Paws Around the Potteries - Winter Walks around our Village

Ay up, everyone!  It's Hanley Bear here, with a guest post for my pal Sonning's blog.  It's about my favourite place, North Staffordshire, which is the best place in the world for Small Bears, especially when it snows

When we had some snow early in the winter, Polar and Grizzly took some of us bears for walks around our village.  Polar and Grizzly both put on their big walking boots and some "trax", which are special grippers that allow them to walk in icy conditions without slipping.

I got into Grizzly's pack, where I sometime sit when we go to football.  It's very warm and I get a great view, although it can make my head feel funny watching everything going backwards.

On one of our walks, we went down to the allotment to check the plants in the greenhouse.  It would have been great to make a snow bear there, but Polar and Grizzly said we had to go on to the farm shop to get some pasties for lunch.

We like going to the farm shop and helping to choose cheese, veg, bread and cakes for our meals.  We like the views across the fields from the farm too, as we can see all the way to Wales and the hills around Beeston Castle in Cheshire if it's clear.

The village looks very pretty in the snow.  We like the row of cottages that overlook the field you pass on the way into it.  Sometimes there are sheep in the field but it usually grows hay to feed to the farm animals in the winter.

On Bignall Hill to the south of the village is a monument to a man called John Wedgwood.  He did not make pottery - he was a mine-owner.  

 

The monument used to be much higher but some of it fell down in a big storm many years before Polar and Grizzly moved here.  One day, Polar and Grizzly decided to walk up to it, and Endon Bear went with them. Grizzly helped him to climb up onto a Triangulation Point so he could get his bearings.

The views from the top are really great, as you can see all the way out to the Peak District if you look east-north-east from the monument.

Further round (roughly north-east), you can see Mow Cop and our village, while the Jodrell Bank radio-telescope is to the north, behind a row of little terraced houses.

There was some cloud or mist to the west, so they didn't have good views towards Wales, although they could make out the little town of Audley.  It's strange to think that all this pretty countryside used to be coal mining country.

On the way home from their walk, Endon told Grizzly and Polar that he could smell gas.  They stopped near the main road and sniffed, and found that they could smell it too, near some little inspection chambers and signs with "gas" on them.  So Polar used her phone to call the emergency number for Cadent, and the next time they passed the spot, there were cones and a big "no smoking" sign beside it.

 

I am going to finish off with a couple of pictures Polar took from our village looking towards Manchester, where you can see the airport and the towers in the centre of the city, and another view of Jodrell Bank.

We are lucky bears to have so many interesting things to see from our own village, but that's because we live in the best place ever - North Staffordshire! 

 

Two Bears in a Brewery

 

On the way to visit old Grandad Polar at Christmas, Polar and Grizzly booked us a little pre-Christmas holiday.  We stayed in a hotel in the Cotswolds for a couple of nights, allowing us to break the long journey south.

 

Polar drove us down to the Cotswolds avoiding the motorways, including a long section of the Fosse Way, a route originally a Roman Road.  When we stopped stopped for lunch, Hanley Bear had a sip of bubbles from the top of Grizzly's bear. 

 

Because it was nearly Christmas and the hotel was quiet, we were upgraded to a big room with a balcony and a huge bathroom.  When our humans went for dinner, we had fun sliding on the floor, pretending we were Polar Bears on the ice!  Best of all, there was a settee with cushions where we could make a very comfortable bear bed for sleeps and naps.

Our human guardians had hoped to do some walking but the weather was wet and gloomy, so Polar looked to see if there was somewhere interesting to visit and found the Hook Norton Brewery had a couple of spaces left on a tour.

"We can't take all of you," she said to us.  "But I can probably fit two bears into the bag with my camera."

We decided that Hanley and Huddlesford should go, because they are both interested in industrial history, science - and beer!

Hanley and Huddlesford couldn't believe there was so much beer in the shop, and so many different types.  "I wonder which one has the best bubbles?" Hanley said.  "They obviously make beer for Small Bears, as there are Bear-sized tankards here!"

Grizzly told him that he would be able to sample some later, after the tour.  "You'll have to stay in Polar's bag for that," he said.  "There are a group of builders on their Christmas outing coming round with us, and you don't want to get accidentally stepped on."

 

Hanley and Huddles found Polar and got into Polar's bag, then they all set off to join the tour.  The group started with a walk across to the stables, where the lovely Shire Horses live who pull the carts that deliver the beer to local pubs.  They were huge, but very kind and gentle.  Then they went to see some of the old machinery that used to power the brewery back in Victorian times.  Hanley liked the old keys to all the store rooms.

Then thay had a very long climb up lots of steps to the top of the building, to see where the beer mash used to cool, in big open pans in a loft area made with louvred walls and ceilings.  The guide explained that they weren't allowed to use that any more, because insects and small birds used to get in and could contaminate the mash with their poo, although the alcohol in the beer used to kill any bacteria.  Everything is very clean and hygenic these days, and no creatures can get into it.

Down in the cellar, Hanley and Huddlesford found that beer was available in Bear-sized barrels, as well huge ones to deliver to pubs.  There was also a collection of old inn signs, including this one with bunnies on it (the guide says the pub still exists - it's near Banbury).

Polar was driving, so Grizzly could try several beer samples - and so the Bears could sip the bubbles.  Hanley liked the Old Hooky bubbles best, while Huddlesford said the Twelve Days Christmas ale was very nice, though they tried several others too.  By the time they had finished sampling, they started to feel as though there was fur inside their heads as well as on the outside, and they both had very, very long naps in the afternoon.

We had a little visit to our good pal Gecko on the way to Grandad Polar's house, where we enjoyed a lovely Christmas.  On Christmas Day, after Christmas dinner, we had some presents to open.  And, in one of the gifts from Gecko, we found a new pal - little Ilsley Bear!

 

We are such lucky bears to have kind pals and human guardians who take us on adventures, and I hope to be writing about more of them very soon.

 

 

 

The Year of the Rabbit

We had snow again this week, which reminded me that I had some posts to write about some adventures we had back in January, when we last had some snow.

  

Towards the end of January, Polar told us that it was the Lunar New Year, celebrated in countries like China, Vietnam and Thailand, but also by some people of south-east Asian heritage in the UK.

 

There was going to be a day of celebrations at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.  Hanley Bear and I wanted to go and, because it was the Year of the Rabbit, we asked Polar if Old Bunny could come with us and Polar said yes. 

 

Old Bunny wore the red dress we made for her when we helped to make her better two Christmases ago, because red is a lucky colour in Chinese culture.  Old Bunny and Polar (who are the same age) were both born in a Rabbit year, and Old Bunny is quite frail, so does not go out very often.

    

We snuggled up in our Bear Bag, because it was a very cold day.  Polar walked up the road from the car park to the museum because the pavements were so icy, and we arrived just in time for the Dragon Dance.  We all enjoyed watching the dancers making the dragon snake about, chasing a ball, then its own tail!

 

Inside the museum, there were lots of activities taking place and it was very, very busy.  We decided to watch a very clever lady doing a graceful, slow dance, where her face kept changing as she drew her fan across it, as she was wearing a series of very thin masks.

She was very kind as, when she had finished doing her performance, she let Polar take her photo with Old Bunny, who thought she was very clever indeed.

Then Hanley said we should all go back outdoors, as they were going to let off some firecrackers.  Old Bunny isn't very keen on loud things, as she has very big ears, so she sheltered inside the Bear Bag while we waited for the really loud bangs to start.  Even Hanley had to put his paws over his ears!

 

The last event was the Lion Dance.  There was a panda and some little people too, but my favourite thing was the little dancing lion cubs.  There were lots of human cubs watching them, and many of them had their pictures taken with the lions.

We would have liked to stay and see more things but it was very,very busy and Old Bunny was starting to feel sleepy.  Hanley and I agreed that we ought to go home, but we had enjoyed our visit and hope to see next year's celebrations too.