Making Memories

 

After a lovely holiday away in Devon with my family and our five dogs, I am now catching up with website updates, orders and life in general. I am also scratching my head over new US tariff legislation, which is rather a rude post-holiday come down and seems to have most countries in a somewhat grumpy trade spin.

From what I can gather, before the 29th August 2025, US collectors were protected by something called the 'de minimis' rule, which meant imported goods up to $800 were exempt from nasty import duties, so my teddy bears could travel happily to new lives in the Land of Milk and Honey. However, President Trump, in all his presidential wisdom, has now removed this friendly trade exemption, meaning import duties and a variety of charges, will now become due on receipt of any sweet natured teddy bears travelling to the US to share hugs. Mean eh?!

I will of course, be checking tariff codes carefully to see whether or not handcrafted teddy bears are definitely part of this shake-up ... and keeping fingers crossed that US collectors will bear with me while my creative brain attempts to fathom export details and shipping consequences. Needless to say, this is all a million miles from my cosy world of teddy bear-making!

In happier news, the scenery in deepest Devon was, as always, spectacular. We stayed on a lovely two hundred year old farmhouse, which everyone enjoyed hugely and the dogs had a blast on the beaches. My favourite day trip was spent on Dartmoor, an area of breathtaking natural beauty, where wild ponies, long horned cattle and sheep roam freely. The children climbed tors and adventured to their hearts' content and when they were ready for a rest, we visited a beautiful ancient village called Widecombe-in-the-moor, for a very welcome cream tea.

Time now to make my memory book and preserve our holiday memories ... and once I've figured out the implications of exporting to my US friends, to settle back into my workroom to find peace, by being me and simply creating teddy bears!

Sea, sunshine and curious seals

 

Sea, sunshine and curious seals

Even teddy bear makers appreciate a break from their daily routine once in a while, so my apologies for not being here last week but instead of making teddy bears, I was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine of peaceful beaches in beautiful north Norfolk with my dogs, Polly, Betty and Cooper. They had a wonderful time swimming and playing in the water all week and we even spotted curious seals watching us from deep in the water! So much fun. 

Now that we are home and our holiday laundry is washed, dried and put away, my sea soaked dogs are groomed and my cats home from their cattery, I feel refreshed and ready to head back up to my workroom to start a new teddy bear this week! 

The sound of silence

 

After a much needed change of scenery, I was able to add a lovely new traditional teddy bear to my website yesterday, aptly named 'Devon'...

My husband and I headed to Devon recently with our three dogs in the car, on the rainiest of August days. It was hard to believe it was mid Summer as the rain hammered heaven's hardest on our windscreen but fortunately, when we did eventually arrive at our holiday cottage about six soggy doggy hours later, the sun finally shone and my son and his family had already safely arrived and started unpacking. The scenery overlooking Dartmoor was absolutely beautiful, so we were eager to unpack the car, take the dogs and Grandchildren to the large meadow across the road for a good run ... and launch ourselves into full holiday mode, at last!

We spent a wonderful week exploring Dartmoor and Cornwall as a family. It was hard work but much fun. The dogs swam in the sea at Padstow and the children paddled and rock-pooled in Boscastle Harbour, traversing the scarily high bridge strung between the clifftops of Tintagel, in search of a statue of King Arthur at the castle ruins.

We walked miles with our dogs, meeting wild ponies, long horned cattle and sheep on Dartmoor, then listening to the sound of absolute silence far out on the moors. One evening we supped mugs of hot chocolate and ate marshmallows in the darkness by Harford Bridge while bats swooped around us and another day, we drove along barely used farm tracks lined with gorse and deep dark forest, to find the most beautiful hidden reservoir at the end of our white-knuckle ride ... and we all ate more pasties and ice-creams than were probably good for any self-respecting waistline!

It was a lovely week, full of laughter and family fun with my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren but also full of happy summer holiday memories of my own children excitedly exploring Boscastle and Tintagel when we were still a young family just starting out in life, many years ago. It was very special to revisit some of the special places we had always enjoyed, with my Grandchildren this summer.

Many waters have since flowed beneath the harbour bridge you see in the photograph above... but over more than thirty years later, I can still picture my children posing there for photos snapped on my little Olympus point 'n shoot camera, hoping to be bought an ice-cream and taken to visit the gift shops further along the path, after scrambling over rocky cliff paths. They were such happy times. It is lovely to see my son now cementing his own special childhood memories by sharing them with his wife and children. Life it seems, always comes full circle. 

• 25 AUGUST 2023

Life's a beach in Norfolk

Back home after a lovely week enjoying peaceful countryside and beautiful beaches in Norfolk. We knew we were almost home on Saturday, when we left quiet roads and lush green fields, only to arrive on a completely gridlocked M25 on the hottest day of the year so far ... now we are dreaming of a return to Norfolk as soon as possible!

Polly and Betty have had an absolute blast on the local Norfolk beaches and met a curious grey seal on beautiful Sea Palling beach. He popped up out of the sea to get a better view of the dogs and they all had a lovely time playing along the shoreline together. Thankfully my girls have excellent recall, so when the seal came up almost onto the beach, I popped them back on the lead, just to be on the safe side. It was an amazing experience and one I don't think any of us will forget in a hurry.

We were so lucky with our holiday this year. Taking two large bouncy hairy dogs on a self-catering holiday, can be tricky because so many properties don't welcome more than one little dog and never seem to actually have the fully enclosed safe gardens they claim to have, which of course are essential for dog owners. We have been frustrated by this many times over the past few years and a couple of years ago, even discovered our Betty in a nearby field of cows, up to her eyeballs in cow dung!

This year I searched even harder to find a perfect dog friendly property and hit the jackpot with 'Pack Holidays', run by lovely Gail.  Gail invited us to stay in her own fabulous and completely 'dog friendly' property and on arrival, we were bowled over by the care she had taken to ensure that our dogs were able to have a wonderful, safe, fun holiday.  Not only was the garden totally secure, huge and beautiful, there were dog blankets, beds, toys, tasty treats, a poo bin, food bowls, poo bags, great suggestions for dog walks, a vet, pet shop ... the list went on! There was also the piéce de resistance, a full 'doggy salon', complete with walk in, fully tiled, warm water showers!  Our girls were made to feel completely welcome and so were we.  I really can't recommend 'Pack Holidays' highly enough if you are looking for a genuinely dog friendly, 'home from home' style of holiday.  Gail really does set the Gold Standard for dog friendly.

It has been almost forty years since I last stayed in Norfolk (that was a very different holiday, as I was there working with an Club 18+ plus group, so saw nothing of the local surroundings but plenty of the nightlife in Great Yarmouth!) This time we fell in love with the unspoiled Norfolk coastline, quiet fields of corn, winding streams and wildlife.  We saw deer, swans, a hawk hovering over sand martin nests in the cliffs and those fabulous grey seals at Sea Palling!  The beaches were sandy and endless, so Polly and Betty had an amazing time chasing through waves and running along the shore to their hearts' content ... now they are back home again, they are very, very sleepy pups!

I loved seeing my girls on the beach and so wish we could play there together every day ...

Ah well, as lovely and relaxing as our holiday was, I guess it's time to return to my teddy bear workroom now and finish the pretty bear I left on my sewing table.  Will share soon I promise!

:-)

Wild 'n Windy in Cornwall

Just back from a late holiday in wild 'n windy Cornwall with my family.

We have walked our legs off along the West Coast of Cornwall, seen seals and sea lions, visited a castle, eaten pasties and cream teas, laughed heaps and been blown to pieces by gale force winds!

I loved the opportunity to spend quality 'away' time with my family, especially my son and daughter as work takes so much of their time in the real world.

The scenery, as always, has been spectacular, whatever the weather ...

And family laughs have been a-plenty!

Polly and Betty also had a lovely holiday with their favourite people around them and returned home very sleepy, after their week in the Cornish fresh air!

Thank you family, for making time for us to share together in Cornwall. 

It has been so much fun and I am so glad we made it happen!

Oh and Happy Anniversary to us too ... unconventional perhaps, but we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a hike to Lands End and a Cornish pasty for lunch. 

Perfect!

:-)

Business as usual

I had planned to introduce Duchesse on my blog but she sold within seconds of appearing on my website, then in the flurry of paperwork and packaging to send her on her way, I completely forgot to write my promised blog post ... sorry! She was a pretty, gentle looking teddy bear, created from lovely Schulte mohair.

20" Duchesse

After finishing Duchesse last week, I made another teddy bear from lovely Harris Tweed cloth.  I sized him down to be a bit smaller than the first Tweedy Bears, and at 17" 'Pippin' is a perfect size for cuddles. By the way, I used gorgeous autumnal shades for this bear, so he looks very cosy!

17" Pippin

Pippin is now available to adopt from my website, together with big brother 'McBlue', a very handsome 20" Tweedy Ted. I am planning to change McBlue's buttons and ribbon, as after mulling things over, I think matching grey tweed buttons and bow-tie would suit him better.

20" McBlue

I am looking forward to starting work on another Tweedy Ted this week, a special commission order for a collector. This one will be a teddy girl in pretty herringbone lilac and pink stripes,  hand woven by an independent weaver from the Isle of Lewis. It is such a joy to create teddy bears from such special cloth!

I also have a more vintage style teddy bear in the pipeline and maybe a Tiddler or two on the cards ...  or at least a couple of smallish bears; in fact, I have a head full of teddy bear waiting to bring to life at the moment!

So, it will be business as usual this summer in the All Bear workroom, then hopefully a change of pace and scenery in the Autumn, when I plan to squeeze in a ramble along Cornish cliffs and indulge myself in a spot of gazing out to sea and soaking up the view. 

Can't wait!

:-)

A family postcard from Cornwall

 So there I was, thinking we probably wouldn't manage a holiday this year and at the last minute we managed to find a spare week, invite the kids, grab the dogs and take off to beautiful Cornwall together! 

 

It has been an absolute joy to spend time with all my family in the place I always loved to visit while my kids were growing up.

And Polly 'n Betty have had a wonderful time playing on beaches, climbing cliffs and walking with all their favourite people!

My son, daughter and I have revisited old memories with great fondness whilst visiting these special places as a family and made wonderful new memories this year with my husband, Grandson, daughter-in-law and future son-in-law.

And speaking of my future son-in-law Neil, I'd like to thank him for taking care of our holiday memories by taking these beautiful photographs. I'd also like to thank my husband for making this holiday a possibility and everyone for seizing the opportunity to drive over three hundred miles to share time together under one roof as a family. It has been a very special holiday and one I will always remember with great happiness!

:-)

A slower pace of life

Devon was lush, green and beautiful ... we loved it! Our holiday home was a 250 year old Devon longhouse, renovated to provide a most welcoming family home and the garden ... oh my, that garden! It wrapped around the house with sheep and cows greeting us over the fence each day. Polly and Betty had so much fun out there!

After behaving perfectly in the car throughout the long drive to Devon (six hours on the rear seat with brief pit-stops to stretch their legs) my accommodating pair made themselves right at home as soon as we arrived. From then on, we all had heaps of fun together, playing games, visiting beautiful beaches and making the most of the wide open spaces whilst generally making the most of a slower pace of life.

Betty visited her very first beach on holiday and after a moment of wide eyed wonderment, dipped her paw in the sea and was soon rock pooling excitedly with Polly. I was delighted after three solid years of dog obedience training, to be able to allow my girls to run free on the dog friendly beaches, safe in the knowledge they would return at the beep of a whistle. They were so well exercised and entertained each day, they slept peacefully in our holiday home, from the very first night.

After our much needed break, it's back to real life and of course, back to work on my bears. Devon in June was a perfect relaxing break for us but now I'm refreshed and raring to get started on the mohair again!

:-)

Here comes Summer!

Polly and Betty are enjoying their Summer walks, bouncing through as much long grass as they can find and generally making the most of outdoors now the warmer, drier (yay!) weather has at last arrived.  Betty's obedience training is coming along well and her tendency to pull is on the decline (hallelujah!) She's loving her 'Real Life' training classes (as is Polly) and I must admit to a sneaking pride whenever I take her out and about, because she is so eager to show off how well behaved she can be (as you can imagine, this is owner heaven)!  Just in case I am in danger of sounding a little too pleased with myself though, you may be delighted to hear my clever little girl has recently also learnt how to roll in fox poo .... urgh!

As for big sis Polly, she's now three and a half and has settled beautifully.  For a while last year, she went through a phase of being a bit grumpy with other dogs if she was lead walking with little sis (I think she thought she needed to guard me and Betty) but with plenty of consistent training around other lots of different dogs (our Real Life training classes have been a terrific help in this respect) she's much improved and now able to say hello to oncoming dogs in a calm and friendly manner again. She's also much calmer with other dogs generally when she plays off lead now. I can't recommend consistent, targeted training highly enough, as it really can pay dividends when you stick with it and make an effort to look at life through your dog's eyes.

We'll be heading off to Devon for a holiday with our girls this Summer to explore some sandy beaches, green fields, leafy lanes, woodland pathways, maybe an ancient castle or two and of course, a few of those yummy Devonshire cream teas ... can't wait!

May Bank Holiday

A lovely way to pass May Bank Holiday Monday, a walk in Mote Park with the girls ...

With Spring leaves and blossom everywhere, the park is especially beautiful at the moment. Polly and Betty had a great time running around, playing games, meeting other dogs and sticking their doggy noses into rabbit holes. By some small miracle we actually managed to keep the pair of them relatively clean and dry too ... but best of all, after so much fun they are now very, very, sleepy, so I think we're in for a peaceful evening. Yay!

Time now for a roastie and a glass of something chilled and white.

Happy Bank Holiday everyone!

:-)

A Spring break, then back to work..

Sorry my blog has been so quiet, but I've been enjoying a busy 'holiday-at-home' week while Stuart waits to start his new job.  Rather than holiday away, we decided to take long walks with Polly and between walks, finish redecorating the room that was my daughter's bedroom before she flew the nest a couple of months ago.

I can't lay claim to the decorating itself, Stuart makes a far better job of painting and wallpapering than I do, but I did enjoy blowing the budget to choose all the bits and pieces!

Hucking Woods

Leybourne Lakes

Riverside Country Park

We've been on some super walks with Polly each day; Spring has definitely sprung here in Kent with bluebells and baby lambs everywhere and the countryside as pretty as a picture! It's a beautiful time of year to don a pair of walking shoes and go exploring. 

My son Anthony, with his son Toby

And this year, my little Grandson came too - it was such a joy to share his excitement at being outdoors with us!  I am certain Toby will love walks every bit as much as his daddy always did when he was growing up.

Rainy visit to Emmetts Garden!

One of my favourite visits last week was to Emmetts Garden a National Trust property near Sevenoaks.  It was a rainy day, but that didn't dampen our enthusiasm, the garden was an absolute gem!  These rather whimsical tulips looked as though they had been transplanted straight from Alice in Wonderland ...

And the azeleas and rhododendrons were magnificent too!

Best of all though, were the bluebell woods, thickly carpeted with the most magical display of bluebells I have ever seen ...

There are some superb walks from Emmetts Garden, which are perfect if you are visiting with your dog.  We hopped onto a trail through the woods and needless to say, Stuart opted for the red route, the steepest of the circular walks.  It was worth the effort though, because the views across the Kent countryside were fabulous and after being on her best behaviour in the formal gardens, Polly loved being able to race through the woodland.

All in all, it has been a very busy week, but lots of fun!

So now Stuart has started his new job, I'm back in my workroom to finish the large alpaca bear I started a couple of weeks ago and Polly 's explorations will be restricted to local walks until the weekend.  Holidays never last quite long enough do they?  Ah well, such is life!

Back to bears: as soon as I've organised myself back into my workroom swivel chair, I will share some work-in-progress pics with you; that's a promise!

:-)