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.

:-)

From Teston to Tovil

What better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon, than to take a long hike along the river ...

We recently heard that the towpath from Teston to Tovil has now been made accessible for walkers, so last weekend, after parking in Teston Country Park, we headed along the river towards Barming Bridge, with Polly and Betty trotting eagerly along beside us. They love exploring new walks!

Although not far from where we live, I had never seen Barming Bridge before, so couldn't resist crossing to see where it led and just other other side, found a very friendly golden retriever waiting to say hello to my two!  Originally a picturesque wooden construction, also known as 'Kettle Bridge', Barming Bridge was replaced with a steel structure in 1996 - apparently the wooden bridge wasn't too reliable and had been the site of an accident in 1914 when a 10 ton traction engine fell through the bridge into the river below.  Oops!

We meandered towards East Farleigh, enjoying the peace and taking care not to trip over huge fishing rods staggered along the pathway. The local fishermen have some serious equipment as it seems the fish are jumpin' along this particular stretch of the riverbank!

As we neared East Farleigh, we saw barges and river folk relaxing by the water ... my girls couldn't quite believe their doggy eyes to see dogs in life jackets sailing down the middle of the river!

We've driven over 14th Century Farleigh Bridge many times, but have never walked beneath its arches to the Lock the other side, so it was lovely to see this beautiful Kentish ragstone bridge from a fresh perspective.

We continued to walk along the river until we reached the outskirts of Tovil, where the land along the river was divided into little pockets of fenced green space. It was interesting to see discreet areas of landscaping activity at intermittent spots in this overgrown area as owners attempted to reclaim the land from Mother Nature's tangled claim. As we neared Tovil and the path became busier with cyclists and walkers, we turned back towards East Farleigh to retrace the towpath back towards Teston and our car ... in eager anticipation of an ice-cream van!

We passed through a field of long horned Highland Cattle on our return. Those big beasties looked magnificent but I swear I saw a glint in one fellow's eye as he and Polly caught sight of each another - I thanked heavens my girls were both safely on their leads in that field, gulp!

It was sad to see poor ol' Teston Bridge scaffolded and firmly closed to all traffic and boats after recently being hit by a drunk driver. Hopefully this fabulous medieval bridge will be safely back in action in the not too distant future and the drunk driver will have learned a serious life lesson.

Eight and a half kilometres after first setting out on our river walk, we located our ice-cream and a bench upon which to rest our weary legs while we indulged. The park, a popular spot with families on sunny days, was filled with the mouth watering aroma of barbecued sausages, as children played happily on the field with balls and bats; needless to say, as much as they would have preferred to explore, my tired girlies stayed on their leads and settled on the grass for a well earned rest. After all, even weary goldies can't be completely trusted when there's barbecued sausage in the air!

:-)

A gentle pace

I was excited to receive the mohair for my latest teddy bear, a beautiful dense German Schulte fur, perfect for an Autumnal teddy. It took quite a while to arrive from my supplier in America, but that wait allowed me time to enjoy the Summer and indulge in family and 'Paula time' ... something I find more and more important as years slip by. So, by the time my mohair finally touched down in the UK, there was a hint of Autumn in the morning air and I felt content, ready to settle to the very pleasant business of considering the first of this year's Autumn designs.

And here he is in all his honey coloured glory, my first Autumn 2017 teddy bear; a lovely fellow created at a gentle pace, in my own sweet time ... which is just the way I like to work!

Woody is now available for adoption from my website. Please click the link below if you would like to know more about him ... thank you!

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Young Rodders

Young 'free to a good home' Rodders is maturing into such a handsome fellow and he is a sweetheart too.

That said, he is every bit as mischievous as he looks and after several failed attempts, perfected his leap onto my kitchen counter tops this week ... needless to say, nothing is safe from his catty curiosity now, including my knitting needles and yarn!

:-)

Autumn around the corner

You may have noticed I have been a little quiet on the teddy bear front  throughout our lovely Summer months, but with Autumn on the near horizon, I am happy to say, my urge to create teddy bears has begun to kick back in.

This week, I started work on a beautiful big teddy bear and after I have walked Polly and Betty along the riverside in the late Summer sunshine this afternoon, plan to hunt out my trusty bamboo needles to finish a snuggly scarf for him to wear ... which is the other great thing about Autumn being just around the corner, it's the perfect season for some knitting!

:-)

Mermaid Magic

I always think there is something quite magical about Cornwall, especially the dramatic coastline and beautiful seascapes.

Not only have I been walking in Cornwall with my family this Summer, I also squeezed in a little 'Paula playtime' with paints and ink pens. Lo and behold a little mermaid appeared from nowhere ... I can only assume that wonderful Cornish scenery worked some magic on my paintbrushes!

:-)

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!

:-)

Adventuring

I have never have had a head for heights, regrettably failing to inherent my mother's daredevil gene ... (she has bungee'd, white water rafted, abseiled and even done that 'dangle from a parachute' thing. Her most recent madness being a crazy-scary face down plunge from a mountaintop in Wales, along a mile long zip wire ... at the age of 75!)

Despite being a complete wuss and having a long way to go to match my mother's adventuresome spirit, I will try my hand at almost anything if it puts a smiles on my grandson's face and this week, was by far the oldest participant in our local 'Jungle Gym', as my intrepid adventurer scaled rope bridges, urging me to 'up here Nana'!  It was hot, it was slippery and by gum it was exhausting, but we had an absolute blast together!

:-)

A little Schulte luxury

If I had to choose, from all the mohair I have had the privilege of creating teddy bears from over the years, this one by the world renowned Schulte Company would have to be my all time favourite as it's silky, curly, luscious and put simply, pure luxury.

15" 'Tiffany Rose'

Tiffany Rose is my latest teddy bear. I finished her today and stitched her ears on this evening. I think she's an absolute stunner and am hoping there is someone special waiting in the wings to adopt this pretty teddy girl!

If you would like further details, please visit Tiffany Rose on my website. 

Thank you!

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Update: Tiffany Rose has been adopted!

Cut from the same cloth

Oops, 'Lolly' was adopted so quickly I was caught up in a flurry of parcel tape and completely forgot to share her here on my blog, so I'd better set that straight today.

18" 'Lolly'

 After making exclusively hairy bears so far this year, I recently experienced a creative urge to work with a fabric other than mohair. I remembered some beautiful pure wool, English Harris Tweed I'd purchased and tucked away in my cupboard a couple of months ago, so I hunted it out and hey presto, 'Lolly' was born!

I love these bright pink 'n purple tweeds, so much more cheerful than the dreary brown tweeds my old school maths teacher used to wear as he raised his eyes heavenwards whilst trying to explain mathematical processes to this less than interested teenager.

Unlike my maths lessons, Lolly was fun to work on! I used bear making and doll making techniques, so she's part dolly and part teddy bear; what you might call a 'dolly bear' I suppose.

I really enjoyed using cloth and have more of the Harris Tweed in lovely autumnal shades, so please watch this space for future teddy developments, if this style of hairless teddy bear appeals as much to you as it did to Lolly's new owner in the USA!

:-)

Ripening plums

Rodney found his climbing legs this week and his favourite lookout is now perched high in our plum tree.

At five months of age, this cheeky kitten has us enchanted. He is such a sweetheart and even has my dogs wrapped around his needle sharp little paws.

He wakes me politely each morning by walking along my back and settling between my shoulders, purring loudly ... and if that doesn't work, puts his nose  softly to mine until I open my eyes and say good morning!

It won't be much longer before young Rodders wants to explore further than the safety of our back garden; cats are such curious creatures after all. It always makes me nervous when first they take off into the Big Wide World beyond the garden fence! I will be taking him to visit the vet for removal of his own ripening plums (!) in a few week's time ... hopefully that will keep his wanderlust in check and ensure we don't have a neighbourhood of 'mini Rodneys' arriving beyond our fence in a few months' time!

Stay safe Rodney x

:-)

In an English country garden

I finished this lovely pale pink traditional teddy bear yesterday and while I was running through potential names in my head, kept being drawn towards cottage garden flowers as cottage gardens are always packed full of the prettiest flowers! One of my favourites is the hollyhock ... I love how tall and elegant they are!  So, I've named my teddy 'Hollyhock'. I think it is the perfect name, I hope you do too!

17" Hollyhock

Hollyhock is now available to adopt. 

For full details, please feel free to pop over to visit my website, thank you!

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Update: Hollyhock has been adopted!

A pencil 'n paint day

Another hot summer's day today and oh boy am I wilting! It has been a day to play, rather than a day to attempt sewing teddy bears with sweaty hands - shudder!

So, I set myself up with paints 'n pencils and had a lovely relaxing time, sketching and sploshing purple paint around.  By the time the heat of the day had eased slightly, a pretty lady had appeared on my paper and I felt sufficiently inspired to head up to my workroom to start work on a new teddy bear dancing in my head ... definitely a good day for creativity! 

(By the way, to give you a tiny hint, I think the pinks 'n purples of my paint palette may have inspired my inner teddy bear designer today!)

;-)

Stars 'n stripes

I am delighted to report that 'Star', born yesterday on the 4th of July, was snapped up within moments of appearing on my website this afternoon and will soon be residing in the Good ol' US of A. How perfect!

Wishing all my American friends a very happy Independence Day.  

I hope you enjoyed your special celebration!

:-)

The great spin cycle of life

Friday, so soon? I'm not quite sure where my week disappeared to ... I had hoped to share a lovely new white teddy bear today, but he's not quite ready to make an appearance after a week filled with hiccups, not least of which was my mobile 'phone giving up the ghost. How did we ever manage without those annoying little gadgets I wonder? I swear my 'phone ownership was jinxed this year when, after buying a brand new shiny one a couple of months ago, I accidentally loaded it into the washing machine with some towels. Sadly it didn't live to tell the tale after the  800 rpm spin cycle! I went back to using my trusty old mobile but now that too has decided enough is enough, so now I have had to order another new 'phone and I am still waiting to be connected. Yawn! What a palaver modern life can be! I'm sure it was much simpler in days of yore before everyone's ears were glued to these wretched communication devices but as you will no doubt agree, if we can't live with 'em, we sure as hell can't live without 'em nowadays!

Anyway, in 'other news', young Rodney is now a cheeky four months old and has settled beautifully into family life. In fact he is a wonderfully sweet natured fellow, full of fun and very cuddlesome. He wakes me every morning by hopping up onto my bed and snuggling ... it's not a bad way to start a day let me tell you!

So, given that it is Friday afternoon and I have no teddy bear pics to share today (tut!) here are a couple of very recent Rodney snaps instead. I hope they make you smile and help ease away the strains of the past week.

Wishing you all a very happy, relaxed and stress free weekend!

:-)

The things of no moment

What a beautiful month June has been!

This is a photograph of one of my favourite places to take Polly and Betty for a good run. It's a huge field, covered with wonderful grasses and meadow flowers throughout the summer months.

My girls are so happy when they visit the field and watching them bound through the long grass is an absolute joy.

Sadly though, this is yet another local field under threat of development. It really is heartbreaking to think that such a beautiful area will probably become yet another housing development, as so many others recently have.

It makes me very sad to see our local green spaces destroyed forever in the name of progress. I wonder how losing so much of our natural environment can possibly be progress?

:-(

 Some wise words for our town planners to mull over ...

How does the Meadow flower

its bloom unfold? Because the

lovely little flower is free

down to its root, and in that

freedom bold.

                                                                                  by William Wordsworth

xxx

The great events of life often leave one

unmoved; they pass out of consciousness, and,

when thinks of them, become unreal. Even the

scarlet flowers of passion seem to grow in the

same meadow as the poppies of oblivion. We

reject the burden of their memory, and have 

anodynes against them. But the little things,

the things of no moment, remain with us. In

some tiny ivory cell the brain stores the most 

delicate, and the most fleeting impressions.

                                                                   by Oscar Wilde

Lavender's Blue

The lavender is spectacular at the moment and happily, I just happened to have the perfect shade of mohair for a lavender inspired teddy girl.

Dilly has been adopted

I am delighted to tell you, Dilly will be winging her way to live in the good ol' USA next week.

Lavender's Blue

Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly
Lavender's green
When l am King, dilly, dilly
You shall be Queen!

Call up your men, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly, dilly
And some to the pond.

Some to make hay, dilly, dilly
Some to cut corn
While you and I, dilly, dilly
Keep ourselves warm.

I have happy memories of singing the nursery rhyme 'Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly' as a young child at school but had no idea until researching this morning, that the earliest version originated as far back as the 17th Century and was then considered quite a saucy song! 
We live and learn eh?!

;-)

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!

:-)

My Father's Day Wish

Dear Dad,  

I know you won't mind one bit, if in your absence, I pass my Father's Day wish to your Grandson this year ...

Happy Father's Day Anthony! 

I watched as you and Toby laughed together yesterday, I watched too, as your son was so excited to share his discovery of snails in the shed, with you, his Daddy. I watched when you ran to scoop him into your arms as he fell on our walk to the ice-cream shop and when you carried him and his bicycle, in this flaming June heat, until he was happy to try independence again. Later I watched as you helped him at the dinner table and as you took him for a quiet chat when he needed a little help to remember his manners. I saw you keep your cool when his inner naughty two year old bubbled up and I saw how my grandson listens to you with the love and respect a toddler only ever grants someone he truly trusts. I watched the two of you together and couldn't help but think what a great daddy you have become. 

Toby is one lucky little munchkin to have you (and his very special mummy) guiding him and loving him. 

Happy Father's Day Son.

You make me so very proud.

xxx