Happy 9th Birthday Betty!

 

Happy 9th Birthday Betty!

It was Betty's 9th birthday yesterday and it only seems five minutes since I collected my sweet armful of puppy from the breeder. She was the smallest pup in a litter of seven and at that time was simply named 'dark pink', in view of a pink yarn collar her temporary mum had tied around her neck, to differentiate each pup from the other.

Polly, our older girl, took to little sister from day one, quickly teaching her how to 'tug' with a soft fleecey toy in the garden. By tea-time, Betty was following her big sister around happily and snoozing in the warmth of her side. The girls became firm friends and as she grew, Betty developed into a truly sweet-natured, funny girl, who loved to run, tug and play with her ball. She has always been a joyful dog, full of smiles and with heaps of love to share.

Unfortunately, as I have written in previous posts, Betty became seriously lame at the age of six after suffering cruciate ligament damage. It soon became clear that her future would be at risk if she didn't have major surgery to repair her hind leg, so she underwent a TPLO surgery. It was heartachingly gruelling, incredibly painful for her and yet, she put her trust in us to get her through, never complained and several months later, was able to run again... briefly. Sadly, the other hind leg then suffered the same catastrophic damage and there was no alternative, but to go through the process of major surgery all over again. Poor Betty. It was a horrible time for her. She endured the pain, confinement and long rehabilitation with grace, dignity and stoicism. I was so proud of her.

Both surgeries and rehab happened in 2020 and yesterday, four years later, we celebrated Betty's 9th birthday with a lively run on her favourite field. She may be considered a 'senior' dog at nine years of age but she still outruns our youngest dog Cooper, who isn't yet two!

Betty is the most gentle dog. I have never ever heard her growl or grumble; she has a beautiful sweet, loyal, nature, a wonderful sense of humour and a peaceful heart.

Wishing you fields to run in, balls to play with, sausage treats, ear strokes, interesting sniffs and love forever Betty Boo, you truly deserve the best of life because you are a very special girl... and we love you and your crazy Betty ears, very much! xxx

Life in the fast lane

 

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE..

Betty has always been the kind of dog who loves to live life in the fast lane. She is full of joy, a true delight to watch as she races like the wind, returning at the peep of a whistle, good girl that she is.

Unfortunately, it now transpires that my sweet girl has developed cruciate ligament failure, which will most likely require invasive surgery and a long, slow recovery period. Needless to say I am heartbroken for her, although relieved that we are now on the path to specialist referral and hopefully, Betty being able to run freely again one day. For now, we are restricted to short, careful walks and plenty of tender loving care.

Thankfully, Betty is currently managing her pain well and is as always, full of smiles, nose nudges and gentle licky kisses.

Please bear with me if I am a little slower with your orders during this time; I will continue to create teddy bears, but may need a wee bit more time now and again, in view of having to manage Betty's specialist hospital visits and after care.

Thank you x

They sit no more at familiar tables of home..

Our town honoured the fallen with a parade on Remembrance Sunday, so we stood watching, as uniformed soldiers, service personnel, First Aiders, Air Cadets and of course, the British Legion veterans, marched proudly across the old stone bridge to pay respect to their comrades, at the War Memorial.

It was a beautiful, cold, crisp November day.

Polly and Betty, wearing poppy bandanas as a mark of respect, were on their very best behaviour, as we followed the march up the road, to join in the Service of Remembrance.

After the service, we headed to a little snack bar for hot drinks and freshly cooked sausages to thaw us, before walking back to the memorial to see the poppy wreaths and to pay our own respects.

It was lovely to witness the town coming together to honour those who gave their lives to protect us, to hear the congregation singing the National Anthem together and to listen to the bugle play the 'The Last Post', but the most moving moment was as we read the hand written message on a tiny wooden cross laid at the end of a row of similar such crosses in the garden, placed discreetly behind the main War Memorial...

It read simply.

'For my Dad'.

The Fallen
Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

Happy Birthday Betty!

Wishing my little Betty Boo a very Happy 4th Birthday today!

I think Betty is possibly the most joyful pup on the planet. She has such an amazing zest for life and is always eager to play and cuddle. She is gentle, loyal, loving and a lovely sister to our older Golden Retriever Polly. She hears the rustle of a ginger biscuit wrapper from one end of the house to the other, brings me my slippers at dinner time and gives the softest of ear kisses when I least expect, but most need them.

Puppy Betty, 8 weeks old.

In her four fun filled years, Betty has never been grumpy and has always been the sweetest of pups with other dogs. She has very worked hard at her obedience classes and is always a good girl.

In fact, I couldn't be more proud of my little Bets! She is my self-appointed personal assistant, organising my day with a gentle nudge, or soft lick on the back of my hand whenever she thinks I ought to be doing something else. She knows my daily routines inside out and back-to-front and is always nearby, waiting for our next task. She loves her walks, runs like the wind, then flies back to me at the peep of my whistle ... (or two peeps if we are in squirrel territory!)

I am so very proud of you, my sweet little girl.

Happy Birthday Betty Boo!

xxx

Snow Day!

It has been snowing heavily here in Kent today, so of course, there was nothing for it, but to go outside to play!

Polly and Betty had so much fun. I couldn't resist taking a few pics to share ...

The scenery was so beautiful as the snow fell heavily and it was a joy to watch my daft doggy girls playing together. The walk home was a bit slippery though and I landed on my bum rather heavily a couple of times (ouch!) but we're home in the warm again now and the girls are sleeping off their snowy excitement while I sip a mug of hot coffee.

There's more snow predicted this week, so we'll be wrapping up warmly to make the most of it!

:-)

Come rain, come shine

Being a maker of teddy bears can be a very sedentary and isolating job ... in fact, I don't recall how I  stayed sane before this daft pair moved in and took over my life.

Come rain, come shine, Polly and Betty never fail to ensure I keep my priorities in order by ensuring we go out into the big wide world for fresh air, exercise, obedience training and most importantly, fun.  They also keep me sociable by introducing themselves to other dogs and their owners whenever they spot one. My girls love to say hello!

So, I may not have time to make quite as many bears as I once did, but thanks to my beautiful golden girls, I am no longer at my desk for such long hours and am thankfully, a much healthier bear-maker than I used to be!

:-)

We wish you...

Our tree is twinkling, our cupboards are packed full of waist busting goodies, the pudding is made and all that remains now, is for us to sign off and wish you all a very happy Christmas!

Thank you everyone, for your kind interest in my teddy bears and beyond throughout 2017 and for taking time to pop in to read my blog.

I look forward to seeing you all again in 2018!

With festive hugs from me and my bears ... and of course, from Polly, Betty, Rodney and Puddle too!

Happy Christmas Everyone.

:-)

A howling success

Storm Aileen howled around the UK through last night, but I didn't hear a thing as I'd spent the day playing with my Grandson and walking my girls, so slept like a log!

It is still gusty here today, but there's warmth in the bright autumn sunshine and the morning has been perfect for walking. I arranged to meet our dog training group at a local country park with Polly and Betty earlier, so the girls have been playing with their pals, obedience training, chasing balls into the pond and hunting for fallen apples. They have had so much fun ... dogs sure know how to party when they get together!

:-) 

From Allington to Aylesford

Another Sunday afternoon, another river walk. We tried this walk a few years ago, but were beaten back by a crumbling towpath and overgrowth. After hearing the path had been rebuilt and cleared, we decided to give the Allington to Aylesford section of the River Medway a visit yesterday. It was overcast, but not at all cold, so we set off in jeans and t-shirts after giving Polly and Betty a fun run in the local open space nature reserve first ... one thing about goldies, they love to swim and chase birds, so if you fancy a peaceful stroll, river walks are safest undertaken on leads after they've had a good run!

Just down the road from the nature reserve is this pretty building, which I think was the gatehouse for Allington Castle (discreetly tucked away around the corner) I might be wrong though.

We crossed Allington Lock on the footbridge and although it was wrench, passed our favourite little coffee 'n cake haunt 'The Little Old Tollhouse' (they do great panini's too!) without stopping. Then it was up and over the main bridge, pausing to take a quick snap of the boats up river as I went, before turning away from the path into Maidstone and and heading towards the village of Aylesford instead. 

There has been quite a bit of work undertaken along the riverbank since last we tried to access this path, so we had no problems toddling along with our girls on Sunday. Polly loves a walk with Dad, lead or no lead, so she was content to trot along by his side, walking beautifully to heel all the way. Little Betty on the other hand, was overexcited and anxious about the new route, so very distracted. She forgot her manners and pulled me all the way to Aylesford!

This walk isn't what I'd call pretty, but it is reasonably interesting if you don't mind a more industrial view of the river. It's also not the most peaceful section of river to walk as the M20 crosses it. Still, at least it was what you might term colourful!

Along the way we saw ponies, cows and sheep, as well as long stretches of imposing steel fencing, leaving us in no doubt that once the river would once have been an important element of industrial life in Aylesford. I'll spare you the photos of grey perimeter fencing protecting stacks of rubber tyres and the like - yawn!

Eventually we arrived at 'The Old Bridge at Aylesford'. It's a very pretty spot but to be absolutely honest, can be a bit pongy thanks to a sewer on the other side of the river!

Anyway, here is the bridge in all its fourteenth century magnificence. We decided to take a wander around the village before looking for a return path on the far side of the river.

We mooched around St Peter and St Paul's, a beautiful Norman church and very much part of our recent family history, as my niece was married here a few years ago and my Great nieces were both baptised here, the youngest in August this year.

It was lovely to wander quietly around the Church without being togged up to the nines for a change!

My family all togged up on my Great Niece's Christening Day.

Anyway, that's enough talk of family celebrations, we should get on with our walk! 

So, as I was saying, we wandered around the old village, tightly packed with pretty medieval houses mingled among newer buildings ... it certainly has charm in places, but is primarily a thriving residential area.

And of course, no village would be complete without a public house or two, but we resisted the temptation for a swift half as we passed 'The Chequers' and headed back towards the old bridge.

A quick stop in one of the passing places on the bridge (I wonder what they are called? I'm sure they must have a proper name!) to record our visit, before a spot of detective work to fathom out how to make our way home to Allington.

It didn't take long to work out that if we turned left and crossed the road, we could pick up a footpath sign and follow the river back on the far side of the river. By this time I was happy to hand my little steam engine over to my husband for our return journey!

And the return journey was a more scenic affair. Polly was delighted to be granted off lead privileges across a field running alongside a fenced railway track and I popped her lead back on at the far side of the field because I wasn't sure what lay beyond ...

As it turned out, it was a good call as we found ourselves very near to the motorway (and another fine example of local artwork!)

There was nothing for it other than tackle the high level bridge across the busy M20. I was so proud of Polly as she trotted calmly by my side, walking high over noisy speeding traffic below. Our 'Real Life' obedience training sessions have really paid off!

The rest of the walk was along a narrow, fenced pathway which ran along the railway line and behind an industrial estate through dark woodland, so I didn't bother with my camera until, after a round walk of almost six kilometres, we suddenly popped out onto Castle Road, only a few yards from where we had left our car, ten and a half thousand steps earlier!

So that was our Sunday walk. Not necessarily the prettiest scenery, but pleasant in places and it was interesting to see what happens along our local riverbank. Good exercise for two fifty somethings too!

:-)

Almost Autumn

It was a beautiful evening yesterday, so Betty and I went out for a quiet stroll together, before sunset and found definite hints of Autumn!

This has been my favourite field to walk with dogs and family for years, but sadly now, to the right of this picture, there is steel fencing encasing the entire field, imprisoning heavy construction vehicles ... and where once wheat was harvested into beautiful golden bales at this time of year, mud mountains, scaffolding and ugly pipes now dominate.

Polly and Betty were was confused by the fencing at first, but have learned to skip along the mud path running outside the perimeter fence, towards a little wooded area at the bottom of the field which the developers have yet to destroy.

Despite the sorry state of 'our' field, Betty and I enjoyed our peaceful stroll in the evening sunshine together yesterday ... it was lovely to see our favourite trees bearing fruit, brambles laden with berries and long grasses turning to gold as the sun set.

:-)

Blowing through the cobwebs in my mind

Goodness it's been hot! Way too hot 'n humid to work comfortably with mohair that's for sure! Rather than struggle on, I've been busy updating the Guild of Master Bearcrafters website, playing in the paddling pool with my grandson, reading arty type books, sketching and painting, eating ice-lollies and generally staying as cool as possible at home.

It has been fun to give myself a little time to mentally meander while it has been hot, but now the heatwave has broken with a lovely cooling thunderstorm this morning (horaay!) I find myself looking forward to making my way back into my workroom later today, to try to finish a pretty teddy bear I began work on before I began to overheat.

My poor dogs and cats struggled with the heat too, so we've been making the most of the beautiful evenings, by walking and playing in the garden just before the sun sets. It has been refreshing to be out and about at that time of the evening.

Rodney, now the grand old age of seventeen weeks, has had a great time exploring outdoors in the evening and learning how to climb Dad's plum tree.

And Polly and Betty have loved evening walkies through the orchard and across the field.

As for my elusive Puddlecat, she has been prowling through shady patches in the garden like a small black panther. She's always so hard to spot with a camera lens, but I did just about catch a black shadow lurking behind the lavendar bush yesterday evening.

I am dreaming of coastal holidays of course, but as much as I love a sea breeze on a hot Summer's day, unfortunately a holiday will have to wait until Rodney is a wee bit older. Until then, I plan to be outdoors as much as possible and who knows, I may even find time to write a few more blog posts! After all, everyone needs a Summer break to recharge their batteries ... even we teddy bear makers!

Happy Summer Everyone!

:-)

A Horrid Walk

With a name like 'Horrid Hill', the location for our Bank Holiday walk didn't sound nearly as fun as it actually was!

We had heaps of fun crossing the causeway to explore this tiny 'island' at Gillingham's Riverside Country Park. I love the landscape here, the backdrop of the power station on the horizon contrasts with the natural shoreline and many rotting boats, laying peacefully on their sides, long since reclaimed by the sea. I think it's a fascinating place and it was a super way to pass a Bank Holiday with my son and his family.

As for the dogs, they had an absolute blast and I was so surprised to see our Betty (she who usually steps round puddles rather than walk through them) undertake her first swim in the sea, under the watchful eye of big sis Polly ... way to go Betty Boo!

:-)