Winnie the Pooh

Three Cheers for Pooh! Three Cheers for the Wonderful Winnie the Pooh!

The 18th January is Winnie-the- Pooh Day, a chance to celebrate this very special bear and his friends!  For Winnie the Pooh is surely a legend, but a comforting, kindly legend who gets up to different adventures with his friends.

The stories of Winnie-the-Pooh were written by A.A. Milne.  Winnie-the-Pooh was published back in 1926 and The House at Pooh Corner appeared in 1928.   

The toys belonging to Milne's young son - Christopher Robin - provided the basis for many of the characters in the books.  The book is set in  in Ashdown Forest.  There's Eeyore the gloomy donkey, timid Piglet, Rabbit who often is on "Very Important Business" or "Things To Do".  Owl likes to lick his pencil and ponder how to spell birthday, whilst Kanga the kangeroo is busy with little Roo who is full of energy and curiosity.  And we mustn't forget bouncy TIGGER!  Who is very bouncy and who has even been known sometimes to bounce on and squash his friends.   Tigger appears in The House at Pooh Corner.  

Winnie-the-Pooh loves honey and that often gets him into trouble.  He likes a little something for elevenses but in one story, when he visits Rabbit, he doens't know when to stop and consequently he gets stuck in a hole and can't get out.  The answer is for Pooh not to eat for a week until his friends can pull him free. 

Pooh may be a bear of little brain but he is a brave soul at heart;  he sets off with Christopher Robin in an umbrella to rescue Piglet when there's a flood.  He heads off to find the North Pole, and to find a Heffalump, although he's not really sure what a heffalump is. 

The stories are full of lovely kind, gentle moments, little adventures and funny verses and they make comforting reading for people of any age.  You're never too old to be a Winnie the Pooh fan! 

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't
use long, difficult words but rather
short, easy words like "What about lunch?”  

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?'
asked Piglet.
'Even longer,'
Pooh answered.”   

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Now, the 18th January is Winnie the Pooh Day every year.  So why not celebrate and do something that Winnie the Pooh might do?

1. Have some honey!   You could put sprinkle honey on natural yoghurt or have honey sandwiches or toast and honey!
2. Play Poohsticks!  This was a game Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends liked to play and it's easy.  Everyone playing takes  a stick.  Go to one side of a bridge and drop it into the water.  Go to the other side of the bridge.  Whosever stick comes out first, wins!  
3. Read some Winnie-the-Pooh stories!
4. Watch Winnie the Pooh videos
5. Go for a walk in Ashdown Forest or any forest and pretend you're looking for heffalumps or go on a search for the North Pole.   
6. Immerse yourself in some Winnie-the-Pooh quotes

A friend of mine in her university days belonged to a Winnie-the-Pooh Society.  They used to meet and go off on adventures with honey sandwiches, or read stories together.  She said it was a wonderful way to get away from everything and just relax!

Enjoy celebrating your Winnie the Pooh Day, and have some special time with your loved friends and family - it's priceless.

“The most important thing is, even when we’re apart … I’ll always be with you.”

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Marks & Spencer have a gorgeous Winnie-the-Pooh™ soft toy
for £16.00

This Winnie-the-Pooh hardback book
is available from Hive.co.uk

Winnie-the-Pooh Helps the Bees
is available for £6.99
from Natural Collection
for children who 
want to help the planet.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Postcard Set :
One Hundred Delightful Postcards
in a Beautiful Gift Box.
Available from Hive.co.uk for £19.25

The Calendar Club have a delightful
Ravensburger Disney,
Winnie-the-Pooh Collectors Jigsaw
for £14.39.  It's got 1,000 pieces.