Hi there Spiky-Friends,

for once this is Paulinchen writing. hier schreibt ausnahmsweise Paulinchen. I guess I have to say sorry to you all for keeping Spiky from writing during the last weeks. I think it had to do with my stay at Spiky’s place that he rather spent the time cuddling than making use of the computer keyboard.

Ok, well, tomorrow I’ll be travelling back home to Austria to my Mum but before that I want to tell you about a wonderful afternoon Spiky and me spent at the Zoo. I didn’t believe all the things I saw there.

I new there were different kind of bears. Spiky for example is a polar bear and a teddy bear. What I did not know was that there are also sea bears. Sea bears belong to the family of the sea lions (how strange!?)…

… and they don’t look like bears at all. Sea bears are in contrast to us “standard bears” excellent and elegant swimmers and they like fish – for starters, main course and dessert. If you hand them a fish they literally jump up into the air.

A few minutes later Spiky pointed out a sign to me. We had arrived at our brown relatives and we took the chance of reading all the information on family brown bear, so we would be prepared for any kind of conversation…

… but the two of them just ignored us. No hum, not a single word, nothing at all – I don’t know how we could have offended them. We had so much looked forward to this visit and now that.

Somehow all the animals in the zoo were in a bad mood that day. Not only the bears were grumpy, some of the meerkats even started a very fierce fight…

… and the zebras weren’t too happy, too. Two of them had a chase round the enclosure ending with a hoof to hoof fight. That’s no way to behave, is it?

Later in the afternoon we arrived at the elephants’ enclosure. These grey giants are really really great, so huge and so laid-back. One of them was playing with a ball and another one was throwing an empty beer keg up into the air and the third one…

…had drunk the keg empty. At least so it seemed. Anyway he completely forgot how to behave in the presence of a (bear) lady. What a piggyphant!

My Spiky knew how to behave and in the end got ice cream for the two of us. I definitely knew why I spent four weeks together with Spiky and not with an elephant.

Hmm, tomorrow morning I will have to kiss Spiky good-bye – at least for a while. But I am sure we’ll see each other again soon – our humans will take care of that!

Love you all and a little kiss for Spiky
Yours Paulinchen

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Uiuiuiuiiiii,

I have to finish my Grossglockner adventure now. Pauinchen’s already fallen asleep so I decided to tell you the rest of our trip to the Bulli meeting.

We boarded my Bulli in the morning and drove off towards the Großglockner mountain pass. The sun was shining and we had loads of fun driving up the mountain. Suddenly Bulli stood still and didn’t move an inch. When I looked out to find out the reason I saw that Bulli’s feet, ahem, wheels got stuck in snow.

So what is the simple bear necessity in such a case? Right, puuuuuuuuush!

When I had pushed bulli back on solid ground we chugged up to the place the people there call Francis-Joseph’s Height after the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph II. Form that height you have a brilliant view of the Grossglockner mountain and the Pasterze glacier. My Dad was shocked when he saw the glacier, because only so little was left in comparison to his last visit 20 years ago when there was much more left of the ice.

So before the rest of the glacier could melt away Paulinchen and myself to a picture of the two of us in front of the glacier.

As I said the place has been named after the Austrian emperor who came up here many years ago to enjoy the view of the Großglockner. Hiw wife Elisabeth didn’t want to climb that far and stayed in the valley.

Today humans and teddy bears can have their picture taken disguised as Francis and Elisabeth – of course me and Paulinchen couldn’t miss out such an opportunity. But Paulinchen is much prettier than the olde Elisabeth, anyway.

Then I wanted to pluck an edelweiss for my Paulinchen – as they say there are edelweiss in the mountains – and so I started climbing up the rocks but I didn’t find anything but green grass. Bad luck!

On the other hand I had a brilliant view of the car park from up there. The upper deck was full of bullis with my little bulli right among them. I just couldn’t see my bulli from up there.

I slided down the slope on my bum and together with Paulinchen I walked over to Bulli who waited patiently. We made ourself comfortable among all the big bullis and watched all the new arriving bullis line up on the parking deck.

One of the older bullis hat an old wooden sled and a leather suitcase on its roof rack. There even was a wooden ladder if you want to get the things from the roof rack. Very clever, at least for humans, I mean.

After a long afternoon at this bulli parade we had to say goodbye. Paulinchen, Schmusibu, Blöki, Smudo and Sparky had to take their bulli and drive down the mountain on this side while we had to go over the mountain pass and go down the other side. I already had a big farewell lump in my throat when we sat together for a farewell group picture of us all.

Then Manu came up with the biggest surprise of the weekend and told us that Paulinchen’s Mum had allowed Paulinchen to come home with me. So loaded Paulinchens luggage into Dad’s car, hugged everybody good-bye and then we drove off towards Augsburg.

Down in the valley we took another short stop because we couldn’t miss this photo. There is an power station that is really called “bear works”, fantastic, isn’t it? And lucky we were. The moment we had taken the picture it started to pour down on us and didn’t stop before we arrived in Augsburg hours later.

Well, since then Paulinchen has been with me – lucky me! The weather wasn’t too good in the last weeks so I had somebody as company. There weren’t any big adventures yet – apart from a visit to the zoo. But that is another story for another day.

All the best and read you soon
Spiky & Paulinchen

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Hello my friends,

there we were at last – two happy teddy bears at the Bulli meeting at Kals near the Großglockner mountain. Well, to be honest, we were at Kals but we had not seen any Bulli yet.

The next morning something or somebady tickled my nose. When I slowly opened my sleepy eyes I saw smiling Paulinchen about to give me a good morning kiss. “Good morning, Spiky”, she said and I realized that she was wearing my Hawaii shirt as a dressing gown. Should I wear her pink dress now? No, I’d rather not.

We met with our humans at the breakfast table but before we were able to dig our teeth into a roll with butter and honey the humans jumped up again and ran out of the door. “The bullis, the bullis are queing up…” they said. *wrks* I had to walk up to the room and collect my bulli – after all I was there for the bulli meeting.

I found a free parking space next to my bulli’s big brother. That bulli was from Switzerland and it’s driver greeted me very friendly as if a teddy bear at the bulli meeting were the most normal thing in the world. He praised the good state of my bulli and we did a bit talking shop…

… till he asked me if I would like to have my photo taken with his bulli. “Oh yes, thank you”, I replied and positioned myself in the window of Daniels beautiful bulli and waved into Dad’s camera.

A minute later I had to get out again because the big bullis hit the road for their Großglockner round trip. One bulli after the other drove past us. Very old bullis, old bullis, middle old, new and brand new bullis, white and red bullis, greeen and blue bullis, yellow and black bullis….

When the bullis had left we went back to the breakfast room and enjoyed a lovely breakfast. After all we wanted…

… go to the Großglockner, too. Up there, Daddy said, at the Franz-Joseph-Height we would meet all the bullis again and maybe one or two groundhogs. Groundhogs? What the heck is a groundhog? Paulinchen didn’t know and so we had to be patient. Well, yes, you have to be patient, too, till I tell you the third and last part of our trip.

See you soon
Yours Spiky

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Hey-ho

it has cooled down at last so I am not melting away when I sit in front of the computer. I’ve got a new story for you all and a lot of pictures too.

It’s been a while since I’ve told you that I am proud owner of a Bulli. now. Last weekend – I was just having a nap in the garden dreaming of a big bowl of honey ice cream – Dad came along carrying a suitcase and a travel bag. “Let’s go to the Bulli Meeting”, he said and dragged the bags into the car. Hehe, and I got my Bulli and off we went.

We took the motorway, Mum and Dad in front and me following them on my Bulli. At the Holzkirchen services we met again for a short snack break. Hmm, well, ok, that’s not, ahem, entirely true. Bulli and I were behind Mum and Dad, but we were both sitting on the back seats and the photo was just taken for Spikys Welt.

The Bulli Meet was taking place near Austria’s highest mountain, the Großglockner. When we arrived at our destination Mum and Dad were not able to find our hotel although they were parking right in front of it, while checking the address on Dad’s mobile phone. *tststs* When we finally got there and I climbed out of the car suddenly somebody from behind put two furry paws over my eyes.

This smell, these tender paws – aaaaaaah, this could only be my PAULINCHEN. Schmusibu’s parents had agrred with Paulinchen’s Mum to take her on the trip. I was so beary happy, I cannot tell – and Paulinchen was happy, too.

The first thing our humans did, of course, was going for dinner. Paulinchen and I spend the first time just holding our paws because we hadn’t been together for such a long time. Oh, how my little teddy heart was beating, such a pretty teddy girl – hihi, the moment she’ll read this she’ll blush – I bet!

“The way to a teddy’s heart is through his stomach”, people say and so we decided to have a bite to eat, too. So we went over to the table to check what was on offer there. Loads of yummy Tyrolean food such as Pressknödel and Schlipfkrapfen, fantastic. Mum didn’t manage her portion so there was plenty left for the teddies.

As a dessert we teddies got spoiled. Dad ordered “hot love” for us, , vanilla ice cream with hot raspberries and two little wafer hearts – one for me and one for Paulinchen.

Our humans were sitting there just chatting the time away when Paulinchen had a brilliant idea. She nicked the beermats from the table and we started building and tearing down beer mat towers. I don’t know how long we played but when I am with Paulinchen time always flies.

In the end even Mum and Dad got tired and the said something about “getting up at nine”. We jumped into the rucksack and had Mum carry us back to the hotel. We stayed at the Ferienhaus Alpina just around the corner from the restaurant, very comfy rooms with a separate teddy bed. Paulinchen and me snuggled against each other and fell asleep even before the big ones next door started snoring. Lucky teddies, hihih!

Well, and all the things that happened the next day…. I’ll tell you the next time

Read you soon
Yours Spiky

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Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

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- – - Translation will be available soon – - -

Hi there,

a few days ago my Dad asked me a very strange qestion. He wanted to know if I would like to have a “Panini Album”. I didn’t have a clue what he meant so to be on the safe side I said “yes” – at least he wanted to give me a present even if I didn’t know what it was.

“Panini”, I learned in Italy, are little bread rolls and an album is a special book for collecting things like stamps or coins. But who on earth would collect bread rolls in a book? Humans are sooo weird!

Just an hour later Daddy came home with a paper bag and he emptied the contents on the stool. Well, I am definitely not curious, but I had to look what he had put there.

On the stool there was a big colourful magazine and loads of thin, little paper packets and on the magazine it said something about “South Africa” and “FIFA World Cup”. Ok, I think I know where South Africa is, and because that little man on the cover was kicking a football I assumed the whole thing had something to do with the world cup.

There was the same little image in all of the little paper packets. The same image that was printed on the front cover of the magazine so I wondered if these two belonged together somehow. But what?

I opened the magazine and looked what it was about. Strangely enough there wasn’t hardly any text in there just many many white frames with different numbers and names written in them. Over each double page it said a country’s name, for example South Africa – there it was again – or Italy, France, even Germany was there.

I didn’t really get it. What should I do with a magazine that showed several hundred white frames?

Maybe the solution to this riddle was in the little paper packets. I took one of them and tore it open. I found pictures of men wearing coloured shirts and on the back of the pictures I could read numbers.

And then I had an idea. On one of the packets I could read the word “Panini”. So that was the “Panini-Album” Dad had been goin on about and the men on the pictures where football players in the world cup. I started tearing up all the other packets…

… and in the end I was sitting there in the middle of loads of colourful pictures. White shirts, and red ones and orange ones and blue ones… Some stickers showed a crest with a silvery sparkle. Very nice!

Carefully I pulled the sticker from the Paper with my paws and even more carefully I sticked the pictures inti the little frames – whis isn’t as easy as it sounds, I can tell you. Especially not if you have to stick lots and lots of pictures in the album.

Ooops, something went wrong with this one? Why did this stupid man do a headstand when he was being photographed. Now I have to turn around the album everytime I want to look at his picture. Stupid!

My Dad used to have such an album when he was a young bear, pardon, boy – and now I’ve got one, too. My Now Dad brings me the little sticker packets from time to time. And he explained to me that I can swap duplicates with other collectors.

So if you are collecting these stickers, too, and if you want to swap stickers with me just send me an email. You can find a regularyl updated list of my doubles and needed stickersright here under this text. I am looking forward to your emails (and comments )

Cheers
Spiky

my swap stickers:
31, 52, 56, 59, 62, 62, 63, 73, 146, 151, 163, 211, 221, 226, 247, 274, 313, 363, 375, (382), 413, 418, 434, 494, 498, 525, 525, 541, 544, 563, 577, 597, 619, 637

still missing:
00, (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), 8, 10, (15), 17, (18), 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 32, 36, 38, (39), 40, 41, (44), (46), 48, 51, 53, 54, 58, 60, 64, (65), 67, 69, 70, 71, (72), 74, 77, 82, 86, 90, (91), (95), (96), 97, 99, (100), 101, 102, (103), 105, 106, 107, (110), (112), 114, 115, (117), 120, 122, (123), 126, 127, (131), (132), 136, 138, 147, 149, (150), 152, (156), 157, (159), 161, (162), 165, 166, 170, 171, 172, 178, 179, 180, 182, 183, 187, 188, 190, 193, 194, 196, 201, 202, 205, 206, (207), 208, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 222, 223, 225, (227), 228, (232), 235, 236, 238, (239), 240, 242, 243, 244, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 258, 261, 262, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 270, 271, 272, 273, (278), 279, 282, 283, 286, 287, 288, 289, 292, (294), 296, 297, 299, 301, 306, (308), 309, 311, 312, 314, 316, 317, 322, 324, 326, 328, 329, 332, 333, 337, 338, 340, 341, 342, 345, 346, 349, 350, 352, 353, 354, 355, 361, 362, 364, 366, 373, 374, 376, 377, 378, (380), 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 398, 399, (400), 403, 404, 406, (407), 408, 409, 411, 412, 415, 417, 421, 423, 424, 425, (428), 429, 430, 432, 433, 435, 436, 437, 440, 441, 442, 443, 445, 450, 453, 454, 458, 460, 465, 467, 469, 470, 474, 477, 478, 479, 480, 485, 490, 491, 493, 495, 499, 502, 504, 506, 508, 509, 511, 512, 513, (516), 517, 519, (521), 522, 524, 526, 528, 529, 531, 536, 537, (543), 547, 458, 549, 550, 551, 554, 555, 556, 558, 559, 561, 562, 567, 569, 570, 573, (574), 575, (583), 585, (587), 588, 589, 591, 598, 601, 602, 603, 604, 606, 609, 611, 614, 615, 616, 620, 621, 623, 624, 625, 627, 628, 630, 631, 636

( ) = swap arranged

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Hiya,

this is Spiky the train driver with a new story. A little more than a week ago we went on a day trip with some friends – we took the morning train from Augsburg…

…and because it was sooooo early, neither of us had had any breakfast yet. Luckily somebody had thought about that and had brought some breakfast for bear and people. My personal favourite were the delicious muffins – they were so sweet. *yummy*

Stupidly the weather was bad, so I put on my nice raincoat. In Lindau – where we also went on a steamboat before Bmit dem Raddampfer – we waited for a liner to Bearganz or so. In the background you can see it coming into the harbour.

In Bregenz – this is the town’s real name – we took a long walk through the “Oberstadt” (Upper Town) which is called Upper Town because… well?… right, because it is on top of a hill above the “Unterstadt” (Lower Town). Up there there are a lot of great old houses with and without timber framing, with and without gardens and sometimes the doors are in funny places.

When it started raining again my humans shooed into a museum very quickly. It is situated in a very, very old tower, which you can only get into by climbing lots and lots of wooden steps. There were lots of rifles and pistols and uniforms. In the first room there was a painting of a man with an enourmous moustache. He looks kind of nice, somehow like a lovely fairy tail uncle.

Right on top of this tower there were some real cannons and Dad said I should pose as back-up canoneer Spiky. OK, I will! How did I do?

In the afternoon we walked through the rain back to Lake Konstanz and looked at the famous obeara stage in Bregenz. They will soon be playing Aida by Dschuseppe Beardy there and some years ago they shot a famous movie there. I guess that movie was called “A Quantum of coffees” – just because the main character is a secret agent called James Bear who’s drinking lots of coffee all through the film.

As a commemoration there is a shadow figure of this James Bear there, which you can look through and have your picture taken. I thought “I want that too” and asked Dad to take a picture of me – I think I would make a super spy bear.

As a spy bear I’m entitled to free transport, no matter where I want to go. And after a long day of lumbering around I asked Mum to put me into the Teddy-Carrier, so I could see everything afterwards from this bearspective. At least until we boarded the ship again. The soft movement of the waves made me go to sleep.

Afterwards this turned out to have been a beary big mistake, because in between the arrival of the ship and the departure of the train there was enough time for an ice cream in a Lindau coffee shop. AND I SLEPT THROUGH IT!!!

Anyway, in the meantime I have been given some ice cream as well but I was beary annoyed that night. I hope that this story has amused you more than annoyed.

Love
Yours Spiky

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Hi all,

you won’t believe what happened today. A few days ago I posted the “Straw-Beary girl wanted” article for my buddy Jack who is feeling lonely.

This morning the door bell rang, Dad answered and came back with a small parcel. “Jack, I think this parcel is for you”, he said. Jack jumped up, dashed across the room and when I had found the camera, Jack had already torn open the parcel.

Ich glaube Jack hatte schon ein Gefühl in seinen roten Härchen, was in dem Päckchen sein würde. Und Herrchen hatte wohl am Absender erkannt, dass er endlich Erfolg beim Gewinnspiel gehabt hatte. Als er den Deckel der Schachtel aufgerissen hatte und ein roter Kopf mit Schleifchen im Haar aufgetaucht ist, hat er ganz große Augen bekommen und gar nix mehr sagen können.

I only heard to cheering cries and suddenly there were two strawbears falling into their arms. I beleive it wasn’t only Jack who was very happy. The bear girl was completely swept off her feet by this young attractive strawbear Jack – I guess that’s what they call “love on bearst sight”.

After the first joy of meeting Jack introduced his new beary girl friend to us. “Shuelie de Fras” is the name of the young lady but her name is spelled differently like Julie de Fraise. I guess that’s aFrench name but I haven’t had the chance to ask her yet.

Later the two of them went to sit on Nigels lap where they went on whispering and giggling. It was such a beary nice picture they made…… sooo sweet.

Okay, I just wanted to let you know the news. Jack and Shuelie, ahem Julie, are happy. Thanks for keeping your paws crossed.

Best regards
Yours Spiky

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Ooohhhh, unbelievable these humans!

I am so angry – I still cannot believ what happened to me recently. I was sitting on the sofa watching television with Mum when she suddenly turns round looks at me and says “Spiky you are a little mudlark! You’ll have to have a bath!”

There it was the evil word! BATH! I said to her “I am clean and NO mudlark” but Mum would not accept that and hapred on about a tiny little spot in my fur and the, suddenly she said: “Oh, let’s do that straight away!” and before I could flee from the room she had picked me up and carried me down the stairs.

I was fighting like mad but as a little bear there is no chance against human hands. When she tried to put me in the washing machine I tried spreading myself in the door crying “I don’t want to go in there!” – Just guess if it helped me in the end.

“Clack” the door closed and all I culd do was look out of the big window. Phhh, who said something about panoramic views? And then the water came splashing in and the big metal drum started moving. To and fro and to and fro till I completely lost the balance and fell in the water.

Luckily the washing torture didn’t last longer than 30 minutes, but then I was so dizzy in my teddy head. I felt like a wet sack when I pulled myself out of the washing machine.

My Mum wrapped me into a cuddly soft towel and put me on a small table so I could recover from that horrble experience. Why are humans first mean and then nice to us teddy bears. They could be nice from the beginning without the mean bit in the middle. Humans!

When I had fully recovered I was allowed to go into our garden and lie down in the sun. That was really awesome. But to be honest…. If lying in the sun means having a bath every day before I rather stay in the shade.

At least my Mum said in the end tha I was no longer grey (I’ve never been grey!!!) but bright white. And she said I was sweet with fabric softener. For my part I’ll avoid the basement and the washing machine for a looong time.

Best regards
Yours Spiky

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Heyho Spiky readers,

I have new very beary story for you all – well, not really beary rather bulli, in fact, hihi. A few days ago my Dad came home and had a very unexpected surprise for me. A small parcel had arrived, well, what humans tend to call a “small” parcel.

Parcels are made for unwrapping and that’s what I started doing. A short glance at the stamp and I knew the parcel had been posted in Graz in Austria. Sounded sheepish to my ears ….

The worst thing about unwrapping such parcels is the sticky tape. When you have at last ripped off all the sticky tape you end up having stick paws – as if you’ve been eating honey. Ok now, let’s see…

Didn’t I say the parcel was huge? “Helloooo Echooooo” “Hellooooo Spiiiiikyyyyyy”… Ooops. Just kidding. I climbed into the parcel till I hit something soft inside.

That moment the parcel began to shake and I just grabbed the soft something the same second the whole parcel toppled over. I tumbled out of the parcel, a piece of a plastic bag in my paws.

k, that was a good start. With all my strength I dragged the foil and slowly, very slowly something appeared – something red with white stripes. Very strange, that looked a bit like a car’s bum.

That really was a car. An old Volkswagen van. My Dad told my that these Volkswagen vans were called “Bulli” as a nickname by everybody. Bulli and Spiky – sounds like a great team provided I get Bulli out of the foil.

In the end I really managed to pull off the foil. And then there stood Bulli – I thought a different name wouldn’t make any sense – beaming at me with his bright headlight eyes. Friednship at first glance it was. I squeezed his tires with my paws and bid him welcome.

In return for the warm welcome Bulli gave me a letter from Manu, Wolfi and Schmusibu saying that it was my Dad who had ordered the Bulli from them – just for me! Thanks Dad! – and that I should take good care of Bulli and they sent greetings from Paulinchen… *sigh*

“Come on, get on my back” Bulli said to me and so I jumped on his soft back. A very comfortable back I have to admit. And then we had our first ride round the house to show Bulli his new home.

*wrrrrrooommmm* Here comes Bulli-Spiky… hihihi. That really was a subear present, Dad. Ok, bye now, we’ll go chugging round the living room. *wrrrooooooommmm”

See you soon
Yours Spiky

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