Knit one, sneeze one ...

Despite the beautiful sunshine outdoors, today I've been zapped by a sore throat and cold, so I'm curled in my armchair with my knitting needles, molly coddlin' myself.

Hopefully I'll have the back of this frock knitted by tea-time and will then be able to set this little girl bear aside while I work on a few of her friends and complete the 'Teddy Bear Hollow' shop order I promised a while ago. Despite my tardiness with orders this year, lovely Julie the shop owner is still eager to have my bears in her shop and has been kind enough to wait with all the patience of a saint, for my bears to arrive at her store.  

Thank you so much Julie!

Polly's Progress

As blogging is one of my favourite things to do and as Polly's updates on my 'Bearing All' blog have started to dominate the content, I have decided to write a brand new blog, especially for Polly!  This way, not only do I get to share more of her photos and exploits, I can also chart our achievements and frustrations, which as time goes by should hopefully help me with Polly's training.  

So, if you have enjoyed my Polly posts and would like to follow her progress, please bookmark our new blog 'Polly's Progress' ... we hope you enjoy the read!

http://www.pollyandpaula.blogspot.co.uk/

A moment to reflect ..

Anyone who ever lost someone close in unexpected circumstances, will no doubt recognise the pattern of raw emotion ... shock, disbelief, anger, deep sadness, but ultimately and eventually, quiet acceptance.  After three years it seems to me, extreme loss never leaves us, rather it fulfills a purpose to teach the truth of life and help us to evolve beyond the constriction of pain.

So today isn't a day for dwelling on loss. 

For anyone going through what I went through three years ago, I would rather offer hope ... you will learn to cope, you will evolve and you will know joy again, but please be gentle with yourself, healing takes time.

Remembering my Dad today.

xxx

A year on ...

A year ago today, Stuart and I were married!  

Our first year as an official 'Mr & Mrs' has flown past and it really doesn't seem possible twelve months have slipped by since we gathered with family and friends to share our vows and exchange rings.

Mr and Mrs ... a year ago today!

We celebrated on Saturday evening with a fabulous candlelit slap up meal in a cosy corner of  The Black Horse in Thurnham, a beautiful 18th century country inn which serves the most delicious food.  Usually I would choose a glass of dry white wine to accompany a special meal, but was so delighted when I saw 'Curious Brew' from Chapel Down Vineyard on the drinks list, that I ordered that instead ... we served 'Curious Brew' to our guests on our wedding day in memory of my Dad, so naturally I wanted to raise a glass to him on our first wedding anniversary.

'Pearl' by Yvonne Andrew of Bebbin Bears

As a very special momento of our first year together, Stuart bought us the most beautiful bear called 'Pearl' from last weekend's show in London.  I wore pearls on our wedding day, so this bear is absolutely the most perfect teddy choice to mark our first anniversary as husband and wife.  She was created my friend Yvonne Andrew (Bebbin Bears) who is one of the most lovely teddy bear ladies.  Pearl now sits daintily on our mantelpiece and we couldn't be more delighted with her!

Mr & Mrs ... taken by my daughter, a few weeks ago.

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that ... just as I was about to finish writing this post the doorbell rang, so up I jumped and there on my doorstep was a delivery of the most gorgeous orange flowers (the colour of our wedding flowers!) sent with love from my daughter ... thank you so much Fay, that was such a lovely, thoughtful surprise!!!!

So here we are a year on as 'Mr and Mrs' ... we laugh together, grump together, love together ... and most importantly, are together!

Happy First Anniversary Husband, 

Still making my world turn,

With all my love to you always.

Here's to our second anniversary! 

xxx

A touch of Autumn

The nights are drawing in, sparkling dew covers the grass and spiders are busy spinning intricate webs across my roses; yes, Autumn is definitely creeping into my garden.  It won't long before our beautiful English countryside flames with orange, red, plum and gorgeous golds and we all start wearing woolly pullys and thick socks again ... I love this time of year, everything feels so cosy!

Yesterday I worked on giving my website an Autumnal makeover.  It took a good few hours to change all the backgrounds and tweak everything, but I think it was worth the effort. 

I do hope the new look gives you a flavour of Autumn in England and makes you feel snuggly and warm when you visit!

www.allbear.co.uk

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!

In the nick of time!

I must admit, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever be ready for the 'Teddies 2013' show tomorrow, but thankfully the bears are now ready, even if I am not!

My studio is still cluttering the living room floor, but no matter, I'll get to that in a moment, first let's enjoy a few Autumnal show bear photographs, at what is almost the 'eleventh hour'!

20" Harvey

13" Ha'penny

18" Buster (pre-ordered for collection on show day)

20" Harley

12" Huey

22" Horace

I will also have my sweet little ellie 'Butterfly' and her teddy friend 'Meadow' joining us, together with a Prim Dolly Doodle Witchypoo and two fun sock monkeys my daughter kindly made for my table; so hopefully, there should be plenty to keep show visitors entertained.  All that remains is for me to organise pricing, hangtags, stand paraphernalia, walking the dog and a good night's sleep ... mind you, by the time I've finished the four tasks on the list, the fourth might be a bit ambitious ... 

So I will most likely be the bleary eyed bear maker on table 75, in Hall 2, if you happen to be passing!  Hope to see you there and I promise to try not to yawn :o)

For full show details, please visit:

www.hugglets.co.uk

Polly's Progress

Polly and I are touched to have received such keen interest and support from both blog and Facebook friends, so have decided to share tales of our progress here with you on a separate blog called 'Polly's Progress' ... http://pollyandpaula.blogspot.co.uk/

Here are the most recent entries, I hope you enjoy the read.

Paula and Polly (aged 6 months)

August 2013

It was our third visit to dog training school today, but I freely confess, the drive out to the field is still more of a white knuckle ride than a delight.  Each time I pray fervently for no oncoming traffic so my little red Corsa can tackle those flint stewn lanes without being forced into the dreaded 'long winding reverse'!

Thankfully Polly has taken to the car like the proverbial duck to water, hopping onto the back seat without a moment's hesitation. She settles comfortably on the back seat (wearing her 'Klick Safe' car harness) with her soft black nose resting between the front seats and every so often she gives me an encouraging lick on my left arm as we drive along.

Taking part in a formal class is proving to be a very different ball game from practicing Polly's obedience skills in our back garden, or on our local daily walks.  Skills she performs easily at home, seem to disappear as if by magic when she goes to school.  Despite her initial dislike of lead walking (picture every conceivable trick in the 'Naughty Puppy Handbook' and believe me, Polly mastered them all ... her favourite, to plonk herself belly down on the ground, flatly refusing to budge!) and since Kevin (instructor) visited us at home to set me straight with some sound puppy walking/training advice, walking with my cheeky girl has become far more of a pleasure.  We've progressed from willful lead hanging and twirling, flopping to the ground and chasing cars, to earning treats by walking like a young lady at mum's side ... maybe not yet perfect, but definitely much improved and thankfully, more controlled.

Or at least, so I thought until today ...

It's the holiday season so classes are subject to change and today, Polly was tacked onto a big boys' class. Unfortunately one sniff of those testosterone fueled fellas had her all in a flutter, abandoning any modicum of doggy decorum.  To be fair to Polly, she did reasonably well with 'sits', 'downs' and 'stays' when asked, but as for 'heeling' on the lead, there wasn't a hope with a handsome bruiser strutting his stuff to her right.

I must admit, today's session was less than pleasurable for me, not least because as a 'newbie' I am still trying to grasp what is expected, also Polly hasn't yet settled into her exciting new surroundings, which makes working with her quite physically demanding (and me feel every creak of my fifty years, lol!) ... but no matter, we muddled through the hour and half required and in terms of progress, I am happy to report Polly redeemed herself with an enthusiastic attempt at running through the agility tunnels which spooked her last time ... she also executed a reasonably solid 'down stay' at the end of class, which was a great improvement on our last session.  Good girl Polly!

As for me: tired, disheveled, sweaty (sunny day!) and feeling fairly inadequate in the face of far more accomplished classmates, just about sums it up!  All in all, 'could do better,' is probably a fair assessment of my training skills at this point ...

Hopefully this old dog will soon learn a few new tricks!

xxx

DECISION TIME
September 2013

Making the decision to have our beautiful Polly spayed, wasn't taken lightly.  I researched thoroughly, discussed the matter with our vet of many years and quite simply, agonised.  The arguments on both sides of the spay equation were compelling, but the medical benefits were sufficiently significant to convince me it would be in Polly's best long-term interests to be spayed ... and as I have no intention of breeding or showing her, my primary concern will always be to keep her happy and safe.

I had several sleepless nights as the date for Polly's operation approached and to be honest, felt as though I was abandoning her as I gave up her lead to the vet and walked away.  Then I waited nervously for half past twelve to hurry up, so I could ring the surgery receptionist to ask how Polly was.  As it turned out, my anxiety was needless, Polly had sailed through surgery and would be ready to collect in a couple of hours.

Naturally my lovely bouncy girl was a little dozy and confused straight after her general anaesthetic, but by tea time had perked up considerably and even managed to eat scrambled eggs for her tea.  I must admit, I expected her recovery to be far slower, but she has shown no obvious sign of pain, had no 'accidents' with toileting and if she didn't have a little scar on her tummy, it would be impossible to know she'd ever even had surgery!  

Polly is delighted to be home and as you can see from the photograph of her playing with her Kong feeder, taken a couple of days after her operation, is completely back to her usual playful, cheeky self!

Bunny out of the bag!!!

The cat is out of the bag (Or the rabbit in my case lol!) and I can now let you into a little secret ... 

'Clover' has been honoured with a 2013 'Excellence in Bear Artistry' award!!!!!!

Whooooo!!!!

'Clover'  has won a 2013 Excellence in Bear Artistry Award!

I couldn't be more thrilled as this is my first ever rabbit entry into a professional bear crafting competition and being honoured in this way by a panel of expert judges is a huge compliment!

Now the professional judges have cast their votes, the winning entries are entered into a public choice category so that you, the collectors, can also have your say ... so please pop over to the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' website to study the winners carefully and cast a vote for your favourite creations ... thank you!

EXCELLENCE IN BEAR ARTISTRY AWARDS PUBLIC CHOICE: VOTE NOW!

How many?!!!!

Wow, I have just noticed my blog has recently racked

 up over quarter of a million hits!!!!

Writing my blog helps keep me sane, so huge thanks

to you all for visiting regularly to read my 

ramblings ... 

I can't tell you how delighted I am!!!

Something old may turn to grey ...

Once Upon a Time, in another life more than thirty years ago, I knew a lad with his head in the clouds and his feet firmly on the ground.  He was a streetwise, ballsy Glaswegian rock singer, with big dreams and an even bigger heart. I was a shy, wet-behind-the-ears-fresh-out-of-school teenager, working in my first job for his management company in London. 

Owen Paul

Life was a roller coaster back then, far from conventional for either of us, so friendship cemented fast as we battled the elements of our young lives.  Then one day the wind changed direction and as is the way of life, blew me one way and him another... 

So, fast forward to Saturday night, Maidstone, in the here and now ... I was invited by Owen to hear him sing at a local venue.  My sister's family, my daughter Fay, Stuart and I, gathered to share an evening of music memories, friendship and laughter and I couldn't help but chuckle when my old friend sat at the microphone with his guitar, grinned and murmured 'hello Paula,'  as if thirty years was only thirty days ago!

Well, Mr McGee, isn't time a strange thing?! When I was a mere slip of an eighteen year old, I believed thirty years would take forever to pass, but apparently it slips by in the blink of an eye after all ... who knew eh?!

And in your own words ...

SOMETHING OLD MAY TURN TO GREY

BUT MEETING YOU

REMAINS A GOLDEN DAY

If you would like to know more about Owen's music, please visit his website below:

http://www.owenpaulmcgee.com/

The Final Countdown!

I am so looking forward to my big day out in London on the 8th September but thanks to my gorgeous Polly pup, am way adrift with my prep this year.  In fact, to-date I have only one new bear sat on my bookcase waiting for 'Teddies 2013', which is definitely not enough for this prestigious show ... eeeks!  

My one lonesome bear doesn't have a name yet, but I hope you'll agree he is a fine lookin' fella.  As I have so little time to prepare left, my plan is to do what I think I do best and stick with big 'uns - that way, hopefully I should stand half a chance of drawing some attention to my stand ... eight or nine big 'uns will make far more of an impact than a similar number of Tiddler bears, that's for sure!

If you would like to come to the Teddies 2013 show in Kensington Town Hall on the 8th September, please visit the organiser's website below for full details.  It's always a fabulous day out for teddy bear enthusiasts as there are 1000's of stunning artist designed bears, vintage teddies and bearaphenalia for sale on the day.  It's a true teddy treasure trove, very friendly and above all, fun, fun, fun!!!

Hugglets Teddy Bear Festivals

I will be exhibiting in Hall 2 on stand 75, so do stop by to meet me and my latest big 'uns if you can, we'd love to say hello in person and hugs are of course, always free!

Bridging the Gap

The past few weeks caught up with me at the weekend.  Dancing, tippling (just a little in the spirit of  family celebration you understand!) dog walking, training and playing with Polly, curry nighting with my kids and working towards my show ... (all in all, just real life I suppose) had me yawning my way through Saturday and Sunday.  Stuart was no better either! There's no doubt we are much in need of a holiday to recharge our not-quite-as-young-as-they-once-were batteries.

 

 

Once the usual weekend chores (big yawn) were dealt with, we scraped ourselves together for a gentle stroll round Leybourne Lakes on Sunday afternoon, but in truth it was more of a trudge in the sunshine.  There was no Polly to keep us moving briskly this time, as she was enjoying a walk in Mote Park with my daughter and her boyfriend.  So it was just me 'n him, toddling along, on our tod.

 

 

Still, besides the fresh air and an orange ice lolly, our half-hearted outing did at least provide me with an opportunity to play with my new camera which was useful because it's a Panasonic Lumix FZ200 and I am somewhat bamboozled by it after my loyal Canon years!  I have been frustrated of late by my little pocket sized Canon Ixus 210, which is great for quick snaps outdoors but not so good when I want to take indoor shots in low light.  My Canon DSLR is brilliant for photographing just about everything, but fairly bulky and heavy with 600mm zoom lens attached, so less than ideal for carting around on walks.  So I developed a yearning for a 'bridge camera', something capable of offering a decent integral zoom lens and extra functionality to bridge the gap between my little point 'n shoot and my posh DSLR.

 

 

And I'm sure when I've learned how to use it properly, that's exactly what my Lumix FZ200 will do for me!  It's quite a bit bigger than the Canon Ixus, but not heavy and still much smaller than my DSLR.  I'm finding my way round all the automatic settings at the moment, but as you can see, it takes lovely crisp pictures.  It has a really good 600mm zoom, so I don't feel as though I'm missing anything by not taking my bigger camera out and about with me.  I won't be using it for my studio shots as I certainly don't want to retire my lovely Canon 450D, but I will definitely be taking it on holiday to Cornwall later this year ... can't wait to get out on those beautiful Cornish cliff paths with it!!!

Polly's first Summer

Summer has been glorious here in Kent this year, so Polly has been enjoying walks in our local country parks ...

Last weekend we visited 'White Horse Wood Country Park' and 'Bluebell Hill Viewpoint' and had a lovely ramble across the North Down's way.

 

The fields had been threshed ready for harvesting and were gloriously golden.  There's a definite hint of Autumn creeping into our landscape and Polly has had so much fun in the late Summer sunshine bouncing around the great outdoors!

 

 

She's bounced her way through long grass and woodlands too, chased butterflies and even watched hang gliders take off into the clouds ... (mind you, she really wasn't sure quite what to make of those, so decided barking would solve the confusing problem of flying people!)

 

We have had some fabulous walks with our Polly and have thoroughly enjoyed watching her explore her new world in this, her first Summer.

 

Polly is maturing into a beautiful girl; she's bouncy, affectionate, loyal and clever ... and now I wonder how I ever managed without her!

 

Here's to many more country walks with Polly this year - not only has she become an important member of our family in the four months she's been with us, she also fills my days with fun and has made sure Stuart and I enter our fifties in far better shape!

I wish you enough ...

The sun shone as we gathered at St Peter and St Paul's church in Aylesford last Thursday, eagerly awaiting my niece Leah's marriage to her handsome fiance Gary. As she stepped into the church on her father's arm, she looked absolutely radiant in her beaded gown and I couldn't help but wonder if someone had waved a magic wand during the night, turning my pretty little niece into such a beautiful woman ...

Celebrating this lovely young couple's union and commitment with my family and seeing the pride in my sister Fiona's eyes as her daughter confidently shared her happiness and love for her new husband, was a true privilege and very, very, special to me.

Leah and Gary, 

I wish you enough kindness for a long and happy life together.

There's no doubt, you two were made for each other.

With much love from,

Your very proud 

Auntie Paula xxx

I am happy to say Leah's childhood dream of becoming a beautiful princess on her wedding day came true for her ... check out this picture of her, aged about three, playing with her 'Barbie bride' in my living room!

Dainty Bess

Here in the UK, it is high Summer and for me, that means roses! I love rose blooms, so my creation for the Guild's 'Around the world in four seasons' challenge is a typical 'English Rose'.  She represents a rose bloom named 'Dainty Bess', a lovely old fashioned shrub rose described as, 'An unusual old shrub rose  ... one of the loveliest roses ever bred'.

17" Dainty Bess

I am happy to say, Dainty Bess was snapped up very quickly by an eager collector in America and will be winging her way across the Atlantic to join her new hug next week!

You can take a dog to water ..

There's definitely a pattern emerging with our Polly ... show her water and she can't help but immerse herself!

It began in early June with her first tentative paw dip when she visited Leybourne Lakes Country Park with my daughter and her boyfriend.

A couple of weeks later, inspired by a large chocolate labrador, she suddenly leapt into the River at Teston Bridge Country Park and managed her first ever official swim!

On our visit to Shorne Country Park earlier this month, Polly couldn't resist a splash in the 'dog pond' ...

Turning herself from a pretty cream and gold pup, into a stinky, swampy mudwump!

Then after quite literally dragging us onto the green slimey beach at Riverside Country Park this weekend, she dug in and absolutely refused to budge when we tried to move her away from the water!

We eventually managed to convince her the path was where we needed to be, but as you can see, our fledgling swimmer made her disapproval very clear!

We took pongy Polly to Mote Park yesterday afternoon and she tugged forcefully towards the lake as she circled it with us. When we reached a shallow outlet, we  finally allowed her some muddy fun in the water, after which she squelched and oozed her way cheerfully back to my poor little car, feeling very pleased with herself.  Needless to say, all windows were wound down for the journey home ... phwoar, stinky dog!!!! 

Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera to the park yesterday, so no more mudwump pics to share - instead, here is my beautiful clean fragrant Polly, fresh as a daisy after her much needed bath!

Polly says our local country parks are great fun for dogs, so if you are visiting Kent with your furry friend, don't forget to bring their water wings!

Hip hip hooray!

It's time for me to get back into full-on bear gear ... the all-important Hugglets 'Teddies 2013' show in September is creeping onto my horizon and I have customers' orders to finish before I can start work on my Autumn crop.  Word to the wise for any bear maker planning to adopt a puppy, they sure do knock a hole in your production!  

19" Melba

Thankfully, Julie the owner of 'Teddy Bear Hollow' in Loughborough, has been very understanding, waiting patiently for her shop exclusive bears since the Spring.  I am so grateful to Julie for her patience and relieved to have at last completed two large bears who will arrive in store tomorrow ... (now to finish work on Julie's remaining four smaller bears!) 

17" Georgie

After almost twenty years of bear making, it is sometimes tricky to conjure up names for bears, but I hope you'll agree, 'Melba' suits her pretty peach mohair and as Prince George of Cambridge, a future King of England, was born yesterday, I have called my other bear 'Georgie' in celebration of this happy event! 

Congratulations to Wills and Kate.  

May our new Prince have a safe and happy future.  

Hip hip, hooray!!!