What a surprise for the Polar Bears from a Wildlife Park in Staffordshire to have two paragliders careering down at them only to turn off at the last minute and miss the enclosure and land safely.
Penny for the Polar Bears thoughts. Their protests at the intrusion into their territory would be in Swedish as they were rescued from a Wildlife Park in Sweden after unfortunately it was closed about four years ago. So no one would have understood them, much as they probably didn’t understand the aerial intrusion. Unless they thought Christmas had come early and dinners were dropped in from the sky. A Polaroo…..
I can well imagine what the gliders were thinking. ” Jeez, we’ve got too close there’s no thermals here. We’re losing height, it was your idea to oggle at the polar bears for free!” Still any disagreements about their situation were postponed till after they had landed safely out of reach of a few tonnes of white furry claws and teeth. Their skill at maneuvering their fantastic flying machines were tested to the limit and thank heavens they didn’t land on any of the enclosures fencing .As this would have meant not only costly repairs but also a possible Polar Bear jaunt, hence the option of using a method that would probably give the bears a sleepy headache but otherwise keep them safe. Thankfully, there were rangers about with the necessary equipment so that they could anaesthetize the bears should it prove necessary. Although it would stop them from travelling , it wouldn’t have stopped them from having a paraglider lunch.
Thankfully the paragliders managed to divert and I hope the Peak Wildlife Park ask for a large donation for the inconvenience and also for the attempt at trying to see the polar bears for free.
Disclaimer:Yes ,I know Camper Van owners are on the whole a lovely bunch, particularly the ones with small retro vans and the VW owners who are a pretty handy bunch having got used to their pride and joy breaking down regularly on the motorway……but….
Maybe it’s a brand thing, have you seen the size of some of those up market Pilote campervans.They’re just a large living room ,bedroom ,bathroom and kitchen stuck on a set of double axle wheels.
Very often bought for an early retirement plan, to travel to Europe and live somewhere cheap,the novelty soon wears off and the cost of diesel becomes prohibitive.
So it’s tour Britain time, and things just aren’t as fine and dandy as they were a year ago when they originally set off.
The loving couple are at each other’s throats, the weather is rubbish and neither wants to do any of the chores to do with maintenance and hygiene.The shower has broken, silted up from all the hard water.
Add to that the price of pitches have trebled and there is a charge for waste disposal. So you find this nice hotel which is quiet off season and they allow you to park up.
Only one problem, though they want your custom for drinks and meals ,they don’t have all the facilities of a proper campsite.No septic tank,just a nearby river.You are stuck, the toilet is about to overflow,there are accusations of laziness and good for nothing.
Your last bit of cash has been spent on a pub meal with no drinks as you have a stash of cheap wine from your last trip to France.You drank too much of it last night and your wife was sick on the Hotel’s patio and sitting area.You blame the food.
Still there are burgers and sausages in the freezer compartment of the fridge,which as you have no electricity and need to save your diesel for the trip home,you need to use up.This has another benefit both of you need to sober up for the journey home.Stodgey food will help.
The good lady cheers up and finds a nice spot behind the hotel protected from the breeze and starts their extravagant gas barbecue, which thankfully still has some gas left in the bottle.
The burgers are half cooked and the sausages cremated when a young man comes running towards the lady at speed, pointing at the hotels own gas storage area.There is panic in his face and then the manager appears.
Breakfast is ruined, everything has to be turned off and nasty words are exchanged. It doesn’t help that the manager looks foreign and despite the couple’s original wish to travel and see the World, they retort that he should go back to where he came from.The kitchen? He replies politely.
The Camper door is slammed and as they drive away an open rubbish bag thrown from the window .Which of course is blown to all four corners of the hotel car park.
So that ,my friend, is how the dream of the open road sometimes goes.
Christmas was always a difficult time for Stan, because it was at Christmas Time when he was abandoned as a puppy and was left to fend for himself on the street. Up until he was 8 months old , he had a family and then something awful happened. His family could no longer look after him and the father said it was kinder to let him loose on the streets, where someone was bound to take him in, whereas if they handed him to the shelter if he wasn’t claimed in 4 weeks then he would be put to sleep. His family were very sad but they thought they were doing the best for him.
The little pup; though he went through some very hard times and lots of adventures survived on the streets. In truth , he had lost faith in people and felt it was only other animals he could trust. He avoided getting involved with people and would only steal food when he knew he could get away with it. He was always hungry , he was very careful not to trust people, even when they offered him free food. He had heard what the man who used to care for him had said , so he was very wary.
When he met Milo, the mouse, he knew he was OK. In truth Stan was down on his luck, being so big it wasn’t easy to sneak away with food and he’d had some lucky escapes. One man had tried to throw hot oil over him. Stan was getting older and couldn’t move as fast as he used to. .Stan, though was a dog of the World , he knew how things worked and Stan knew that Milo, despite being very rich and very able at business needed looking after. So it was a good relationship, they both looked after each other’s backs.
It was their first Christmas together and Milo had put a heater in the Stan’s shed and also decorated it with some festive cheer and a new bed with an electric blanket. Secretly ,Stan was very pleased and it on Christmas night he settled into his new surroundings which were very comfortable and said goodnight to Milo as he wandered by just taking a breath of fresh air in the garden.
” See you tomorrow Stan” said Milo as he waved goodbye ” We’re having turkey for breakfast and dinner!”
Stan smiled , he knew he would now dream of turkey, but he didn’t mind, he was tired and he knew he’d sleep well.
That was unless something happened.
Which of course it did.
At 3.00 am in the morning Milo came rushing out to the garden, still in his pyjamas and with his mobile phone glued to his ear. His Big Department Store down in the city had been broken into , the alarms were going off , the Police were on their way , but the Security Guards were in real trouble. They needed help, they were being held hostage. Milo had them on the telephone and they were very scared.
Stan leaped out of bed immediately , he didn’t know the full details but he could tell Milo was very concerned.
Milo got the car out of the garage and put the phone on speaker phone. They were driving along and suddenly the voice of one of the robbers came on the speaker.
” Call the Police Off Mr Big Mouse, or else the Concierge get’s it !” Milo could hear the concierge in the background he was crying.
” Hold on, I didn’t call the Police , someone else must have, I can’t stop them, they know there’s a burglary going on. Look I’m on my way , as soon as I get there I’ll let them know, I don’t want them interfering. Please don’t hurt anyone.”
” We want access to the safe, nobody here seems to have a clue, when you get here can you come up to the fifth floor and let us into it.”
” Of course , I will! Look just don’t hurt anyone!”
Stan rolled his eyes this did not sound good. He had to start thinking of a plan and what to do.
Eventually, Stan and Milo got to the store and Milo immediately went in, he’d made a call to the Police Commissioner explaining the situation and asked that the police keep quiet and be there to help if needed. Milo promised the Commissioner that as soon as he had made sure that everyone was safe he would let him know.
So it was that Stan and Milo made there way up to the Fifth Floor of ” The Big Mouse Department Store”. That was the administrative floor and Milo had been told to come up alone and knock on one of the office doors . Which he did. Stan stealthily hid in the cleaning cupboard of the Fifth Floor, and with the headset that Milo had given him awaited further instructions.
Milo knocked on the office door he had been instructed to , he knew it was the one with the safe in it. One of the thieves opened it and roughly grabbed at him to come in. Once inside Milo saw the hostages and the thieves standing around the safe.
Milo gave a very unhappy look at the thief who was manhandling him and the leader of the thieves said.
” Leave him alone, he’s the one who can let us into the safe, so leave him be. Your going to cooperate Mr Big Mouse aren’t you?” Said the Thief in Charge.
” Yes, of course. Now let’s see if all three of you can stand aside , then I will open the safe and then we can let you get out the back way with all the money and the Police won’t see you and you can make your escape”.
” Right, that sounds like a good plan, that is if we can trust you, first though open the safe.”
” OK, let me see, right I have to turn this and then twist this lever and as soon as I do that , put the following numbers on the dial, five, four , three, two one!”
Stan leapt through the door and within seconds all the thieves were flattened underneath him and those that weren’t were unconscious as he had thrown them backwards against the wall. The Security Guards who were tied up were quickly released by Milo biting through the string binding their wrists and as the Thieves Leader regained consciousness, he was tied up and along with the other thieves.
The Police Commissioner was very pleased when he heard from Milo that everyone was safe and that the thieves had been apprehended. It didn’t take long before the thieves were led away by the Police and that Milo and Stan could go back home.
It wasn’t quite breakfast time when the two friends arrived home and they were both very tired , so they decided to go to bed and have a late breakfast.
On Christmas Day they would be able to talk to their friends about their adventure and they had even invited the Security People and their families from the store to come and share their Christmas Day with them as everything in the end had worked out alright and Milo wanted them to forget the bad bits when they had been frightened and remember how brave they had been and how it had all worked out alright because of Stan.
A good time was had by all, and Stan didn’t mind that Milo exaggerated his role, certainly he didn’t remember Milo giving an uppercut to the jaw of the biggest thief, but then again it was a good story and everyone enjoyed it. There was loads of turkey too, enough even for Stan.
thenotsomightyom 