So, without more ado - meet:
Fred Bear: He belongs to a very dear friend of both Peter and Isobel, whom they have known for about 20 years and who lives in Lincolnshire, England, UK. PatC is her name and she and Fred have been together for a very long time. Fred was not new when he came to be PatC's Forever Friend but it is reckoned they have been together for nearly 80 years - give or take a year or two and as this picture shows, this is not the first time he's been mended.
PatC has asked for Fred to have his paws repaired for starters. No Bear worth his salt goes round for ever with blue paws, so Isobel has said she'll change them for Brown Pads. PatC likes the way Fred's ear has become crooked over the years, so has asked that when it is sewn on more firmly, it remains as near to it's present position as possible and his facial features need some touching up. Finally, over the years, Fred has lost his voice: so Isobel will be taking out his current growler and replacing it with a modern, deep voice, and while doing so is going to replace his stuffing, as she suspects it is not as safe as the polyester fibre stuffing she now uses for us Cuddlies.
PatC does not want him to be re-covered as all the other Bear patients have been since the Soft Toy Clinic was opened in 2011: she feels that treatment will be just too much of a change. As he's already been away from his Forever Home for much longer than intended (as a result of what happened while Isobel has been away since May - see her last post: "The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men: Part 3)), he will be the first to undergo the Coldham Soft Toy Clinic therapy.
Next comes Long Legged Tigger: He has lived for ages in a Toy Box which comes out at PamL's home every time Little People come to visit. PamL is mother to Isobel's son-in-law, Alan and while everything happened in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire where Isobel has been staying, Tigger and some other friends were introduced to Isobel - to see if they could help her create more Cuddlies for sale in our Shop (www.Etsy.com/coldhamcuddlies).
Tigger was handmade by one of Alan's cousins, who alas died after an illness a few years ago, and PamL wants him back because he is very special for that reason. He does need an ear sewn on, but does not really require too much more attention, because, basically, he's in pretty "good nick". Isobel might give his present collar a soak overnight in luke-warm water to see if she can get it to look a bit whiter, but that will be it. He may, or may not, be used as a template, but he's very welcome among the rest of us Cuddlies while he stays here.
Then there's Lop-Earred Rabbit: he'll have to be given another name, because Isobel is definitely going to use him as a new Cuddly - because he's actually an Arm Puppet and therefore rather an unusual Toy as a result. Isobel has never come across anything like him before, and Alan - who used to play with him a lot when he first arrived after being spotted on, and purchased from, a Market Stall - (actual site long since forgotten) - has never seen another one like him either. Isobel will give him a wash - living in a Toy Box and being played with by all and sundry for several years is not an ideal environment for keeping pristine clean. Once he's been washed, he will be taken apart and templates taken of his various parts. He will then be re-made and sent back with Tigger to PamL. She has pretty well denuded her storage box of toys by sending these two and some more toys which I'll describe in my next post.
It's rather difficult to let you see how he is made, and how he works. Once he's been washed, cleaned, copied and re-made, Isobel will take pictures of him with someone's arm inside him. Basically, he works like all our Hand Glove Puppets, but with a whole arm instead of just a hand. His long leggy bits are joined with elastic, and then they are wrapped round the operator's body. Anyway, you'll have to wait and see what happens once Isobel has worked it out for herself - unless Alan, Clare and Dotty come down again soon, so that Alan can once again demonstrate how it should be done!
It's so good to back posting to you all again. Long may it continue - we've had enough family shocks and emergencies in the last couple of months!.
Bless you all - and Good night! Cy Bear
