What have I been up to the past 7 weeks?? Well......

Well, what a very long time since I wrote anything. I have been very busy having shingles and being really unwell. However I am feeling a lot stronger now, and life has been quite full still with no regard for my illness!!

Just this week for example, on Monday I had a lovely lunch out with Keith and a wander through St James' Park afterwards which was a treat.

Then on Tuesday, I had a little mission (for my best friend who lives in SA) to go to the Radley shop in London (WHAT a hardship!!) to get a handbag in the sale for her, and it would have been rude to not buy myself a lovely purse while I was there >:-))

We took in the Liz Earle shop too and stocked up as I just love her stuff and then my friend (who had also succumbed to a number of new handbags in the sale) treated me to a Lebanese lunch. Wow! Never had that before and I loved it too!

Today I spent most of the day finding boxes, getting quotes and posting bears off to Japan.

I always hold my breath for a week after that until I know they are all there safely!

More bears to make for them, and bears to make for Hugglets in September, but in the meantime I am off to Berlin tomorrow for a few days which should be really fun. I haven't been there before, but am looking forward to it as the hotel has a spa. Say no more!

Oh yes, and last week I qualified as a reflexologist. I am so excited (and proud) because its been 2 years of hard study to get to this. So now I will be dividing my time between my beloved bears and doing lovely reflexology treatments (I hope)

Well, I have put up some pics of a few of the little ones that have just started their journey, and hope you think they are sweet.

Oh and whilst I was being ill, Keith and Andrew dug a pond in the garden which is an ongoing project but one of our little dogs, Meg, just LOVES the pond. She is always to be found by it, and sometimes IN it!

Andrew has done his GCSE's and finished the last one today, so we celebrated with yummy chocolate brownie with added treats in (maltesers and rolos! Try it! Its wonderful! They melt in and mmmmmmmmm.........)

And here is a pic of a little visitor we had the other evening. Gave Keith quite a shock as he was doing the watering!

Sweet eh? Thats all for now.....

38 Naughty Norfolks went to the woods today........

Well what a laugh we had today! 

It was the annual NORFOLK TERRIER WALK for the South of England. There were 38 waggy Norfolk tails and an assortment of Otter Hound, Labradors and German Shepherd trying to sneak in.Oh and a very bouncy Border Terrier too.

What utter chaos!

It was a glorious and sunny day and we met and chatted for half an hour first whilst they all showed their attitude when on leads. Then off with the leads and into the woods, 

and if our 2 hadn't had trendy little blue bandanas on (courtesy of my friend Sue- hers are the red team!) we would never have seen them again. 

I thought I knew what my dogs looked like but I can tell you, when 38 of them are running riot in the woods, they all look pretty similar and it was only the bandanas that made us sure we had the right dogs at the end! 

It involved a  lovely long walk 

 to the top of Holmbury Hill with wonderful views for miles and 

miles, a team photo at the top, 

and then long walk through bluebells etc back down, via a few very 

muddy puddles and a swim in a pond for some of them 

(and of course, ours were in the "some". yuk!) 

Then we all piled onto the field for a really fun picnic and this year no dogs escaped into the middle of it to run riot amongst the food (as happened last year to our huge amusement as it wasn't our picnic that was affected!)

We wondered about bathing them when we got home, but we went off to a christening and then were drinking champagne, and it just didn't happen. Now its evening and they are in the house........and they stink! 

I wish we had done it when we got home.....

Some new Warren Bears want to say hi!

Me again! 

I promised you could see the new bears, so here they are!

Let me know what you think.

Melanie went to the zoo

I had the BEST day on Saturday! 

It was my Birthday, and it started with some lovely pressies from my family and friends, and a piece of yummy cake made by Vianney and Vicky, and then we went off to the zoo for the day. Keith had bought me an ORANGUNTAN experience and I have been very excited about it for months now, and finally, the day had arrived! I just love Orangutans, and even though sadly, Colchester Zoo only has one now at the moment as their female died a few months back, Rajang is a pretty majestic old boy at 41 and I was really looking forward to it. 

We love Colchester zoo, its just such a fun day out. 

We fed elephants by hand. 

We were in the front row for the penguin feed, where they bring them into a room for them to look at the humans! 

 

 

We just loved the monkeys and all their antics and for Vianney it was his first trip to a zoo and first time to see most of these animals which made it even more fun. But the best bit was my time spent with the keeper and learning more about Rajang. He is such a soulful old thing, and he looks deep into your eyes.

 I won't  bore you with all the details, (like I have done to my family!) but it amused them to take photos of me in a zoo cage, and I was thrilled that he reached out and touched my hands and was intrigued by my bright pink nail varnish. He made a face and noise that his keeper said is his "happy reaction" and to think a wild creature chose to touch me is very special. We came home to an orangutan cake 

made by Keith which caused much amusement with the children but I thought he did a brilliant job. 

A couple of weeks ago, I had another wonderful treat too, despite the best efforts of the French fishermen to try and wreck it! We went with some very good friends to Giverny, near Paris, to Monet's beautiful gardens. I just love it there and this is a lovely time of year to see them. We had great fun together and it was so nice that they loved the gardens and area as much as we do. Here a just a few photos to help you realise that you need to go and visit them too!

The food is amazing too as you can see..... mmmmm happy memories...

..oh and I AM making bears too. 

I promise! 

I will take some photos and share them with you later in the week.

Introducing my new little friend FUREVER......

Feeling I have some energy again finally, (after waiting more than 8 months for it!) I wanted to celebrate by making a bear again. I haven't been able to make any since early February and its lovely to be back in the bear room again.

 

Here is FUREVER. He is about 8¾ inches tall and 6 inches when sitting. He is made from beautiful pale gold soft mohair and has cheery gold cashmere sculpted pads, a soft mink nose, and airbrushed eyes and ear tips. He has a little wobbly head (but not too wobbly!!) and a look of curiosity!! He is a real little sweetie. I don't make tiddlers very often, I don't know how miniature bear makers have the patience!

I am so happy to have energy again and really hope it lasts for a while this time. I attribute it to having had 3 reflexology treatments this past month - it really has made a huge difference.

We are dog sitting this week for some friends golden labrador, Oscar, who is a real sweetie and has fitted in very well with our two little terriers who adore him.

On Sunday we all went off to the beach as it was so gorgeous and Oscar was squinting in the sun so I helped him out with some sunglasses!

He seemed to be quite happy wearing them....

Anyway, I am off to make another bunny now as it is Easter, so 

watch this space in a day or two.

Sheep Rustling

I haven't had any time or good health to be making bears for ages now, February for the show was the last time and I am itching to get back to my sewing table and start using some of the lovely fur I bought at Hugglets. 

In the meantime however, here is what we got up to last week!

Our church wanted something newborn for a children's service on creation and so after asking around, we were very kindly told we could borrow a lamb. Well, I can't tell you how excited I was, and I even made Keith take a day off so he could come and collect it with me and take a photo! So off we went, last Wednesday lunchtime to collect our newborn lamb - still not believing how kind and trusting they were to let us borrow her, and THIS industrial 'nearly sheep' was brought out to the car!!

She seemed to enjoy her little drive and was as good as gold, and no, she didn't do anything unpleasant in my car either. We did have one hairy moment when we had to pull up alongside a police motorbike at a junction and he looked down into the car. I wonder what he thought he had seen!!

She is called Jill!

Hmmm. Not really small, white, fluffy, or cute either!

But she did turn out to be incredibly sweet natured as she charmed our Rev.....

The tiddlers all got to have a little stroke (and then dutifully had their hands washed - just in case any heath and safety people are reading!!) and I think we got away with it and they thought it was newborn!  Poor Ewe.....

Another thing that has amused us this week is this little video I was sent. My daughter has put it on her blog too as it is so sweet. (She did it first and I am copying her cos I am new to all this!) 

Little Pig video

I hope it amuses you too.

Anyway, nothing else exciting to report, unless you want to hear all about shingles......

The bunny has landed!

(Not the day I expected it to be!)

So (and I KNOW you should never start a sentence with so. SO? !) I woke up and thought "hmmm its going to be a good day - I am nearly done, just a little matter of ribbons for the new bunny and then I can stop and rest."

Feeling like it was going to be a more relaxing day, I decided to start it with a lovely long walk in the fields and woods with Alfie and Meg, our little Norfolk Terriers (teddy bear dogs). It was grey and damp but all was well, they had a great run about chasing smells and elusive rabbits and squirrels and we were out for an hour and I felt a good and kind owner! Then it was off 2 miles to the ribbon shop as I couldn't put it off any longer. Should have only taken 20 minutes in total and then I could say I was finished........ Best laid plans of mice and men? .....Famous last words?......

The shop had a nice little notice in the door saying that it was SHUT DOWN. I should have been alerted by the empty interior I suppose. Apparently they had moved to Sevenoaks, so that was a half hour drive away. I only had 50p in change which meant I only had half an hours parking, and I hadn't thought to write down the address. Sevenoaks is quite big, and very spread out. Hey ho, I got there, parked easily, and even found the shop easily............but no ribbons anymore. I just couldn't believe it. This bunny NEEDED a ribbon, didn't they understand?? I was mooching round the shop in a not too gracious mood when tucked away on the bottom shelf behind the counter I spotted it! Perfect! A lovely fluffy girly thingy, and great colour, and I even treated her to a whole reel of cotton so she could have matching nail varnish on her cashmere pads!

(If anyone wants an almost complete reel of thick dusky rose thread please shout!)

And here they are - the Warren Bunnies!

You have already met Benjamin, but here is Bonita.

She is beautiful dense creamy white mohair, with cashmere pads and ears in deepest aubergine, and of course, the new nail varnish to match her thingy (what are they called??) Hope you like her, and hope to see you on Sunday at Hugglets.

Come and say hi if you are there!