A suitcase, camera bag, a Bear and a Croc

It’s been very quiet for Bertie and Croc the past few weeks. They have been sat by the computer, near the camera bag watching and waiting to see what will happen next. Bertie has been getting impatient…..Croc has been feeling relieved. Sometimes its nice to take some time out, Croc has decided.

Then, as unexpected as always, everything changed.

The first sign was the camera’s battery being removed and charged. Bertie knew this was always a sign of a BIG adventure.

Next a small travel bag was dragged out from under the desk and things were carefully and methodically placed in it. At this point Bertie was beside himself with excitement! They had been on lots of day trips since they had come to the UK but never one which needed an over night bag. Where were they going?

Not being one to miss an adventure, Bertie excitedly made his way to hide in the camera bag dragging a sleepy Croc with him. As the bag was carefully closed and lifted, Bertie and Croc began to feel a familiar sense of excitement and wonder rise inside their tummies. Where were they heading this time???

The puzzle medals

Bertie and Croc felt quite confused when they left Bideford and headed home. The last time they were here they were part of a massive race! This time they had wandered up and down a track, getting glimpses of a map which they seemed to be following.

They were to find out why the following weekend.

There was an unexpected buzz in the house when Bertie and Croc woke up. There was lots of movement, things being pushed into bags and they found themselves sharing their space with a banana and an apple. Yuk, thought Croc as he pushed the odd smelling banana closer Bertie but more importantly away from himself. Bertie giggled at Croc’s reaction.

They were soon to find out what all the excitement was about when they arrived at their destination and hopped into the pockets of the thin jackets. Bertie felt like he had been here before, and Croc felt like he would rather go home.

They were running another race!

Bertie was practically bouncing out of the pocket with excitement as the whistle went off and he beamed at all the people running alongside him.

Croc felt slightly sick from all the bouncing motions already and sank deeper into the pocket wondering why he had to go through this torture all over again!

It was a warm day and Bertie was very pleased when he saw a water station and was able to catch some of the cool water to brush against his fur. He looked over to Croc but he was no where to be seen. Bertie knew he was in the pocket of the jacket still as he could see a Croc shaped lump deep in the pocket. “Oh dear” Thought Bertie. “Croc isn’t enjoying this!”

When the bouncing finally stopped and Bertie and Croc were carefully placed on the back seat of the car, they were proud new owners of two shiny medals. When they got home Bertie dashed to inspect the medal they already had and compare the two. An exhausted Croc stumbled after him. Struggling to lift his tired feet and carrying his heavy medal, Croc tripped and the medal went rolling along the ground nearly running Bertie over. Bertie dropped his medals in shock and then looked down even more surprised! The two medals fit together like a puzzle……and they made a picture. One of the very bridge they had been looking at last week and the tunnels they had run through when they were doing the half marathon!

Scoping out

Bertie and Croc were becoming seasoned travellers now. They had a little routine which they always went through when they knew an adventure was brewing. This was mainly so Croc wouldn’t get left behind again!

They made sure that they were both nestled near, or within sight of the camera bag. They knew the familiar sounds of an adventure starting and would leap into the bag and loosely close the zip to make sure they didn’t fall out when they were lifted into the air.

Today they were in the car for what seemed like forever. Bertie tapped his foot impatiently and fidgeted constantly. Croc settled down and had a nap. As Bertie watched Croc nap he smiled and wondered how two such different personalities could become the very best of friends?

When they finally made their way out of the camera bag to peep at where they were, Croc recognised it instantly. He had been here before. Bertie was too distracted looking for ice cream. In his mind, sand and water equalled ice cream and sea side. They were at Bideford, Croc was sure of it. He nudged Bertie and pointed to the landmark in front of them, a long bridge across the water which they had run over (or were carried over while their carriers ran) not so long ago.

Bertie recognised the bridge from when he was bravely peeping out of the pocket in the race and he had looked back to see where they had come from. But what were they doing here? It didn’t feel like a race?

Bertie and Croc were on a “scoping out” mission…..but what were they looking for?

Full steam ahead

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Croc had seen several amazing sights since he had started his travels with Bertie and today he was in for a treat!

Croc and Bertie were becoming experienced travellers. Bertie, especially, has travelled by plane, car, van, camper van, 4 wheel drive, tuk-tuk, motorbike, boat and helicopter, and those are the ones he can remember. Today he was to show Croc the one thing he was yet to travel on.

As they emerged from the camera bag, Croc could see they were on a platform at a train station. He began to wonder where they were going today. Bertie had been distracted by the huge, green train which was opposite them. This was not the normal kind of train he was use to seeing. It was rounder, fuller and had huge wheels.

A sudden toot made both friends jump back into the safety of the bag. “What was that?” Whispered Croc. Bertie bravely when to have a look. He could hear a weird noise and couldn’t see much at first for some smoke. As the smoke cleared Bertie’s eyes grew big. Excitedly, he leapt into the camera bag and grabbed Croc before he could protest. He pulled him into the light and pointed.

There was a cloud of smoke and as it cleared a huge, steam train pushed its way through the smoke and began to move towards them on the tracks. Croc wasn’t sure about this huge, iron beast and tried to sink back into the bag, but Bertie wouldn’t let him escape this time.

Bertie explained they were perfectly safe as long as they weren’t on the tracks. He pointed to the safety lines marked out on the platform and explained to less than convinced friend, that the trains couldn’t come up here and they would be fine. Before Croc could argue, Bertie had dragged him onto the platform to pose for a photo in front of the train. Croc looked at his friend with some confusion. What had got into Bertie? He could hardly stay still. He was so excited he was hopping up and down on the spot.

Croc looked at Bertie’s happy face and shrugged. “Oh well” He thought, “if it makes him happy.” He followed the hopping and excited Bertie around the platform as he tugged at Croc whenever they came near one of the huge engines. At one point, a train made an long toot on its whistle and Bertie started clapping his hands! That made Croc laugh.

By the time they had made their way back to the safety of the bag, Bertie was all worn out. He slept all the way home!

Would you be excited to see a steam train?

Prehistoric rocks

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It was a warm, sunny day and Bertie and Croc knew what that meant, an adventure!

When they finally peeped out from the camera bag they could hear seagulls calling and the crashing of waves. They were on a long stretch of beach. Croc was mesmerised by the grey looking ocean. It had been a while since he had seen the sea. As Croc stared at the sea, Bertie was watching the people on the beach. They were crowding around the cliff’s and the many large rocks which had come to rest on the sand. He wondered what they were all looking at and why they found the rocks so interesting?

As they moved further down the beach the cold, biting wind had forced Croc to sink deeper into the bag. Bertie, being a little more hardly and use to the cold, braved the wind and watched the people crowding around the rocks fade away.

Bertie and Croc came to rest on a small rock, sheltered by the cliff face. Croc, being closer to the ground than Bertie, began to study the rock they were sat on. He nudged Bertie and pointed at a mark on the rock. Bertie looked in the direction Croc was pointing, and then did a double take! It was a FOSSIL!

Bertie had heard of fossils but never seen one! Croc slid down the rock to a lower ledge and pointed at another shape in the rocks….the fossils were everywhere! Croc looked confused. Bertie explained that a fossil is a the impression or remains of a prehistoric plant or animal which has been embedded in the rock and has been preserved. These little swirls and shapes were animals which were millions of years old.

Croc stared in disbelief at the small patterns in the rocks.

Bertie was scooped up and gently placed in the camera bag. Croc didn’t want to leave, he wanted to keep looking for more fossils. As he was scooped up he grabbed hold of a piece of rock in an attempt to stay. The rock broke away and Croc was lifted, rock and all, and placed in the camera bag. Bertie was shocked. He didn’t usually like the idea of taking things from beaches. He preferred to leave things for everyone else to see. He had to admit though, the fossils embedded in Croc’s rock were pretty cool.

Croc clung to his rock all the way home. In fact, Croc is laid on his windowsill spot right now, on top of his fossil covered rock!

Hop to it!

When we last left Bertie and Croc, Croc was in a ring of golden chickens and Bertie was trying to wake him….

Bertie gave in. He picked up a bell which was also lying on the windowsill, covered his bear ears as much as he could and threw it on the floor. Croc woke with a start! Stopped, looked in shock at Bertie and then the ring of chicks.

Now Bertie had heard that Crocodiles can move at quite fast speeds, but he had never seen it until now. Before Bertie could blink Croc was beside him, shaking slightly and looking slightly dazed.

Bertie giggled. “Have you missed me?” He asked. Croc looked surprised. He hadn’t even noticed Bertie had been gone he was far too busy dozing in the mid summers light! Bertie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel insulted. It was then he felt a slight nudge behind him and slowly turning around, he looked up into the face of a small, fluffy rabbit.

“Erm…..excuse me.” Said a soft voice to the shocked looking friends. “I’m wondering if you could show me how to get out there” The fluffy, orange carrot was no longer sat on the windowsill. In it’s place was a small, fluffy rabbit. The rabbiy pointed with his nose to the window. Bertie and Croc looked at each other. “You see”, said the rabbit, “I am the Easter Bunny, and I have quite a busy day ahead of me. So if you wouldn’t mind, could we hop to it!”

Bertie and Croc leapt into action. They helped the bunny down off the windowsill by providing a soft landing for him using a pillow. They carefully, crawled down the stairs. The bunny stopped on the top step and then did something which shocked both bears. He wrapped his ears around himself, until he looked like a small, rugby ball and rolled down the stairs! He bounced right out of the door.

“Thank you!” He shouted as he disappeared round the corner and towards the open fields, “and Happy Easter!”

Easter? Thought Bertie and Croc, what’s that? Croc shrugged and made his way back upstairs, feeling quite relieved he now had more space to chase the sunlight on the windowsill now that the bunny was gone.

An Easter Adventure

Bertie was quite relieved to be heading back home after his solo adventure. He knew he was heading home because the gentle hum of the car’s engine had gone on long enough for him to fall asleep to it. He woke up, as most people do, when the engine hum finally stopped.
“Oh my!” Thought Bertie, “I wonder what Croc will think to my adventure? Will he be annoyed I have left him alone? I do hope he isn’t upset.” So many questions entered his already stuffed brain as he was carried up the stairs and back to his resting place on the wide wooden windowsill.

As he carefully climbed out of the bag, waiting to see Croc’s reaction he bumped into a small, orange, fluffy, fat CARROT. He leapt back into the bag in shock! What was that??? And more importantly where was Croc?

Bertie took a BIG breath, knowing his friend was out there somewhere probably alone and terrified, and peeped out of the bag. There it was, the carrot, still and unmoving. He waited. It remained still. He shuffled closer and closer and ran past it to where Croc usually likes to sun himself.

“Goodness me!?” Gasped Bertie. Croc was exactly where Bertie had left him only he was asleep, in the sunshine, surrounded by a ring of yellow, fluffy chicks!

Carefully, Bertie made his way over to his friend and nudged him. Croc stirred but remained asleep. “Oh no!” Thought Bertie, Croc is in one of his deep crocodile slumbers! How can I wake him without him becoming alarmed at where he is?”

How would you wake Croc?