Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Mr Jeremy Fisher were riding along in the MGBGT in Kazakhstan when they were silent witness to Todd’s phone call announcing  the arrival of darling little Avalon Lhotse Slater in Australia.  Bec was fit and well and darling Ava weighed eight pounds, fourteen ounces; a beautiful bonnie baby. Susie was reduced to tears and  rendered speechless, overcome with emotion and Ken  almost jammed the gear stick and nearly hit a roaming cow and a big pot hole  as he was driving along the bumpy road and trying to converse with Todd.  He was more emotional than the year Collingwood won the Grand final so that’s saying something. All he could  say was” that’s great, that’s great, well done, well done!!

The friends soon realised they had better get in on this extremely important to celebration  so   Benjamin Bunny did the Bunny Hop, his tam –o-shanter and kerchief falling  down behind the front seat; messy boy.  Peter Rabbit did a soft shoe shuffle and then burst into the highland fling. He’s such a softie underneath and would you believe he’s missing Flopsie, Mopsie and Cottontail, his little sisters. The thought of a new baby girl was just too much for him. As well, despite his bravado, he’s very insecure and emotional about life in general and specifically, this adventure. Mr Jeremy Fisher, who is normally a pretty dignified fellow, did a 360 degree cartwheel with those spindly legs flying in all directions. At first glance he looked like a bright green star spinning out of control in the back of the car.

You know suddenly the three friends knew what their purpose in life was. They had left the old country looking for friends but with this fantastic news they all agreed that their new, special friend would be Avalon or Ava, for short.  Mr Jeremy Fisher would teach her to fish from the rocks at Mills Beach or maybe in the swimming pool at her new home. Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny would help her grow the best lettuces in her little garden because they had spent many hours watching old Mr Macgregor tend his lettuces and they knew the secret to growing a good head of lettuce was in the hoeing.

How can they get to Avalon in Australia was the question they all pondered. Over a cup of green tea and a bowl of steamed celery they put on their thinking hats. De Bono’s of course! They knew they would have to take a car and a plane and they calculated that it will take sixty four sleeps to get to meet Ava. After extensive workshopping they came to the conclusion that they had been pretty foolhardy to hide in Susie’s case but what’s done is done and now they had to think ahead. They would use their time abroad to see and hear as much as possible so they could delight Ava with their stories of this wonderful world. They will have tales of the Chinese, the Uyghurs, the Kazakhs, and the Iranians and so on and they can tell her about the magical places they visit and the beautiful faces of the young and old people that they meet along the way.

They decided they should jump the back pack and go looking for a present for their new best friend Ava. Jeremy shopped till he dropped looking for a robust fishing pole but this far inland fishing was not a key industry and   he soon  realised he could not transport it back on the plane, so he settled for a pair of cute green shoes. The green   matched the colour of his sleek frog’s body so that was a nice touch.

 Peter and Benjamin Bunny went looking for some lettuce seedlings but they could only find spinach and carrots. These seedlings were well established because they had been grown in the mud brick and reinforced plastic hot houses that are dotted all over this area. It took them a while to deduce that the plants would not survive the sixty five days until planting. So Peter found a gorgeous pair of pink shoes with silver studding. He knew girls love pink cause he’s watched Flopsie, Mopsie and Cottontail doing all the girlie things which usually involve something pink.

 Benjamin Bunny wanted to buy some shoes too, but he was after a red pair which matched his kerchief. He had no luck.  Then he remembered he had met, little Koon Lia from Hongchun and she told him that babies born in 2010 were born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger.  

That set him thinking he needed to find a tiger for Ava, but where, now that he was out of China that was the question. Still he had sixteen countries to go. Do you think he’ll find a tiger for Avalon?