Hello Everyone! Cy Bear putting in an appearance! After the recent trials and tribulations of life on the internet faced by Isobel, and then telling everyone all about the Renaissance of Rusty Bear, I've finally been given the chance to tell you about some more exciting news for the ColdhamCuddlies family. Before I do so, though, I've got to apologise to him for calling Rusty, the Monster Bear! I was not being rude, but compared with me, he is a Monster: oops, sorry, a Giant Bear.
Now to the good news. We have reached the quarter century of sales in the shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com. 25 sales have taken members of the Cuddlies Family to live in their Forever Homes all around the world. Several are in the USA, some in the UK and others in Australia, Saudi Arabia, France and Italy. And, yesterday, Isobel was contacted by MrsSA who lives in Anchorage, Alaska who wants Charlie Coyote (Etsy Listing #67039032) to go and live with her daughter Lucy and make his Forever Home with them. Lucy is mad about Foxes and is having a Fox Birthday at the end of May. MrsSA said in a note to Isobel that Charlie "is the cutest (coyote that can be a) fox that I have ever seen!!!". So, that's the beginning of the next quarter century of sales - here's to it being 50 before too long!
So, today Charlie has been wrapped up and Isobel took him to one of the Post Offices nearby who deal with international packets and parcels. There's been a price rise in the cost of posting things in the UK (with effect from April 30), so all our postage rates have got to be changed. Isobel had been hoping to wait to do that when the shop is shut for the summer holidays (June, July and August), but with Charlie travelling at the end of this week to Anchorage, the cost of his ticket had to be calculated and MrsSA told about the change in price before he could leave us. Charlie will remain wrapped in his tissue paper and bubble wrap until the end of the week (when all the payment details have been settled), but meanwhile, we've had confirmation from Alaska that they are prepared to accept the postal charge hike - so all systems are "GO".
Then, I've been joined by someone who really does look like me.
That's him on the left and he doesn't have a real name yet - but to differentiate him from me, Isobel has called him Cy Bear II. Not very original I know, but there we are. He's made with the left-overs of the Beaver Lamb coat from which Isobel made me. There was just sufficient whole pieces of hide - and because the mistakes made with me have been learned, he does not have sharp seams on his limbs. He would be a lot more child-friendly than I am, but he's not going to stay with us for long, though. He is a sort of custom order and his Forever Home is going to be in Normandy - living with Mons. Reynard and Mme Lapin - and he's going to travel with Peter and Isobel when they go to see MmeIM at the beginning of June. Apparently it was seeing me, and learning that there was some Beaver Lamb fur left over that caused Cy Bear II to be ordered!
Isobel is worried that he and I will not last as long as the other toys living with MmeIM have done - because we are both made of REAL fur, rather than the plush fabric used for all the other Bears and toys in the Cuddlies Family. Once the hide was cut out to make us, the hide - being nearly 100 years' old - began to split as Isobel sewed the seams - particularly with Cy Bear II. It's been nearly a year since I was made, and the hide had dried out even more. The seams should hold for a while, but she cannot guarantee that we will last. However, as neither of us are likely to be played with by Little People, and we will spend our lives sitting on a shelf, dressing table or bed, we may do better than some of the more modern toys in our world!
Isobel has also finished all 10 Baby Koalas that were ordered by MrRFE from Sequals in Italy. They too were wrapped up, and got ready to travel today, but we don't know where MrRFE is presently. He divides his time between Sequals (his home), UK and Dubai - where he works, and he's somewhere in between all of them at the present time. All 10 Koalas have been individually wrapped in chemical-free tissue paper, and then wrapped in twos in bubble wrap. Then the five individual bundles have been carefully placed in the polythene envelope in which they will be posted, and weighed to see how much the travelling costs will be. As soon as we hear from MrRFE, they too will be off to their Forever Homes..
There will be some pictures of the Baby Koalas - together with Cy Bear II and me in our next post. But in the interim, here's another of us two from a slightly different angle.
Meanwhile, that's it for tonight! It is so good to be back with you all again. Cy Bear.
