Captain Chocolate, after another day on the footplate.
Hello! Captain Chocolate again, just back from the 2016 Teddy Bears' Picnic at a railway called 'The Battlefield Line'. It was good to see so many bears enjoying the warm weather and they had each brought a child with them - usually a young child but, occasionally, an older child like my Mistress, Jan, whom I might dare to describe as "elderly". Jan is a steam engine driver, so we went to a special barn, called an 'Engine Shed' to find the steam engine we were going to use which she said is called 'Cumbria'. A lot of steam engines have names, just like bears.
'Cumbria' in the Engine Shed
At the Engine Shed we met a nice man called Steve, who was going to look after the big fire inside 'Cumbria' which boils water to make steam to make the engine go. I'm becoming something of an expert on what are properly called 'Steam Locomotives' because Jan likes nothing more than lecturing on the history and operation of railways. Steve had also brought a Teddy Bear which actually belonged to one of his two daughters. Later in the day, we met both his daughters. Once Steve and 'Cumbria' had made enough steam, we spent the day hauling a train of five coaches, in which all the bears and their friends could travel, between stations called Shackerstone and Shenton.
The five coach train.
In between these two places, we stopped at a station called Market Bosworth.
Teddy Bears' Picnic 2016: Market Bosworth Station.
Next to Market Bosworth Station all sorts of food and entertainment for Bears (and their friends) had been laid on around a 'Goodie Shed'. Jan says I should call it a 'Goods Shed' but I think my name is better. I had to stay on the steam engine so I wasn't able to examine the 'Goodie Shed' properly but we always waved to the bears and people as we passed and they waved back. There was a 'Bouncy Castle' and 'Slide' for the children which they seemed to enjoy.
When we'd finished, the engine was put back in its 'Engine Shed' and we all went home after a good day. Jan said she was tired but I wan't a bit tired, although I'll have to have a trip through the Washing Machine to get clean again.
Jan has asked me to tell you that you can find everything she has written about the Battlefield Line here (there's lots) and you can look at her pictures at:-
Teddy Bears' Picnic 2016.
All Jan's pictures at the Battlefield Line
Goodbye for now!
Captain Chocolate.
