Signing Off

I'm flying out to London in the morning, so I'll probably not be blogging for the next few weeks. See you all when I get back :) I'd hoped to have some photos of the bears I'll have at Hugglets, but I simply have run out of time.
It was sunny today :)

A Dream Show!

The online show at the weekend was an outstanding success for me, with a sellout! Thankyou Sandi Smith http://www.bearlysaneteddies.com for all your tireless efforts in creating the site and congratulations on how smoothly everything ran. You really do amaze me with what you do and I am extremely grateful to you for your commitment to us all. This amazing woman is already planning the next event, Be My Valentine, which will also have a special collection of bears available for Bobo, TBACA's sponsored sun bear. All these bears and critters will be donated by the artists and all the funds raised go towards the wonderful work of Free The Bears, http://www.freethebears.org.au/, for their bear sanctuary in Cambodia. All the bears at the sanctuary have been rescued from intolerable lives, some as "pets" but most as unwilling prisoners in bile farms, none of these bears can be returned to the wild so they live out their lives at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. You can read more about all this on the Free The Bears website.




It's full steam ahead for Hugglets now, just three sleeps till I fly out! I have a small but very nice collection of bears to take with me. I'm hoping I might even see some sunshine while I'm away because we certainly haven't been getting any in Tasmania! The English countryside should be looking very pretty in all it's golden Autumn glory, I might even get the chance to do a little berrying in the hedgerows near my brother-in-law's house in Somerset.




Here are the bears I had on offer over the weekend, they have all found new homes here in Australia.

One More Sleep to Dream

Tomorrow morning the latest TBACA online show begins at 10am. I'm really looking forward to this show as there should be some really exceptional works exhibited from some of Australia's finest bearsmiths. If you pop over to the TBACA websit and follow the link you will see the list of exhibitors. We have each contributed three pieces to the show and the offerings should be quite diverse, looking at who is on that list.

My collection for Hugglets is coming together, I've spent some time on the computer lately, redesigning my swing tags and printing. I'm hoping to have all these things ready to go at the end of today, so that I can concentrate for the time remaining on a last few little bears. I'm flying out on Thursday. I've got lots of music loaded onto my ipod, and I need to select a good book to help the long haul pass as pleasantly as possible.

I feel a little sad at leaving at this time of year, I love early Spring in Tasmania. The wattle is in full bloom and there are daffodils everywhere. In town the other day I saw the most amazing magnolia abundantly blooming. I wonder if I will be back in time to see the apple and pear blossom in the orchard? It always looks so pretty. I think the asparagus will be in full production when I get home, oh joy!

I'll only be gone for three and a half weeks, the time will pass quickly enough. I will then have the warm half of Spring, and then hopefully a wonderful Summer to enjoy.

Time

Here it is, the last day of my forties! EEEEK. Trouble is I don't feel old enough to be this old! I don't feel middle aged, if the mirror didn't tell me otherwise I could imagine I was still twenty (I wish!). I guess I've grown a little wiser with age, and I certainly made choices when I was young that make me cringe now! As they say "youth is wasted on the young", it would be so good to be able to go back and have all that energy, with a head full of the knowledge that only comes with experience. The things I would get done! Truth be told I'm actually in better shape than I was ten years ago, physically stronger though definitely wrinklier, my hair has only just started to show a little grey, so I guess not too bad. I do enjoy being a grandmother, I have found this new role in my life very fulfilling, though lately I just haven't had time to see enough of my precious grandson. Hopefully this will change when I get back from the UK, even though my calendar does look rather full with workshops in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania in November and December.

I'm beavering away at getting a collection together for Hugglets, my fingers are very sore. The other day my "thimble" finger lost it's callus which will make miniatures difficult. I do wear a leather thimble when working on my bigger bears, but find it too inhibiting when working on minis. It will take lots of sewing to work that hard pad back. This happens from time to time, usually when the tip of my finger has got to the stage where is has no feeling left in it, that's when it will peel off revealing the healthy new pink skin underneath, ready to start all over again.

Not long now to the next online show. Having got the bears done and the photos off I keep forgetting that it will be on soon. I can't wait to see what everyone has done, this show is quite small but there should be some really great works exhibited, I do hope you all will find the time to drop in on the 5th and 6th of September. Here's another little peek at what I will be offering.

Correction

I thought I had better make a correction on my last post, we have gone beyond ridiculous with the weather, here in Tasmania. We've had a once in forty years flood and the river has been raging through The Gorge in Launceston in a spectacular fashion. Apparently we're in for much more over the next month or so, with a series of fronts blowing in from the West. I must admit I'm rather sick of the rain now, and it would be lovely if we could have some real sunshine for a few days. Everything is so wet!

At least it's great weather to be holed up indoors making bears, which is imperative with Hugglets just a matter of a few weeks away! I'm just back from Adelaide where I managed to sell a few bears. They're all panda mad over there at the moment, because Adelaide zoo is about to get a breeding pair of these fabulous animals and they're counting the days to their arrival! I sold more pandas than anything at the show :) Next year I'm booked to teach a workshop after the show, and you guessed it, it's going to be a panda!

I've added another little peek at what I have coming up in the "When You Dare To Dream"(www.teddybearsandcritters.com/whenyoudaretodream.htm ) online show on the 5th and 6th of September, one of these days I'll figure out how to make a collage but I simply don't have time for fiddling about on the computer right now, I have bears to make! So this little teaser will have to suffice. Cheers for now from a very sodden Tasmania.

Winter

It seems, for this year at least, we have returned to a "normal" Winter weather pattern. We have had more rain than we've had in years and as I predicted, our dam has filled for the first time in five years. We are even blessed with a wild drake and his harem, who fly off everytime I walk up there, no matter how cautiously I approach. The lake nearby is very full too and since the opening of the fishing season, last weekend, I have seen some sizeable trout caught. For three months of the year I could almost believe that the lake is our own, not a soul to be seen. When the season opens it becomes a Mecca for fishers from far and wide until it starts to get warm in the highlands, then it gets a little quieter again. What I object to, is the accumulation of rubbish along the shore as the season progresses. How difficult can it be for someone to carry back their empties? I often take a plastic bag along with me when I go for a walk by the lake, in order to collect some of what's been left, and I'm pretty sure others do the same. It's just such a shame that there are those out there who think it's ok to be so senseless.

I have finally submitted all my photos for "When You Dare To Dream" I even had some days to spare! Now everything is in Sandi's capable hands as she gets the site prepared for our grand opening on the 5th of September. I will hopefully have a sneak peek up here soon. Meanwhile here's just a little taster.........

I fly to Adelaide next Thursday, the South Australian Doll and Bear Fair is on that weekend, time to catch up with some friends and hopefully sell a few bears too. I'm taking a small collection of my sister's bears with me this time, too. After a few years break she has started to make her sweet little fellows again. I must say it's rather lovely to have her back even in a small way, I've missed our "beary" connection. Some of you may remember Jan's bears, she trades as Brady's Bears, they still have the same "Brady's" style so she hasn't lost it while she's been away, there's one little fellow in the box who may not even get to Adelaide, I like him too much :)

Dreaming

I keep having dreams with Ralph in them. This morning he was running and playing with another large dog, a New Foundland, they were so well matched and were having such fun! In reality if Ralph had come across a dog as large as himself he would have come to me and hidden his head between my knees! He did this at the vet's once. We were waiting and the surgery door opened to reveal a rather large Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ralph took one look and "hid" himself! Poor boy, he was such a softy! In all these dreams Ralph is young and vigorous again, I like to think that it's true...........I don't think I'll ever be able to get over his loss, but I do feel happy when I'm dreaming him.

My hands are a total disaster, no prizes for these manicurist's nightmares! I've been doing alot of leather applique, which always leaves my hands in a mess. I use really tiny glover's needles, and they have an extremely sharp three sided point to them which shreds my fingers, but slides through the leather with ease. I have a friend who is a potter, who develped a severe dermatitis from contact with clay (real handy, that). Anyway he treats it with the ointment dairy farmers use on their cows' teats when they get cracked, it works a treat. I have a small jar of the ointment somewhere, I'll have to hunt it out and use it I think. The same stuff is used by many hand embroiderers, too. I imagine it can be bought very cheaply from a rural supplies store, I was given my jar years ago and only use it when my finger tips get severly cracked from multiple needle jabs. A little dab on the offending digit with a "bandaid" over it, and overnight the crack will be all but completely healed! It really is that good! I just thought I'd hand this on to all you fellow sufferers out there.

I have to finish my bears for the next online show "When You Dare To Dream", in September. The photo submission deadline is looming, but I've found it very hard to really get motivated since we lost Ralph. Still, I'm almost done and I'll be getting the photos done in a couple of days. Then I can concentrate on bears for Adelaide and London.

We've been having some fabulous Winter weather lately, with big blue skies and lots of sunshine. I can really relate to being a cat on days like this. I can turn my chair around to bask in the sun streaming in through the bay window, I could almost start purring! Now that we're well past the shortest day, I swear I can hear the birds gearing up for Spring. Soon they will be gathering up tufts of Ralph's undercoat that I've left out after brushing him, and lining their nests with it. It's so soft I'm sure it makes a beautiful lining to nestle into, the little babies will be tucked up nice and warm.

Ralph

Early on Saturday morning our big, gentle, beautiful Ralph passed away. He had been in hospital since Tuesday after losing the ability to raise himself, we thought it was his arthritis advancing and possibly getting into his spine. An xray revealed absolutely no arthritis in him, so we had to look at other causes for his loss of mobility. It turned out that he had an enormous brain tumor which was reavealed by MRI. We were looking at possibly flying him to Queensland for radiation therapy, but the discovery of the tumor came too late and he died peacefully in his sleep. Looking back, we can now see that the little changes in Ralph's behaviour which we attributed to his getting old and perhaps a little dotty, were actually signs of this growing menace in his brain. These changes happened so slowly and over such a long time, that we got used to them and thought little of them until it was too late. Given the size of the tumor, the vet was surprised that he hadn't been having seizures. I wish that he had, as that would have told us that something was seriously amiss with our wonderful companion, and something could have been done to save him. As it is, the family is still in disbelief, it was heartbreaking to tell our daughter overseas and all I wanted was to have her here so that I could put my arms around her, she sounded so devastated over the phone.

Ralph was one of those perfect beings, he was gentle and a true gentleman. There was absolutely no malice in him, all he ever wanted to do was to please us. As a puppy he learned very quickly, in fact there was very little training needed with him as he seemed to instinctively know what was required. He has been a wonderfully inspirational companion to have around and no doubt he will continue to inspire many bears to come. I am heartbroken and devastated at his loss, there is such a huge hole in my life now. I feel a little better now that he's home with us, we buried him under the walnut trees on Monday, rest in peace Ralphie boy.

OK, we've had enough now!

I'ts been raining non-stop for two days now, I think we've had enough for the time being. There is water flowing where it hasn't flowed for years, so the ground water has been topped up to what used to be normal for Winter. I think I can say with confidence that our dam will be full and flowing over, in the next day or two, something which hasn't occurred for four years! I can only hope this is the end of this drought and we will see a return to normal weather patterns for a while at least.
I've been working on my pieces for the next online show in September. This is an exhibition of master works by some of Australia's best bear artists hosted by http://www.teddybearsandcritters.com/whenyoudaretodream.htm (When You Dare To Dream). It will be interesting to see what everyone will have to show. I'm very pleased with how my first two have turned out, just one more to do then I'm done. After which I can get on with getting stock ready for Adelaide and London, the months have slipped by too quickly!
Oh well, at least the weather is good for bear making. Snuggled up inside with the fire burning, a warm woolen jumper on and ugg boots on my feet, listening to the rain on the roof. (We have had enough for now, though!)

Penguins