Music Welcome to Snewscast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snewscast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. This episode is brought to you by Wood Pigeons Complaining Gently. Tonight, we'll read the next part to Winnie the Pooh, a children's story written by A. A. Milne and published in 1926. This collection of short stories features features an anthropomorphic teddy bear, Winnie the Pooh, along with his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eor, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo. In the previous episode, we read the second half of chapter 7, in which Kanga and Roo came to the

forest and Piglet had a bath. Then we started chapter 8, in which Christopher Robin plans to lead an expotition to the North Pole. Let's get cozy.

Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now take a few deep breaths. In a little while, they were all ready at the top of the forest and the expotition started.

First came Christopher Robin and Rabbit, then Piglet and Pooh, then Kanga with Roo in her pocket and owl, then ear and at end, in a long line, all rabbits, friends, and relations. I didn't ask them. Explained rabbit carelessly, they just came. They always do. They can march at the end after Eor. What I say said Eor is that it's unsettling. I didn't want to come on this expo- what Poo said. I only came to oblige. But here I And if am then of the expo, what we're talking about, then let me be the end. But if, every time I want to sit down for a little rest, I have to brush away half a dozen of rabbit smaller friends and relations first, Then this isn't an expo. Whatever it is, at all. It's simply a confused noise. That's what I say. I see what you mean here, said Owl.

If you ask me, I'm not asking anybody, said Eor. I'm just telling everybody we can look for the North Pole, or we can play. Here we go gathering nuts nuts and may with the end part of an

ants nest and solve the same to me. There was a shout from the top of the line Come on, called Christopher Robin.

Come on, called Piglet.

Come on, called Poo.

Come on. Called Piglet.

Come on. Called Poo. Come on. Called Owl. We're starting, said Rabbit. I must go. And he hurried off to the front of the expedition with Christopher Robin. AllAll right,' said Eor, "'we're going. Only don't blame me.' So off they all went to discover the pole, and as they walked, they chatted to each other of this and that. I'll accept Poo who was making up a song. This is the first verse. He said to Piglet when he was ready with it. First verse of what? My song. What song? This one? Which one? Well, if you listen, Piglet, you'll hear it. How do you know I'm not listening? Who couldn't answer that one? So we began to sing. They all went off to discover the pole. I'll and Piglet and rabbit and all. It's a thing you discover as I've been told by owl and piglet and rabbit and all. Eure, Christopher, Robin and Pooh, and rabbit's relations all went to. and where the pole was none of them knew. Sing, hey, for owl and rabbit and all. Hush said Christopher Robin, turning round to poo. We're just coming to a dangerous place. Hush said poo, turning round quickly to Piglet. Hush! Said Piglet to Kanga. Hush said Poo turning round quickly to Piglet. Hush said Piglet to Kanga. Hush said Kanga to Owl while Roo said Hush several times to himself very quietly. Hush said Owl to Eor. Hush said Eor in a terrible voice to all rabbits, friends and relations. And hush they said hastily to each other all down the line until it got to the last one of all. And the last and smallest friend in relation was so upset to find that the whole expedition was saying hush to him, that he buried himself head downwards in a crack in the ground, and stayed there for two days until the danger was over. And then went home in a great hurry and lived quietly with his aunt ever afterwards. His name was Alexander Beetle. They had come to a stream which twisted and tumbled between high rocky banks and Christopher

Robin saw at once how dangerous it was.

It's just the place he explained for an ambush.

What sort of bush whispered poo to Piglet?

A gross bush? What sort of bush whispered poo to Piglet? A gorse bush. My dear poo said Owl in his superior way. Don't you know what an ambush is? Owl said Piglet, looking round at him severely. Pooh's whisper was a perfectly private whisper, and there was no need and Umbush said Owl. Is a sort of surprise. So is a coarse bush sometimes," said Poo. AnAn ambush, as I was about to explain to Poo,' said Piglet. "'It's a sort of surprise. If people jump out at you suddenly, that's an ambush,' said Owl. "'It's an ambush, Poo. when people jump out at you suddenly. Explain, Piglet. Poo, who now knew what an ambush was, said that a gorse bush had sprung at him suddenly one day when he fell off a tree, and he had taken six days to get all the prickles out of himself. We are not talking about gorse bushes," said Owl, a little crossly. I am," said Poo. They were climbing very cautiously up the stream now, going from rock to rock, and after they had gone a little way, they came to a place where the banks widened out at each side, so that on each side of the water there was a level strip of grass on which they could sit down and rest. As soon as they saw this, Christopher Robin called, Halt, and they all sat down and rested. I think, said Christopher Robin, that we ought to eat all our provisions now so that we shan't have so much to carry. Eat all our what? Said Pooh. All that we've brought said Piglet, getting to work. That's a good idea. Said Pooh, and he got to work too. Have you all got something? Ask Christopher Robin with his mouth full. "'All except me,' said Eor, as usual. He looked round at them in his melancholy way.

I suppose none of you are sitting on a this old by any chance.

I believe I am," said Poo.

How?

He got up and looked behind him.

Yes, I was.

I thought so.

Thank you, Poo. If you've quite finished with it, he moved across to Poo's place and began to eat. It don't do them any good, you know, sitting on them.

He went on as he looked up, munching. Takes all the life out of them. Remember that another time, all of you, a little consideration, a little thought for others, all the difference." As soon as he had finished his lunch, Christopher Robin whispered to Rabbit, and Rabbit said, yes, yes, of course, and they walked a little way up the stream together. I don't want the others to hear," said Christopher Robin. Quite so," said Rabbit, looking important. It's—I wondered. It's only—Rabbit. I suppose you don't know. What does the North Pole look like? Well, said Rabbit, stroking his whiskers. Now you're asking me. I did know once, only I've sort of forgotten. Said Christopher Robin, carelessly. It's a funny thing," said Rabbit. But I've sort of forgotten," said Christopher Robin, carelessly.

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