photo of the Oldie with the weird hat and the mug of Jingle Juice is a strong hint for you.

Labels: Christmas, Santa