Show Time!

After missing the past two Hugglets' shows through illness and my wedding, it felt as though I'd been out of the loop for far too long, so being back in the swing of things in London on Sunday was a real treat for me, a bit like coming out of a long hibernation!

My 'All Bear' stand set up

The sun was shining when we set out in the morning and the roads were quiet, so we arrived at Kensington Town Hall feeling relaxed and looking forward to the day.  As we unloaded the car we noticed a lovely long queue of 'early bird' collectors ... always a good sign!

The Great Hall

This is a large show, with about 170 exhibitors spread over two floors, so most visitors come prepared to spend the whole day enjoying all there is to offer ... and even I donned 'sensible' shoes for the day!

Peeking out from behind my stand!

The day passed in a flash and it seemed everyone was having a fun time chatting about bears, life, the universe and beyond. I really enjoyed meeting new collectors and catching up with old friends ... shows are always such sociable events among bear makers because they bring us together, when usually we live so far apart.  Some of us have known one another for many a long year, so it's lovely to catch up in person.

My able assistant!

And if you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, this picture will give a clue ... Stuart my able assistant, trying to fathom 'The Sun' crossword!

Frank Webster's beautiful bears across the aisle

I was delighted to have some of my oldest bear friends close by, across the aisle were lovely Frank and Sue Webster, on the stand next to me was dear Yvonne (Bebbin Bears) and a couple of stands along were Lynette and Paul Littlejohn (LJ Bears) ... there were plenty of other friends in other halls too, so we all tried to make time to squeeze in some catch-up time; after all, bear shows aren't all about the selling you know ...

But sell we did!  I was delighted to wave goodbye to all but one little bear on show day and couldn't have been more thrilled that Sunday was a big bear day for me.  Only little 'Huey' came home again ... perhaps he was a little lost among those big 'uns!  I'm sure he will soon find a new home, so until then, I'm happy to have him back in my workroom to keep me company.

And on the subject of bear adoptions, I was bowled over by a very special surprise at the show ... but I'm going to keep that story for another day!