In My Arms

Toddler Furaha was very small. She was too small to do all the things big kids do, like painting with brushes, eating with a knife and fork and writing stories, like I’m doing now. When the big kids shun her and say she can’t join in their games, she turns to Orko so she can play with the only big kid wizard she knows. And the best thing about being small is that she can fit comfortably in Orko’s thin, weak, blue arms.

Orko was too weak and too fragile to be a proper Master Of The Universe back on Eternia, but here on Earth, he loves his toddler sister so much, and has the freedom to do anything he wants. In his arms lies his sister, who is tired out from an exhausting day of being shunned by the big kids and then running off to play with him. The way they bond is a sight to behold. Orko strokes Furaha’s fluffy tummy and tickles her so she laughs and hugs her brother around his unseen neck. Orko strokes her back and comfortably cradles her in his arms, feeling his fragility connect with his sister’s own, for their kin is similar inside, but under the skin, they’re both the same.

They lie amongst a pile of pillows and blankets and snuggle together in the light of the sun shining through the window of their bedroom. Furaha, as a toddler, is bonded to her brother in words indescribable. Orko has discovered that the real magic lies in the magic found in his sister’s eyes, as she understands that he’ll always take care of her, love her and play with her, no matter what happens. At last, tired from bonding, the two friends fall safely fast asleep.

The Hotel Room

It was the day of the holiday of Furaha and her three friends Orko, Optimus and Baby Marvin, and they were all very excited. The hotel was big enough for all four of them, especially an Autobot, and when they entered their suite, they could hardly believe their eyes. The bed was a pure, silky white, and there was a fridge full of chocolate and drinks and sausage rolls. There was a small chocolate on each of their pillows, and next to the bed was a bucket of champagne in ice. “Ooh-la-la!” swooned Orko.

The best part about the hotel room was the spa bath. It was shaped just like a hot tub, and there were 9 different sets of bubble baths in the cupboard - lemon, lavender, bubble bath and so much more. Optimus fingered the pure white towels, and Orko, Furaha and Baby Marvin felt how soft they were. Afterwards, the friends tried out the spa bath, which was filled to the brim with bubbles. Orko, as always, had his clothes on in the tub! The friends made bubble bath beards and bubble bath hats, until they got dry in the soft white towels. Orko got changed in the cupboard to a new red velvet hat and a soft white dressing gown with a golden scarf.

Everyone sat in the suite and had a little picnic of chocolate, sausage rolls and fizzy drinks, just like posh people in a mansion. As for the chocolates on their pillows, Furaha, Orko and Marvin fed each other the chocolates, which had sticky white cream filling in the middle. After a whole day of posh luxuries, everyone felt tired and clambered into the big, strong, soft bed. Snug and safe and in complete luxury, they all fell fast asleep.

Orko & The Baby

Orko and his baby sister Furaha lived by themselves in a cosy little house in the middle of the countryside, and they shared a wonderful, inseparable bond between each other. Furry rugs lined the hard wooden floors, the sofas were pure velvet and upstairs, there was a cosy bedroom with the softest bed in the world.

Orko and Furaha spent every day playing together and relaxing together. Every morning, Furaha would crawl all over Orko and tippy-tap him while he was still stirring, like a cat wanting attention. When Orko woke up, he gave Furaha her first hug of the morning and tickled her tummy. They would then go downstairs for breakfast, and Orko would feed his sister some porridge - it was really messy, but rewarding, and Orko loved the mess and fun that came with feeding her. Every one of their days was filled with fun and excitement - they would lie on the sofa and read picture books together. They would stack some building blocks in a pyramid shape so Orko could teach Furaha her ABC’s. Orko would entertain Furaha with his magic, such as conjuring a million feathers that tickled Furaha so she giggled, or producing a squeaky toy from his sleeve and then helping Furaha play with it. Most of all, they loved lying on the sofa together and relaxing, feeling joy and happiness out of being together as brother and sister. Furaha didn’t have magic, but Orko did. No matter how different they were, they always loved each other.

Every evening, they would have a bath outside in their outdoor bath, surrounded by foamy bubbles and lots of flowers growing in the garden, feeling the joy of being outside. Then, after drying themselves and having supper, they would both go to bed.

The Duties Of King Maneguard

King Maneguard led Orko into his baby daughter’s nursery. “I am tasking you with the sole purpose of looking after Furaha for the day while I’m out,” he said. “You can count on me, sir, I’ll take care of the little tot for you.” After waving goodbye to his master, Orko went up to Furaha’s cot and tickled her. Furaha began to laugh, for, being a baby lioness cub, she was happy to have her caretaker Orko by her side. He lifted Furaha out of her cot and placed her on the golden floor, watching her crawl around the enormous nursery and following her as he did. Orko giggled at the way Furaha put one paw in front of the other in a wonky, babyish way. He then picked up Furaha and swung her round in happiness, hugging her to his chest. He then fell onto a pile of cushions and blankets, which was as soft as Furaha’s fur, and lifted Furaha over him, laughing in joy. However, as soon as Orko was laughing, Furaha was crying, because she was hungry. Orko took her downstairs to the kitchen and poured her a nice, warm bottle of milk, feeding her and cooing, “Does baby want her bottle?” and “Coochie-coochie-coo!” Orko placed Furaha over his shoulder and patted her on the back, causing her to burp. Orko cradled her in his arms and tickled her furry tummy, as she yawned and fell asleep. Orko was feeling sleepy too, as looking after Furaha was very hard work indeed.

When King Maneguard came back that night, he entered Furaha’s nursery to find Furaha and Orko fast asleep on pillows and blankets. “Easy, Orko.” said the king softly, “You’ll always look after Furaha, for a long long time.”

Furaha & Orko

Deep in the countryside, in a cosy little cottage by the sea, live Furaha and her brother Orko. Those two friends are different in species - lioness cub is Furaha, and Trollan wizard is Orko, but no matter how different they are, they always share in life’s little experiences together. They spend their everyday lives sharing and playing together, too.

Every morning they would wake up to a new day in their soft, comfortable bed, and race each other downstairs to breakfast. For breakfast each day, they have pancakes with bacon and eggs. Sometimes, they like to play sword fights with knives and forks when they’ve finished eating, pretending they’re knights or pirates. After they’ve cleaned up, they go out onto the beach and have some fun playing there. They build sandcastles and decorate mounds of sand with seaweed and shells, playing ‘King Of The Castle’. They splash in the sea and scavenge around rockpools, searching for the treasures washed up by the sea, sometimes finding a penny or two. Other times they would quietly sit together on the sand and watch the ocean roll in and out, in and out, as the two friends sat side by side.

They always have baths outside, because they have an outdoor bathtub. They splash and relax amongst the bubbles as they breathe in the scent of the flowers in the garden, and sometimes they play that Furaha’s rubber duck is attacking Orko’s toy boat, pretending the sea wars have already begun, or they sprinkle rose petals into the water to make it smell nice. In the evening, after they’ve dried and had tea and cake outside while watching the setting sun, they would climb the stairs exhaustingly to bed, tired out from a long day. Goodnight, Furaha. Goodnight, Orko.

Goodnight, everyone.

Home

Home. It’s where we’re headed to now. Me, Orko and Optimus. However, the way home is far off, and we have made a treacherous journey to get there. To get home, we have to swim a long mile across the Arctic ocean. But we don’t care. We’re at one with the cold water surrounding our bodies. The ocean is a blanket of welcoming water that carries us all the way home, and in its middle, there’s nothing. Nothing. Nothing to see, no whales swimming in the depths, no killer whales out to make us perish. The water carries us in her warm embrace as we swim peacefully together in the ocean, our eyes closed, feeling the wonderful chill against our fur and skin. It’s something no human being ever touched before, but we have - we’ve touched it, and it’s a sacred part of the ocean which has yet to have the first human explorers swim across it.

When we close our eyes, we forget everything and just let the water invite us to swim in its cold embrace. We’re like polar bears, swimming freely - a father polar bear and his two cubs, seeking refuge in somewhere beautiful. The sea is a crystal carpet, wanting us to lie down on it and let us lie to rest, for it’ll be our grave someday. And when it does become our grave, our spirits will turn to animals and roam the Northern Lights forever. For now, we swim. Just us three, no one else, knowing that soon, other people would swim in this uncharted water. We don’t feel the slightest chill, and icy tears fill my eyes thinking back on everything we’ve done to get through this epic journey. We’ve survived, we’ve stuck together, we’ve done everything in our power. We’ll survive…

By The Fireplace

One warm, cosy Winter evening, Furaha and Orko were sitting on the rug by a roaring fire, gazing into its inviting flames, which were dancing in the darkness of the chimney, letting off black smoke that flew into the Winter air. “You know, in the darkness of this room, I think being in front of the fire on a cold Winter’s day is the best thing that could’ve happened to us.” smiled Furaha. “I think I’m turning into a hot water bottle.” “And I think I’m turning into a velvet blanket being sat on by a huge dog,” smiled Orko. “But I think something’s missing.” “Snacks!” said Furaha, “We can’t have a night by the fire without snacks.”

Furaha came into the kitchen and went back into the living room later with a bowlful of nice, tasty sausage rolls, with two mugs of hot cocoa - one white with red snowflake patterns for Orko, and one green with daisies on it for Furaha. The two friends enjoyed their snacks and talked about what they wanted for Christmas this year. Furaha wanted a unicorn costume for Christmas, while this year Orko wanted a Wacky Duck shampoo - the wild-looking green bottle that’s scented like limes. “You know, I think you’ll smell good. As good as pondweed,” yawned Furaha, as she snuggled down onto the rug. “You know what? I think you’re right,” said Orko sleepily as he lay down, full of sausage rolls and cocoa. Furaha stared into the flames, which slowly went out, leaving her and her friend in pure darkness. All they could hear was the sound of the Winter wind outside, and they could smell the burning ashes of the dancing flames in front of them, settling to their graves, waiting for the next cosy evening.

A Brother's Warmth - Part 2

Since Orko was introduced to his baby sister, life became very simple and very fun for him. It was during her baby years that Orko had to sleep with Uzuri, because Furaha was crying and needed his company. Every morning, the sun smiled down at them through the gap in the dark black curtains, and baby Furaha woke up, crawling all over Orko and Uzuri, so Orko giggled in his sleep. When they finally woke up, Orko and Uzuri brought her downstairs for breakfast. Mpenzi was a wonderful cook, and always baked bacon and eggs for Orko and his family, and porridge for little Furaha. Orko always helped feed Furaha, who would eat porridge like a certain bear would eat from a honey pot.

After breakfast, and after Furaha was cleaned up, they would play with Uzuri in the throne room. Uzuri and Orko always played peekaboo with Furaha to make her giggle, and only Orko could make the derpiest, wildest eyes to make his baby sister laugh. Sometimes they would hide under blankets of silk and try to find each other while Uzuri watched and laughed. It was such fun. Sometimes they would go out for a bit of fresh air, mainly to the blossom orchard. There, Orko would play with Furaha and help her recognise the scent of fresh blossoms in the wind. The petals would land on Furaha’s nose, to which Orko gently blew it off - pffiffff! Orko had formed such a gentle bond with Furaha, that she could think of no one else becoming his baby sister.

Every night, after Orko bathed Furaha, to which he shared a bath with her, Orko would play a quiet tickling game with Furaha before heading off to sleep in his warm, cosy bed.

10 Things To Do If Someone Calls You Ignorant

The moody old bag

Has lost her sag

And called me a very rude name!

So here are 10 things you need to do if someone calls you a very horrid name, whether in your family, out with your support workers or at school...

10.Stay in your room.

Ah, your room. A place full of your imagination and wonder. A place full of all the things Horrid Henry was never allowed to do by his mean, horrible parents. TV, computer, writing equipment, it's every minor writer's dream.

9.Watch Earth Moods.

Nothing beats a good dose of Earth Moods. Earth Moods, being the most relaxing mindfulness show on TV, shows us full views of scenes from our planet, set to music. There is also Zenimation and Star Wars Galaxy Of Sounds to try out in case you haven't watched them yet. And they go very well with music.

8.Tell someone.

It's always important to do the right thing and tell someone if someone in your family or at school calls you a very rude name. That's bullying, and every school has included an anti-bullying message whether on TV or in the classroom. And to think, CBBC only made their Bitesize block because they hate children, am I right?

7.Ignore everything the rude person says.

Ignorant is what I was called today, and my name isn't Ignorant, I'm Sarah! So, just stick by your old name and run away should you encounter the bully of a person again.

6.Know it'll not last.

Bullying and name-calling won't last. They may be hurtful but soon, you'll understand that under their heavy hearts, they may just have a heart of gold.

5.Know we're all not chew toys.

Remember George Floyd? He changed the world due to his death at the hands of police, and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed soon afterwards. We all need to be included no matter how hurt we are over words that are either powerful or powerless.

4.Look forward to tomorrow.

What might tomorrow bring for you? My next three tomorrows will bring micro fiction stories, eating my Bluey chocolate egg and chocolate bar and going out on a picnic with mum for three hours on Monday. Just think about the good things that'll happen tomorrow, not far off into the future, because you mustn't worry about it.

3.Take some deep breaths.

When you feel upset and hurt by someone who has called you Ignorant or another mean name, take some deep breaths to calm down, or listen to music. I do these to also stop grinding my teeth, 'cause that's what the dentist ordered. Or...

2.Do sumo wrestling.

In the Bluey episode 'Stickbird', Bluey taught her dad and her sister how to take all the upset and anger from their bodies and throw them out to sea. To deal with MY upset and anger, I pretend to be a fierce sumo wrestler, entering the ring, ready to deal with my opponent, another big fat sumo wrestler. I stomp on the ground with my legs wide open, stomping out all the sadness, anger and past hurtful events, until I'm free from those negative feelings. How do you STOMP out your negative thoughts?

1.Relax.

When you want to relax after an afternoon of being called 'Ignorant' by a cranky old family member, just do some things that you love to wind down for the evening. Watch Youtube on the computer, watch Disney+, Netflix or Amazon Prime or do some doodling, like I did with the Mr Men. Speaking of, Little Miss Princess has got a wide variety of friends here. They include Kid from Sheeep, Georgina the Giraffe from 64 Zoo Lane, Kipper the dog, Horse, Indian, Cowboy, Optimus Prime, Bluey and of course Furaha and Orko. What a friendly lot they are!

Tigger's Family Tree: Aunt Michelle

Michelle is Tigger’s British aunt who had her firm roots in Manchester. When Tigger goes to see her, she often shows him tapes of her time hosting the programme Tigger TV, which was shown as part of Children’s BBC from 1997 to early 2002.

She grew up watching hours of Grange Hill, Blue Peter and Why Don’t You, and wished to be a TV star when she grew older. At the age of 7, she received her first Blue Peter badge for sending in a painting of her friend Marley, who sadly got into a car accident before she painted him. When she turned 27, she landed a role in Tigger TV in 1997. It was a series where Michelle went around interviewing children and hearing their wackiest, craziest, hard to believe stories. Tigger TV became the staplemate of children’s programming on the BBC, airing in a slot for older children alongside Blue Peter and the then new animated show Arthur. She was friends with Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq from the moment she joined the show in 1997, and she supported multiple charities, including the National Association For Broken Tails Foundation.

When Michelle is not hosting children’s TV, you can find her doing pottery, taking yoga classes, drawing fanart of DC heroes and, like all Tiggers, bouncing. Her favourite food is spaghetti and meatballs, and her favourite drink is strawberry milkshakes. She owns a cat called Pooch, a dog called Monty and a hamster named Frick. In 2002, she co-hosted XChange on the CBBC channel, and after that was the director of Blue Peter from 2007 to 2019. She absolutely hates the new CBBC, because she thinks it’s gone woke, and believes that nothing could end up like how Disney went all woke.

Bluey & Bingo - What's Up, Dogs?

When we last left Bluey and Bingo, they had gotten into all sorts of crazy antics, both on TV and online. We've already seen new episodes on Disney+, now get ready for their blog posts! First, they invite you to 'Dress Up Funny For Money' with their guide to dressing up. Next, see a guide for Easter with the best gifts and activities the Easter Bunny didn't forget to leave out for you. Finally, Gousto has partnered with Bluey to deliver a range of mealtime activities! Who's hungry? I am!

https://www.bluey.tv/blog/bluey-and-bingos-guide-to-dress-up/

https://www.bluey.tv/2024-easter-gift-and-activity-guide/

https://www.bluey.tv/blog/bluey-gousto-recipes-arrive-in-the-uk/

A Brother's Warmth

In a beautiful palace in a faraway kingdom lived Orko and his lion family - his uncle Kahawia and his four nursemaid sisters: Uzuri, Sukari, Mpenzi and Iaini. They lived a very happy life together, but Orko had a very special attachment to Uzuri, who had beautiful golden fur and acted like he was Orko’s mother, even though she was his sister. Orko lived a life full of plentiful food, a warm bed and a loving family, and he could’ve never asked for a better life.

One day, Kahawia came into Orko’s room while he was playing to remind him that the gods have blessed Uzuri, and that soon he was going to be a big brother. Orko was delighted for Uzuri, and supported her through her pregnancy. One night, Orko was asleep when he heard Uzuri screaming in pain from the throne room. Orko curiously floated into the room to investigate, and heard the screams of pain turn into sighs and coos of delight, with the cries of a newborn lioness babe. Kawahia went up to Orko and said, “Orko, would you like to come over and meet your new sister?”

Orko shyly floated up to Uzuri, and gazed at the beautiful newborn lioness cub in her arms. Uzuri let him hold his new baby sister, who felt a bit greasy from going out. It was Orko’s decision to name his sister Furaha, and everyone agreed that it was a perfect name for the new arrival. While Uzuri rested, he helped bathe Furaha amongst warm bubbles and clean water. The cheesy coating and bloody bits immediately came off, and with added irritant-free perfume, Furaha smelt fresh and clean. Now Orko had a new responsibility - taking care of his new baby sister, Furaha!

Teeth Marks

One morning, Bandit and Chilli woke up to the sound of Bluey crying. They ran into her room, where they found her gnawing at one of the ‘ribs’ of the cot. There, they discovered that she was teething, because her first tooth was coming. Chilli phoned my siblings Luke, Resus and Cleo to tell them the good news, and that made them curious about what would happen if their baby sister, who was me, started teething. Mrs Watson, Luke’s mum, said they could go and visit Horse for inspiration.

Once Mrs Watson dropped them off, Horse welcomed them inside and found the photo album on his bookshelf. Through the baby photos he showed my siblings, he mentioned that when Cowboy and Indian were teething, he bought lots of teething gel and toys so they don’t feel discomfort and pain. Whenever the pain came, he would apply the gel to their gums, and he watched as they bit through the toys - Cowboy innocently nibbled, while Indian’s chewing had power! Once his story was over, Horse took Cowboy, Indian and my siblings back to my house, where they found me playing with Bella Negative. Horse had taken his old giraffe chew toy and, as he watched Cowboy and Indian interact with me, he remembered the times when he was teething too. At the same time, Chilli had bought a new teething toy - a kangaroo, for Bluey, so she can chew in case of pain. Bluey was free from discomfort at last.

At dinner, Horse told everyone about how I would soon eat solid food should I teeth soon. Everyone was laughing over the conversation, but they laughed harder when I flung my bowl of porridge at Niles. He was covered in porridge!