New little friend

Yes, I'm buying lots of goofy stuff right now. I guess I kind of decided this is how I spend my "bonus." (Though this might be the last item for a while; I need to buckle down and work instead of shopping - both work on my teaching stuff [also came today, but not pictured, a couple books I want to read before Run 2 of Policy and Law], and also work on knitting/quilting projects)

But I saw this on one of the Pony blogs - it might have been "Yo Dawg I Heard You Like Ponies" (one of my favorites) and I really really liked it and hadn't known of it's existence and Amazon had it, so....

It's a Paddington Bear figure! With accessories! There's a London pigeon, and a tiny jar of marmalade, and of course his suitcase, and a marmalade sandwich with a bite out of it....and I love this kind of thing. Based on the movie, yes, but I would have ADORED one of these when I was a child and I would have played the heck out of it. (I had one of the tiny flocked Eden Paddingtons; he wore out - his coat all frayed and his flocking came off, because I played with him so much and also carried him in my pocket as a "pocket friend*")

(*My mom's term for a small toy carried in a pocket, she knew I did this all through my childhood (and she supported it, I think she recognized it was an innocuous way to help me get through the day). And that was why I needed pockets in my clothes as a child; school was less scary if I had one of my little plastic animals or a small stuffed toy with me. I never took them out in class - I was afraid of the teacher confiscating it - but knowing it was there helped. And yes, at times, I have gone to either dentist or doctor's appointments as an adult with a little Pony in my pocket or something similar. Which is another reason why dresses need pockets)

I'm not opening this just yet. I need to do a bit more piano practice and then decide: do I try to go out and mow (as my exercise for today) later on, do I hop on the cross-country ski exerciser instead? I admit I prefer exercise being purposeful work (as opposed to doing the equivalent of riding a bike that goes nowhere) but it's *awfully* hot out right now and especially in the bright sun, I have a really hard time. (It's funny but heat + humid + sun makes me overheat and feel ill faster than just heat + humid). I might be able to do it first thing tomorrow instead.....