New Year's at the beach

We headed to an NC beach to celebrate the end of 2008 and the start of 2009. We stayed in a condo which was not far from the ocean. Strange Panda had trouble seeing so he climbed on my shoulders to get a better view.

Later we watched football with Ray and the rest of the family.

Virginia reunion

We had a long drive up to Virginia a few days after Christmas to meet up with family at a restaurant. The restaurant had a pole on a dance floor so we did a little boogying on the dance floor.


Here we are posing with Dad for a picture.

And here we are with Great-grandmommy and Dave in the restaurant parking lot.

A familiar face

We met Dolphin-o, who looks a lot like the other sirotans we left in Sheffield.

Bill made friends with a giant cat named Marshmellow that is friends with Natalie.

He is a bit too heavy to get into his house on his own though so Bill and I had to give him a boost up into it.

Marshmellow invited us to stay in his house too.

Our presents

For my Christmas present, Strange Panda wrapped himself up for me.

Little did he know that I had done the same thing for him. Next year I should probably use more wrapping paper though.

Christmas Eve preparation

Strange Panda got dressed up in a Christmas hat with a clear message for Santa in case there was any doubt in his mind.


We also checked our blog on Christmas Eve to see if we had any new comments from admirers.

Then we went to sleep in anticipation of the big morning.

Off to America

We are all packed and ready to go to America for the holidays.

My bowl

Dad must really love me, as he made a big bowl in my likeness.


It doesn't look exactly like me, but it's pretty close. Dad will have to keep practicing! It's easier to see it's me without the flash on I think.


I think Dad must have felt sorry for Bill, because he put a tiny picture of him on the side of the bowl, climbing up a giant piece of bamboo.

Back on the homefront

Well we just made it back from Barcelona. We found the other nanimals waiting and guarding the bed from intruders.

Churro-fest

No, it's not a hat I'm wearing. It's some freshly made churros I picked up from a market stall to eat. They were nice and brown like me and covered in tiny white water bugs which were delicious and tasted just like sugar.


Hmm.. maybe there are still a few crumbs left at the bottom that I can get to.

La Sagrada Familia

We went to visit a big church being built which Gaudi designed. It still has another 30 years to go! I'll be an old panda by the time it's done.

Bill kept staring up at all the cranes building the church. He also wouldn't shut up about how much more platypus-shaped it was because of the long, pointy towers. It's a bit too pointy for us pandas.

Beer place

Nadia and Jonatan showed us a place in Barcelona which specializes in beer called La Cerveteca. Jonatan's step-brother is one of the owners, but we did not get to meet him.


That guy's the other owner. He was very proud to have us in his store, as he knows how famous we are. He picked out a beer made especially for pandas and platypuses for us to try.


Nadia wanted to take some pictures of us with our beer too, because we are really cute.

We wanted a picture with her in it to remember her by as well.

El gato grande

Nadia found a giant cat for us to take a picture next to on Rambla de Raval. It was much bigger than me and SP, even Nadia. You can see him here if you want.


Jonatan was the other person staying with the cats in the house. He is looking a bit star-struck at being able to pose with us. I'm sure it was a lifelong dream of his that he thought he would never be able to accomplish.

Now he's looking a little happier. Maybe he has realized it is coming true.

Our hosts

Here's a picture of our hosts, Liebe and Negro (Liebe is the brown one). That lady in the middle is one of the two humans they let live with them. Her name is Nadia, and we knew her from when we lived in Japan.

Nanimal transport

While in Barcelona we utilised our normal means of transport - Dad's backpack. It's a handy home and saves our energy from all that walking.

Relaxing in Park Güell

Bill and I went to Park Güell , a park on a hill overlook Barcelona. There were many interesting things made by Gaudi, including this bench we are sitting on.


It was a beautiful day so we took a picture in the park with the city in the background.


We sat in the sun enjoying the view and the warm weather for an hour or so.

I especially liked this house in the middle of the park. It was pretty and mostly white, just like me. Maybe I will buy it one day when I am famous as it is the perfect Strange Panda house.

Nap time

As with all of our trips, sleeping played a key role. It's important to relax when on holiday after all!

Wandering around Barcelona

Dad took us for a trip to Barcelona to find some warmer weather as it is cold in Sheffield. We walked around the city center all day to get familiar with the city. My little feet were very tired at the end of the day.


There are lots of buildings in Barcelona made by a guy named Gaudi. He liked to make buildings inspired by platypuses - all curvy and bumpy rather than straight and flat.


We got to meet some cute animals living in Barcelona, but we are still cuter than they are.

Christmas cookie

Svea, who lives in the flat downstairs, made a fitting tribute Christmas cookie. It looks just like me: it's even brown!

Unfortunately, Strange Panda got jealous that there was not a similar panda cookie and he ate my cookie! Brothers can be so annoying sometimes. At least there are lots of yummy reindeer cookies left.

Off on another trip

Mom said she was going to take us to Salzburg, so we packed a little bag to carry on the flight. I brought the latest copy of Modern Platypus to read on the plane.

Doctor Bill and Nurse SP

Dad had an operation on his foot. So we had to help him change the bandages. It's hard getting these open when you don't have opposable thumbs.



Eventually we got the bandage on right though.

Go climb a mountain

We went to Cairn Gorm mountain, but we couldn't climb it actually as we didn't have enough time. Instead we took a funicular rail up the mountain to the top. It wasn't too crowded, so we got our own seats on the train.


The top of the mountain was very beautiful, though a bit foggy. It was one of the highest mountains in the UK, so we were happy to be so high up. It was a fitting end to our trip to Scotland, and went back to Sheffield the next day. My only regret was I didn't get to try on a kilt.

Time to head back down the hill

After our Nessie-spotting, we took a short break on the bench with Grandma and Grandpa before returning to the car. Grandpa let me take some pictures with his camera of the nice view. It was a little big for me though, as I can't lift too much.


Here we all are posing on the bench one last time before heading down the hill.

Searching for Nessie

We heard there was a mysterious hidden creature named Nessie that lived in nearby Loch Ness, so we hiked above the lake to look for it.


Here we are at the best view of our hike. It was a great view of the lake and nearby hills.


Bill thought he could see Nessie off in the distance, but he wasn't sure, since playpuses don't have great vision above land.


Everyone knows that pandas have the best eyesight in the world, so sure enough I was able to see him where Bill was pointing. He was much easier to find than everyone said he would be! Bill said he must be related to playpuses if he lived in the water.