Paddington, Scout and the Pink Camellias
SCOUT: “Paddy! Paddy come quickly!”
PADDY: “What is it, Scout? What’s wrong?”
SCOUT: “Oh, nothing is wrong, Paddy. Why do you think something is wrong whenever I call for you?”
PADDY: “Because usually something is wrong when you call for me, Scout.”
SCOUT: *Contemplates.* “Oh!”
PADDY: “So, if nothing is wrong this time, Scout, why did you call me?”
SCOUT: “Because I wanted to show you these pretty flowers! Look! They are pink!”
PADDY: “That’s right, Scout. Those are Plantation Pink Camellias. Daddy has some at the bottom of the garden at home.”
SCOUT: “I knew there was a reason why I love them! They are so beautiful, and they are pink, which is my favourite colour.” *Scratches head with paw.* “Paddy? Paddy!”
PADDY: “Yes Scout?”
SCOUT: “Why doesn’t Daddy pick the pretty pink camellia flowers and put them in a vase at home, like he does the roses? He knows that pink is my favourite colour, and he always points out the pink roses to me when he brings them in. They are pretty!”
PADDY: “Well, you see, Scout….”
DADDY: “You see, Scout, it’s like this.”
PADDY and SCOUT: “Hullo Daddy!” *Wave paws enthusiastically.*
PADDY: “Are you ready to go for a photography and adventure walk with us, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Yes I am, Paddy. However, first I just need to explain to Scout why I don’t pick camellias, pink or otherwise.”
SCOUT: “Why don’t you, Daddy? You know how much I love pink!” *Sad.* “And look how pretty they are.”
DADDY: “I know little Scout, and I love them too. I would happily cut some for you, except that I know that they would make you sad, Scout.”
SCOUT: “Make me sad, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Yes, Scout. You see, I know you are always sad when the roses’ petals start to curl up and go brown.”
SCOUT: “Oh I do, Daddy! Because then I know that they are dying.” *Sniffs.* “That is soooo sad making!”
DADDY: “Well, if I picked the camellia’s flowers, they would die even more quickly.”
SCOUT: “They would, Daddy?”
DADDY: “They would, Scout. And not only that, I would also have to float them in a bowl, so you might not see them as easily as the roses I put in a vase for you. So, I leave them on the bush.”
SCOUT: “Will they last longer there, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Well, a little bit longer, Scout. Camellias are very delicate flowers you see, Scout. The wind blows them and the petals fall off quite easily too, but they do last longer.”
SCOUT: “Long enough for me to have my photo taken with such pretty pink flowers, Daddy?”
DADDY: “I think so, Scout. It’s nice and sunny too, so this will make a lovely photo.”
PADDY: “May I be in the photograph too, Scout?”
SCOUT: “Why of course you can, Paddy! You don’t need to ask! I love having my photo taken with you because I love you soooo much!”
PADDY: “Well, that’s good, Scout.”
SCOUT: “Why is that, Paddy?”
PADDY: “Because I love you too!”
DADDY: “Now boys, say ‘grumbly tummies!”
PADDY and SCOUT: “Grumbly tummies!”
DADDY: *Takes photo of Paddy and Scout with a whirr from the camera.*
In May, Paddy, Scout and I took a lovely short holiday to Victoria’s alpine region. This included the lovely little town of Wandiligong, where we stayed and where this photograph was taken. The camellias in the gardens of Wandiligong were just stunning!
Being slightly colder in the alpine region, both Paddy and Scout are wearing hand knitted scarves and hats by Lorna's Lovely Looks. Paddy sports a strawberry pin and Scout insisted on wearing a Hungry Caterpillar one, which seems most appropriate. Both were gifts from a good friend who is very fond of Paddy and Scout.
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.
Vigorous and fast growing, Camellia Sasanqua “Plantation Pink” is an upright evergreen shrub with masses of large sweetly scented single to semi-double, soft pink flowers and a wonderful centre of golden yellow stamens. The blooms occur over quite a long period between March and June in the Southern Hemisphere which makes them very popular. They are often used for hedges or to cover walls.
Wandiligong is a town in north-eastern Victoria in the alpine region around 330 kilometres from Melbourne. Established in the 1850s as part of the Victorian Gold Rush, Wandiligong became a hub for many gold miners, including a large Chinese community. At its peak, the town was home to over two thousand inhabitants and boasted shops, churches, a public library, halls and even an hotel. Much has changed since those heady days of the gold rush, and the picturesque town nestled in a valley and built around the Morses Creek, is now a sleepy little town full of picturesque houses which are often let to visitors to the area. The whole town is registered with the National Trust of Australia for its historic landscape and buildings of historic value.
Paddington, Scout and the Pink Camellias
SCOUT: “Paddy! Paddy come quickly!”
PADDY: “What is it, Scout? What’s wrong?”
SCOUT: “Oh, nothing is wrong, Paddy. Why do you think something is wrong whenever I call for you?”
PADDY: “Because usually something is wrong when you call for me, Scout.”
SCOUT: *Contemplates.* “Oh!”
PADDY: “So, if nothing is wrong this time, Scout, why did you call me?”
SCOUT: “Because I wanted to show you these pretty flowers! Look! They are pink!”
PADDY: “That’s right, Scout. Those are Plantation Pink Camellias. Daddy has some at the bottom of the garden at home.”
SCOUT: “I knew there was a reason why I love them! They are so beautiful, and they are pink, which is my favourite colour.” *Scratches head with paw.* “Paddy? Paddy!”
PADDY: “Yes Scout?”
SCOUT: “Why doesn’t Daddy pick the pretty pink camellia flowers and put them in a vase at home, like he does the roses? He knows that pink is my favourite colour, and he always points out the pink roses to me when he brings them in. They are pretty!”
PADDY: “Well, you see, Scout….”
DADDY: “You see, Scout, it’s like this.”
PADDY and SCOUT: “Hullo Daddy!” *Wave paws enthusiastically.*
PADDY: “Are you ready to go for a photography and adventure walk with us, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Yes I am, Paddy. However, first I just need to explain to Scout why I don’t pick camellias, pink or otherwise.”
SCOUT: “Why don’t you, Daddy? You know how much I love pink!” *Sad.* “And look how pretty they are.”
DADDY: “I know little Scout, and I love them too. I would happily cut some for you, except that I know that they would make you sad, Scout.”
SCOUT: “Make me sad, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Yes, Scout. You see, I know you are always sad when the roses’ petals start to curl up and go brown.”
SCOUT: “Oh I do, Daddy! Because then I know that they are dying.” *Sniffs.* “That is soooo sad making!”
DADDY: “Well, if I picked the camellia’s flowers, they would die even more quickly.”
SCOUT: “They would, Daddy?”
DADDY: “They would, Scout. And not only that, I would also have to float them in a bowl, so you might not see them as easily as the roses I put in a vase for you. So, I leave them on the bush.”
SCOUT: “Will they last longer there, Daddy?”
DADDY: “Well, a little bit longer, Scout. Camellias are very delicate flowers you see, Scout. The wind blows them and the petals fall off quite easily too, but they do last longer.”
SCOUT: “Long enough for me to have my photo taken with such pretty pink flowers, Daddy?”
DADDY: “I think so, Scout. It’s nice and sunny too, so this will make a lovely photo.”
PADDY: “May I be in the photograph too, Scout?”
SCOUT: “Why of course you can, Paddy! You don’t need to ask! I love having my photo taken with you because I love you soooo much!”
PADDY: “Well, that’s good, Scout.”
SCOUT: “Why is that, Paddy?”
PADDY: “Because I love you too!”
DADDY: “Now boys, say ‘grumbly tummies!”
PADDY and SCOUT: “Grumbly tummies!”
DADDY: *Takes photo of Paddy and Scout with a whirr from the camera.*
In May, Paddy, Scout and I took a lovely short holiday to Victoria’s alpine region. This included the lovely little town of Wandiligong, where we stayed and where this photograph was taken. The camellias in the gardens of Wandiligong were just stunning!
Being slightly colder in the alpine region, both Paddy and Scout are wearing hand knitted scarves and hats by Lorna's Lovely Looks. Paddy sports a strawberry pin and Scout insisted on wearing a Hungry Caterpillar one, which seems most appropriate. Both were gifts from a good friend who is very fond of Paddy and Scout.
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.
Vigorous and fast growing, Camellia Sasanqua “Plantation Pink” is an upright evergreen shrub with masses of large sweetly scented single to semi-double, soft pink flowers and a wonderful centre of golden yellow stamens. The blooms occur over quite a long period between March and June in the Southern Hemisphere which makes them very popular. They are often used for hedges or to cover walls.
Wandiligong is a town in north-eastern Victoria in the alpine region around 330 kilometres from Melbourne. Established in the 1850s as part of the Victorian Gold Rush, Wandiligong became a hub for many gold miners, including a large Chinese community. At its peak, the town was home to over two thousand inhabitants and boasted shops, churches, a public library, halls and even an hotel. Much has changed since those heady days of the gold rush, and the picturesque town nestled in a valley and built around the Morses Creek, is now a sleepy little town full of picturesque houses which are often let to visitors to the area. The whole town is registered with the National Trust of Australia for its historic landscape and buildings of historic value.