The Moods of Minnie Mouse

Just a week to go until we set out for our trip to Walt Disney World and I am still thinking about the fun I am going to have with the other Disney characters.

In the classic shorts, Figaro lives with Minnie Mouse so it's natural that we all want to see her.  Here is a picture of her being very nice with me when we visited in January this year.  This was taken at the temporary "Character Spot" in Epcot.

Minnie was very nice for this photo.  About the worst thing is that you will see my humans made me wear "mouse ears".  How undignified!  I have noted the hat is still about in our house and has been seen near the packing for this trip.  I would arrange for it to get lost but I suppose they'd only buy a new one.  My Mikki can get so determined.

Here is Minnie again on a different visit during our January stay.  No, that's not me.  It's our latest addition to the Figaro family, named "Twin".  This is because he is quite old and looks like I did when I was new.  Poor "Twin" has not had a lot of cuddles like I have but has, I fear, spent a lot of his time in sto**ge.  We like to give all the new arrivals their chance of a picture with characters - but only once.  Twin is not going anywhere near the packing this time.

And here's Minnie Mouse in a very different, and unusual, mood.  Mikki caught this shot of her in the "Character Spot" before its latest revamp.

Mikki was almost as surprised as the cast member "minder" and the families in the line behind us when Minnie grabbed Andrew as if to take him for herself.  We didn't get photographic evidence of her holding up her hand to push Mikki away.  And in case anyone from Disney is reading this, Mikki isn't jealous really.  We love this sort of silliness!

And I need not remind anyone that I love cuddles too.

Prrr.

Familiar Characters

I like my picture with other Disney characters.  I always hope for new characters but I love the familiar ones too.  Here are some from the Hundred Acre Wood.

I think I've put up some pictures of Tigger on the blog previously and I have lots with Pooh so I thought it might be a little different to show this one of me playing around in his Hunny pot.  Disney are very clever with the Hunny pot.  I stood right on the hunny but hardly got sticky at all!

Next, here's one with Piglet.  The picture was taken at one of the character breakfasts at Crystal Palace.  They are a lot of fun even if a little noisy and busy.  The atmosphere's really happy.

Piglet's quite big, isn't he.  I admit I sometimes get confused by the size of characters at Walt Disney World.  But they all seem happy to give me a cuddle, so that's all right.

Finally, I have a picture with one character who doesn't look happy - Eeyore.  I do my best to cheer him up, letting him hold me and cuddling up to him, but his face doesn't change at all.

Someone has told Mikki there is a chance to see less familiar characters at the Studios before Fantasmic.  We'll probably try to find them, but meanwhile I am still very happy seeing the familiar characters:  Mickey, Minnie, princesses, fairies and even Pooh and friends.

They all give me cuddles.

Just two weeks until we set off!

Prrrr.

Travelling in Style

Just three weeks until we leave home on our next trip to Florida and I am looking forward to a nice comfortable aeroplane ride.  My human Mikki did a very good deal when British Airways had a sale on earlier in the year.  She found she could go Club Class for very little more than the class we normally fly so booked it quickly.

I enjoy flying in style.  Here is a picture from the last time I did so.  This is Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic. My cousin Floppy Figaro was travelling with us.

Everyone was very nice to Floppy and me on the plane.  The humans had seats that turned into beds and for most of the time Floppy and I relaxed on those.  We didn't stay long on the bar stools.  You see, we don't drink.  We are toys!

The humans were able to travel one way on Upper Class using the loyalty points they had saved up over the years.

Another great feature about travelling in the more luxurious parts of the aeroplane is that you also get to go in a nice lounge at the airport.  Here I am with Mikki in the Virgin lounge at London Gatwick.

Things are getting closer and closer.  We are all getting excited and Mikki, who does most of the preparations, is working very hard.

Looking forward to a lot of fun.

And cuddles.

Prrr Prrr

Four Weeks (plus a bit) to go

I'm starting to get excited about our next trip to Walt Disney World.  One of the things I like to do is to have my picture with the other Disney characters.  This is the sort of thing I mean.  Here I am with two of my favourite characters, Pinocchio (who appears in my film) and, of course, Mickey Mouse himself.

Yes, yes, it would be a little unusual to see these two together and I admit I have not seen them together in Walt Disney World.  This picture was taken in Paris a few years ago.  But I think it captures my excitement about pictures with characters.

I will also be happy (and my humans even more so) if I can gets lots of my pictures indoors in air conditioned rooms.  This will be the first time for many years that we have visited in August and it will be hot.  We do not intend to spend a lot of time standing in lines in the sun. In England, we are practising for the heat by having our first long hot spell for several years.  The temperatures are about 10 degrees F lower than Florida and it is already too hot for my humans.  They will be glad that there is lots of air conditioning in Florida.

We fly out 4 weeks from today (16th July).  We are visiting some other places as well so it will be a few days more than 4 weeks before we get to Walt Disney World. My humans have already arranged for me to meet up with some of my fans over there. Lots of opportunities for cuddles!  Prrrrrrrr

An English Summer

Tomorrow will be the longest day of the year, so some people might think we were enjoying high summer.  No, this is England.  Far too many of the summer days have been like this one.  And that's even when the weather forecasters promise it will brighten up by the afternoon.

Would you believe this window has the finest view from our house - when it's not raining?

But we have had just a couple of nice evenings in the last couple of weeks - and when they happen it is a delight to get out in the sunshine.  Sometimes the humans invite friends and neighbours round to relax on the deck beside the river that runs along the bottom of our garden.  Sometimes we just all go down and relax on our own.

Those few days when we can get into the garden or relax by the river like this are instant reminders of how little we miss London.

Sunshine is also a reminder of when we will next be in Walt Disney World (Prrrr).  It will be August.  That's normally far too hot for us but we have to go then because we are meeting some friends at a (non-Disney) event on the same trip.  Only a couple of months to go.

My Humans Went to London

My humans, Mikki and Andrew, went to London this week.  It was only an overnight stay but I was still a little disappointed that they didn't take me.  It's not that I wanted to do anything in London:  I just like being with them.  I don't think the weather was that good either.  You can see Mikki is wearing a coat in this picture they brought back.

For anyone who doesn't recognise it, the picture was taken in Trafalgar Square. That's the National Gallery behind Mikki and she and Andrew visited it and the adjoining National Portrait Gallery while they were there.

Andrew once worked close to the Square and could pop into these Galleries during a lunchtime, but Mikki  did not know them as well and was fascinated at all the lovely pictures inside.  She specially liked the pictures by Monet of his garden at Giverny.  She brought back a magnet and a coffee mug of one of them.  It is a picture of the bridge she has stood on.  It's the same bridge as in the picture I've shown you with Mickey and Minnie Mouse standing on the bridge - but it's not quite the same picture (even without Mickey and Minnie).  Here's a photograph of the magnet on show back at home.

Well, it's good to have the humans back home.  I have missed them and I am sure they have missed me.  We've had some nice cuddles since they got back - but we could have some more.. Yes, now!

Prrrrr.

In Monet's Garden

This is a picture of my human, Mikki when she visited the famous garden of the painter Monet at Giverny, France.  That was a couple of years ago now but she really enjoyed the trip and still has fond memories of it.  It wasn't perfect, of course:  I wasn't there for her to cuddle because I had to stay at home to look after my other human, Andrew.

Well, now we have a different sort of picture of Monet's garden, delivered just a few days ago. It has been hung in the kitchen where lots of people will see it.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse are seen standing on the same bridge that my Mikki is standing on in my top picture.  Now she only wants for us all to go again so that Andrew can go round and take a picture of her and me from the same angle that the new picture of Mickey and Minnie is from.

Life is such fun with my humans.

Prrrr.