More Fun on Sunny Days

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He says he's as old as Saran Wrap. That must be really old, at least 20!

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We climbed up on the bicycle rack. We can see everything from here! James say we're hangin' around. That's funny.  It feels like summer outside. It's really hot. The thermometer says it's 32C. That's pretty hot for spring, you know. We helped James wash the white patio chairs. They're nice and clean, now. We got all wet and splashed in the water. Washing things outdoors is fun.

Now we're playing Hide & Seek. Chance thinks I can't see him 'cuz he's turned around and has his back to the glass door. That's silly. I can see him as plain as day.   He's a wee little thing and doesn't really understand how to hide. It's my job to teach him how to hide 'cuz I'm the older brother. I have to teach him lots of things. It's a BIG sponsability to have a little brother, you know. Chance copies everything I do. Sometimes we get into trouble. Then I have to sit on the Time Out Chair.  James says, "Monkey see, monkey do." We're not monkeys, we're bear cubs! Handsome ones, too.

We know a song about summer. It goes like this-

Sunny days
Oh, sunny, sunny, sunny days
Ain't nothin' better in the world, you know
Than lyin' in the sun with your radio.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We're gonna go to the park and slide!  This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Help with the chores around your house. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can play in the park together. Okay! Over and out!"

Summer Days

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

It is hot outside. Really hot. James says it's hotter than h-e-double-hockey-stix. I know what that means. It's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I don't want to eat eggs off the sidewalk, do you?  The thermometer says it's 33C. That's hot and it's not even summer, yet.

Chance and me are staying nice and cool on the grass. It's hot everywhere, even on top of the rock. We call it Mount Windsor when we play King of the Hill. That's a fun game but it's too hot to play it. James says after lunch we can play in the fountain. We're gonna get all wet and play in the fountain! I love to get wet and play, don't you? We can chase each other and squirt water on each other, too. 

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your Ps and Qs. That means be on your best behaviour. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play in the water together. Over and out!"

We Love VIA RAil!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Union Station in T.O. That's a nickname for Toronto. Toronto is a great big city. It's the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land.  We had fun in Toronto. Now we're gonna ride home on the train. It will take us to Windsor. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Know what?  The train has a name. It's name is VIA Rail. VIA Rail goes all over Canada and to the Knighted States, too. The best part is VIA Rail comes all the way to our house!

This is our buddy John. He works on the train. He smiles at everyone and makes them feel really special. I could work for VIA Rail,  you know. I can say, "Would you care for a snack?" I can say, "Would you like a beverage before dinner?" John asks people if they would like to read the Globe & Mail or the Toronto Star. Those are newspapers.

John's job is very important. He looks after the people on the train so they don't get cranky. Cranky people have to take naps.  Really cranky people have to sit on the Time Out Chair AND take naps. Don't be cranky on the train, okay?

We get to ride up front. That's nice. Some people ride Coach. That's behind us. I think some people have to ride Baggage. That's way at the back of the train.

John gives us chocolate milk to drink. I l-o-v-e chocolate milk. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Chance likes chocolate milk, too. He drinks chocolate flavoured condensed owls' milk. I know where condensed owls' milk comes from. It comes from condensed owls. I get to eat a whole meal. That's 'cuz I'm five and I'm pretty grown up, now. The food on VIA Rail is really yummy.

Look at Chance. He's being silly, you know. John gave me a serviette for my meal. That will keep me from getting all covered in food in case I spill some. I put the serviette in my lap. That's good manners. Chance put the serviette over his head. Now he thinks he's invisible 'cuz he can't see me. I can still see him! I can see his feet! He's underneath the serviette. I pull it off of him and shout, "Boo! Boo! I see you!" Chance makes little squeaky noises when I pull off the serviette. That means he's happy. I'm lucky to have a little brother.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? It's time to pre-board the train so we can go home.

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We wanna go home so I can ride my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and climb the sugar maple in the back yard and dig some really big holes, too!

Chance and me know how to use the telephone to make reservations at VIA Rail so we can go to Toronto or Cornwall or Montreal or even to your house!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to John on the train. If you are nice and polite, he might give you Smarties and chocolate milk. Oh! Wait! Come get on board VIA Rail with us! We can ride home together! All aboard! Tous a bord! Okay! Over and out!"

Fun Time on the Bed

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? At night time our bed is for sleeping. We say our prayers, then James reads us our bedtime story. He's reading Snow Treasure. It's an exciting story about very brave boys and girls in Norway. Norway is pretty far from our house. We can't even get there on VIA Rail. After that, we're pretty sleepy so we curl up and fall fast asleep until the sun wakes us up. James says we're getting our beauty nap. He's silly. I'm handsome all the time, not just after sleeping, you know.

In the daytime, the bed is a good place to play games. Look at us! We're playing on the bed. It's lots of fun, you know. Chance and me know lots of good games to play on the bed, like Hide Under the Covers and I'm Gonna Get You! and Tickle Me.

One of our bestest games is Pillow Fort. We pile up all the pillows on the bed and hide in them and James throws sox at us. We duck and grab the sox and throw them back at him. Chance tries to throw sox but he's really little. He gets excited and makes little squeaky noises. That's 'cuz he's happy and he doesn't know how to talk, yet.

Another fun game is Cirque du Soleil We play acrobats. I know how to balance Chance on my feet,way high in the air! Chance loves to play Cirque du Soleil. Me too. We are pretty good at being performers.

After we play, we're all tuckered out, so we just lay on the pillows. I tell Chance stories about the Olden Days when I was a wee little cubby. I'm five, you know and my birthday is on Canada Day. I remember lots of stuff from the Olden Days, don't you?

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Obey the rules. Mind your manners and be on your best behaviour. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play on the bed with us! We can make a big pillow fort! Okay! Over and out!"

Pufferbelly

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He says he's older than VIA Rail! That must be really old. I'm sure James must be at least 20!

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Kiddie World. That's a fun place to go. They have lots and lots of rides for kids and bear cubs, too. I'm the engineer on this puffer belly. That's another word for train. I say, "All aboard!" Everyone sits down and I drive the train around on the track. Chance is the conductor. He's supposed to help but he's really little and forgets. He just takes off his diaper and climbs all over on everything. I have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't fall and hurt himself.

I know a song about the train. Miss Jackie taught it to us at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

Down By the Station
Down by the station early in the morning,
See the little puffer bellies all in a row.
See the engine driver pull the little throttle:
Puff, Puff, Toot! Toot! Off we go!

 

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that?  James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens and don't pollute the earth. Walk, ride your bike and take VIA Rail. Good citizens get to Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Good citizens get to ride on puffer bellies. Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride the train together! Okay! Puff! Puff! Toot! Toot! All aboard! Over and out!"

Kensington Cornerstore Restaurant

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He remembers the invention of Saran Wrap. He must be at least 20! That's really, old.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're  at the Kensington Corner Restaurant. It has a gluten-free menu. It's in Toronto the Good. Toronto the Good is the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land. Miss Jackie teaches us geographree at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

Today we get to eat outside on the terrace. Chance and me get to drink juice and eat fresh strawberries. Strawberries are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Strawberries have seeds on the outside. They're really little, like Chance. Miss Ashleigh is the nice lady who brings our juice. She loves bear cubs. She has one at home. Miss Ashleigh kisses our noses and tickles our ears.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Who wants to shop in Kensington Market? Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We wanna shop in Kensington Market. We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario!

We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners, Be on your best behaviour.  Then you can eat strawberries and drink juice. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can eat strawberries together! Okay! Over and out!"

Revolving Doors

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy,  Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Chance and me are playing a new game. It's called Revolving Door. The big glass door goes 'round and 'round and 'round in a circle. I can make the door go fast or slow. I make siren noises and I chase Chance. I holler, "I'm a gonna get you!" Chance can't talk but he makes little squeaky noises. That means he's happy and having fun.  I let him ride on my head so he's really, really tall!

Doors are important.  Doors let people come in and they let people come out. I know a riddle. Ready? When is a door not a door? Here's the answer: when it's ajar. Ajar means open. It's a pun 'cuz a jar sounds like ajar.

It's polite to open doors for people who have their hands full, you know. Grandpa James says that good manners and good behaviour are earmarks of good citizens. I want to be a good citizen but I don't know if I want my ears marked. I like have my ears tickled though, don't you?

This revolving door is at First Canadian Place. It's the tallest skyscraper in Canada. It's on the corner Bay Street and King Street in Toronto. It's the home of the Bank of Montreal. The front door lets people come in and out all day long. The building is 298 metres tall. That's way taller than me and Chance!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario!

We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Revolving Door! Okay! Over and out!"

Toronto the Good

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Look at us! We're way up here on top of the mail box. Chance climbed up here all by himself. He climbs on everything, you know. That's what newborn cubbies do.

We're in Toronto. T.O. is the biggest city in Ontario. It's the capital of Ontario, too. James says the city has a nickname. People call it Toronto the Good.  Toronto is really big. Six million people live here. I don't know how many bear cubs  live in T.O. We only saw two bear cubs on our whole trip.

That's the CN Tower behind us. It's one of the tallest buildings in the world. It's way taller than me. I bet Chance would like to climb to the top! I'll have to keep an eye on him 'cuz it's dangerous to climb something so tall.

We're going shopping. We have to buy things in Chinatown Lots of people live in Chinatown. Most of them are Asian Canadians. They speak lots of different languages. We're gonna buy strawberries and sour sop in Chinatown. We're gonna shop in Kensington Market, too. That's where the TV show King of Kensington was made. We watch it on the CBC.

James needs sox. He says we will find a good bargain or two today. Know what?  I don't need to wear sox. I get to run around bear naked. That's a pun. I'm five. I know what a pun is. I have red-and-white striped Cat-in-the-Hat sox. My friend Tanner gave them to me. He was a big 'ole yeller dog who lived with his buddies Jay and Shaun.  Tanner died last Christmas. He was my firstest bestest friend. I remember him every time I wear my Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They make me run faster than anyone else. I'm the fastest bear cub in Olde Sandwich Towne.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners. Keep your hands in your pockets when you go shopping so you don't break anything. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can go to T.O. and shop together! Okay! Over and out!"

Riding the Rocket

 Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're in Toronto. That's T.O. for short. Toronto is far from our house on Sparkle Road.  It takes four hours to get there.

James says six million people live in Toronto.  I want to know why so many people would want to live so far away from Windsor. James says Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit.

When we are in T.O. we get to ride the TTC bus and the subway. We use special coins. They are gold and silver coloured. They're really tiny.  I have to watch Chance, if I give him one he might try to put one in his mouth. James says the little coins are called tokens. 

The subway has a nickname, too. People call it the Rocket. It's fun to ride the Rocket. It goes really fast! Even faster than my blue bike with the Canada flag on it. When it starts to move I hang onto Chance for dear life, 'cuz there's no seat belts. Seat belts would help us stay in the chairs and not slide out! That's how fast the Rocket is! 

The Rocket stops to let people on and off. Some of the trip is underground. That's fun! A man got sick on the subway ride. I watched him fall down on the floor. Someone pulled the emergency brake. The ambulance came and took the sick man to hospital. We sure hope he gets well.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens.  Then you can come to Toronto with us and ride the Rocket. We can have fun together! Okay! Over and out!"

Mamma Mia!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

 Know what? Chance and me are playing rock stars. We're ABBA. ABBA is from Sweden. Sweden is pretty far away from our house on Sparkle Road, you know.  We can't ride our bikes to Sweden. Lots of things come from Sweden, like Swedish meat balls. They're yummy.

Chance has a favourite ABBA song. Guess which one?  Take a Chance on Me is the one he likes best. Know why? 'Cuz it's got his name in it. When he hears it he bounces around everywhere and makes little squeaky noises 'cuz he's happy. He holds the hair dryer and pretends it's his microphone.

Take a Chance on Me

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you got no place to go when you're feeling down
If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Take a chance on me
(That's all I ask of you honey)
Take a chance on me

We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we're together
Listen to some music, maybe just talking, get to know you better
'Cause you know I've got
So much that I wanna do, when I dream I'm alone with you
It's magic
You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair
But I think you know
That I can't let go

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down
If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Take a chance on me
(Come on, give me a break will you)
Take a chance on me
Oh you can take your time baby, I'm in no hurry, know I'm gonna get you
You don't wanna hurt me, baby don't worry, I ain't gonna let you
Let me tell you now
My love is strong enough to last when things are rough
It's magic
You say that I waste my time but I can't get you off my mind
No I can't let go
'Cos I love you so

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down
If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best, baby can't you see
Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me
(Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me)

Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best, baby can't you see
Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me
(Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me)

Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me 

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Who are these Swedish rock stars? What happened to my handsome bear cubs? What happened to my Sons of Windsor? What happened to my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "It's fun to pretend to be rock stars but always be yourself. Good citizens are kind, honest and true. Good citizens eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can sing songs together! Okay! Over and out!"

Peanut Butter

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  I help look after him.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's so newborn he doesn't even have any teeth, yet! Chance is a handful!

Know what? I'm eating peanut butter. I'm eating it right out of the jar.  I l-o-v-e peanut butter. Peanut butter is good for growing bear cubs like me. There's even a picture of the Kraft bear cubs on the jar!  I know where peanut butter comes from. Peanut butter comes from peanuts. Peanuts grow in Alberta. That's way far away from Olde Sandwich Towne. There are two kinds of peanut butter, you know. There's smooth and there's crunchy. Wait! I don't know which one I like better, so I'll just have to eat them both.

I don't know where Chance is. He's hiding. He wants to play Hide and Seek. I don't want to play Hide and Seek. Chance isn't very good at Hide and Seek. He thinks when he closes his eyes he's invisible but he's not.

I want to eat peanut butter. Chance is too newborn to eat peanut butter. He doesn't have any teeth. He doesn't even have a tail, yet! Chance  just drinks chocolate owls' milk out of his bottle.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Eat peanut butter every day so you can grow strong.  Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can eat peanut butter together! Okay! Over and out!"

House of India, Part Two

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Here's Chance and me with Samir. He was the nice server who brought us all our food at the House of India.



Indian food is yummy. I l-o-v-e Indian food, don't you? We ordered lots and lots of vegetabletarian dishes. Samir made us laugh. He's a good server. I could be a server, you know. I can bring menus to the table. I can say, "Would you like to order? How is everything at your table?" I would give children and bear cubs extra naan to eat so they can grow big and strong. We had gulab juman for dessert. James says gulab juman is a spongy dumpling. They're sweet and sticky and that's two of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. They are really good for cubs and kids, too!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Use your best table manners in restaurants. Then you can eat Indian food. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and eat gulab juman with us!  Okay! Over and out!"

House of India

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He's so old he remembers the first rainbow! He must be at least 20! That's old, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Reid and Margaret and JJ came to visit us from Farewell Nova Scotia, thy Sea-bound Coast. I know where Farewell Nova Scotia is. It's down East. Farewell Nova Scotia is in O Canada, our home and native land. We got lots of hugs when they came to our house.

We got to ride in the car. I l-o-v-e riding in the car, don't you? We sat in the back seat with Margaret. I was on my best behaviour. So was Chance. He didn't pull off his diaper or climb on anything. He was being really good! We all went downtown to the House of India for lunch.

I l-o-v-e Indian food, don't  you? Samir was the nice server who brought us all the food. Miss JJ helped cut up our food for us. We ate dahl and pikoras and bhajis and palak paneer and naan and all kinds of yummy foods that are in the Canada Food Guide. Oh! Wait! You know the best part? We got to eat julab jamun for dessert! Chance just drank condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. He doesn't have any teeth, but he licked the pikoras. I don't think that's good manners but Chance is a newborn cubby, so he doesn't know any better. I don't think newborn cubbies have germs, do they?

After lunch Margaret and Reid and JJ had to leave us. We got lots more hugs when they said, 'Good-bye'. They have a long trip to make. It must take at least two days to get to Farewell Nova Scotia from Windsor. I wonder why they have to live so far away? James says Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. He should know. He's old and wise.

I know a song about Farewell Nova Scotia. Miss Jackie taught it to me at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. The song goes like this-

Farewell Nova Scotia,
The sea-bound coast,
Let your mountains dark and dreary be,
For when I am far away,
On your briny ocean tossed,
Will you ever heave a sigh,
Or a wish for me.
 
Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Margaret is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Margaret and Reid and JJ so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed and say 'good-bye' to them.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners and you can come to House of India and eat yummy food with us. Okay! Over and out!"

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!


Know what? We're playing VIA Rail. We pretend this is the sleeping car and we're gonna take a nap. But first I holler "All Aboard!" Then we climb the steps and sit in our seats. I say to Chance, "Your ticket, please."  I l-o-v-e to play VIA Rail. It's a fun game. We make train sounds. I go, "Choo, choo, choo, choo." Chance makes the whistle sound. I say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard Train 75 with stops in Chatham, London, Brantford, Oakville and Toronto." Then I say it in French. I could be a conductor you know. I know how to give people Smarties and root beer. 

 I know when we're almost in Toronto 'cuz we can see the CN Tower. It's really tall,  you know. It's so tall it tickles the clouds. That's what James says. I wonder if clouds laugh out loud  when they get tickled,  like I do when James tickles me.

When get to Toronto it is time for us to eat lunch. I say, "Attention passengers, we will be arriving at our final destination in ten minutes. Please remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop at Union Station. Thank you for choosing VIA rail. Have a pleasant day."Playing VIA Rail makes me hungry. I'm so hungry I could eat almost anything. Well, not broccolis our sauerkrauts. I hate them. They're nasty. I don't care if they're in the Canada Food Guide. I don't want to eat them.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Who's ready for lunch? Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?"

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're hungry as bears. We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Play VIA Rail with your friends and buddies. Play nice so you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride VIA Rail together! Okay! Over and out!"