Hello there Everyone from Your Friend, Cy Bear
Today's blog is going to be a shorter one than normal - really a "holding" one.  Because a lot of things have happened, but results are "on hold" waiting for their final outcomes.
The main thing is not strictly a Coldham Cuddlies matter, but an "Isobel's Family" matter - in which she has been doing as much as she can.  A rescue dog - called Molly - who arrived at daughter Clare's home last week-end, bolted on Tuesday, and has been on the run ever since.  There's a group of professionals on the case, but Isobel has been tasked with looking out for the missing dog here at Old Chapel Close - if she should evade the team closing in on her - because she did spend time in the gardens where Isobel and I live, and she may recognise some of it were she to come back.  However, Isobel's  main role has been to supply the items needed to lay a scent trail in the hope that the animal will follow it back to Clare's home up the road and (three doors away from our flat).  The ingredients are a mix of tinned Sardines in Oil and Hot Dog Sausages (Frankfurters) - apparently irisistible in such circumstances.  She's not far from home - but is a determined (but very frightened)  escapologist.  Fingers crossed that she's caught soon, and life can return to somewhat more normal.  Can't think why the "runner" seems to prefer being loose, rather than inside in a warm home:  the weather this week while she's been out has been simply awful - and it's turned a lot colder too.
We're still waiting for an answer from Etsy.com as to what happens now in the case of our Black Squirrel Order:  with over 66 million shops online, and many complaints/questions to answer, understandably it will take some time.  The Support Desk has acknowledged Isobel's approach, however, so we are "in the system"!

Crab Apple Butter ready for the Store Cupboard.  These were the larger jam jars used. 

Before I finish, though, there has been a successful outcome on the Crab Apple Butter story! 8 jars (of varying sizes) were made with the fruit picked for Isobel a couple of weeks ago, and she's already tasted from the bits that didn't fit into a bottle that could be sealed - for keeping! (Definitely acceptable apparently!)  One, smaller - in case it wasn't really what the person liked - jar was reserved for the young gardener who picked the fruit from the tree for Isobel.  He appeared to be pleasantly surprised to get it, even though he'd been told he would!  The Gardening Team visit Old Chapel Close every two weeks between March and October, so we'll find out how the Butter went down next time they are here!
That's it Folks.  I'll be back again next week - just wonder what will happen next?  Hopefully, the Wanderer will have safely returned by then.
Stay Safe Everyone!  
Your FriendCy Bear.

Our Black Squirrel in Search of a Forever Home

Hello Everyone - Cy Bear here again, at the end of a busy and rather curious week.

Early last week, we received an order for one of our Black Squirrels - as it happens, he was in stock, so once the Buyer's payment reached our local Bank account, Isobel packed him up and sent him off.  However, she did so with some reservations. 

We're talking about the Squirrel on the right, and we were asked to keep the acorn (if it didn't cost extra - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/587570321/black-plush-squirrels)

The address to which she was instructed to send him was just "c/o a Ms JI", and giving an address in Gloustershire, England, UK with no mention of whom it actually should be sent to (the normal way of doing business, I am told!).  Isobel had queried this in a message to the Buyer (using the given email link- which was a bit of an odd one, when Isobel thought about it later!), which she addressed as "TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN" - again, I am told, the normal procedure when no actual person's name is on the document in question.  No answer was forthcoming, so Isobel duly took note, and because she thought it just might be a family/friend wanting to give MsJI a nice surprise (and it was not her place to spoil things).  After that, she really didn't think any more about the order, once she had posted it from our Local Post Office early on Friday morning.  Once she got back here, she performed her usual routine of notifying "TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN" that their Black Squirrel was on its way, and giving them the travelling ticket number (Tracker Number). There was a small shipping overage, which Isobel refunded to the mysterious Buyer.   Order done and dusted she felt.

We don't seem to have a single photo of the Squirrel I'm talking about:  this is the one on the left of the first photograph

Around lunch time on Saturday, however, Isobel got a telephone call from MsJI herself (we always send a delivery note with our telephone number with every Toy dispatched from the Shop)  asking exactly what/whom had sent her this Black Squirrel Toy.  We learned that she was a 60 year old lady, complete with a husband - so not in need of a companion (her words actually) and could Isobel please explain why this had happened.  Isobel found herself in somewhat of a quandary.  The Black Squirrel had been duly paid for, and a refund sent - (it hasn't been returned by the way!)  MsJI really doesn't need it - Isobel found out that she and her husband have two Labrador Dogs already; .they were out for a walk, when Isobel telephoned MsJI with the unhelpful results of a chat with our local Bank, so we have now been in contact with MrJI, because Isobel has now sent the whole file to Etsy Help Department to deal with.  (Fortunately she is meticulous in keeping all relevant paperwork including all messages involved with any transaction), and copies of all the file have been sent too.  Isobel asked MrI if they would kindly give Black Squirrel a temporary abode, while Etsy and she try to sort out the situation.  

In the interim, Isobel has changed her passwords allowing her access to Etsy.com and the Shop itself - just in case there's something dodgy going on.  We'll let you know what happens next!

Two other things to tell you that happened this week.  Last night, MrsKB mother of the young man who wanted to have our new Grey Plush Cat Arm Puppet as a birthday present - posted a really lovely review for us, together with a photo of newly arrived traveller.  We had hoped we would get it to Denton USA in time for the celebrations, and as the review says, we were lucky the journey was accomplished in time, with no unexpected hitches.

kstacyart on 22 Aug, 2020

5 out of 5 stars    

Such a beautiful hand crafted puppet! Very thankful for Isobel’s talent and also for her great communication. Our puppet arrived just in time for my son’s birthday!

Then on the same day that we got the Black Squirrel order, we received another order for a Tiger Who Lost His Stripes - this time, not from the United States, but from Larne, Northern Ireland.  He's now top of the Work In Progress Schedule after Isobel has completed the Smith Memorial Cat Project.  That's coming along well, although to look at the heaps of fabric all round the living room - while all of the Cats are being made and dressed, you might not think so.  Isobel is hoping to have the project completed by the end of next week, or early in September.  

So that's it for this week - wonder what will happen next?  This is certainly a year in the life of Coldham Cuddlies like no other, to date!!

Your Friend,

Cy Bear.

Potential Light At The End Of The Technology Tunnel + Harvesting Crab Apples

Hello Everyone:  Cy Bear here and hoping you're all well.

Head of One Smith Cat Toy (with ears wrongly placed).  That will be corrected later!

Isobel is definitely in a happier place on the technology front this week, although by no means out of those particular woods.   As far as I understand it, the meeting with the Media Specialists on the East Midlands Team of the UK Department of International Affairs  (DIT)  - MsSR and MrMB - were both very helpful.  On one front, MrMB believes he knows what's wrong with our Facebook sites (and they are repairable - WOW, that's a relief for Isobel!) and MsSR gave her lots of pointers regarding her current/future social media and website actions which give us a firm pathway to follow.  So - lots of work for Isobel:  but technology "daylight" is approaching!
The Smith Memorial Cat Project

The Head with Two of the Bodies ready for stuffing

On the Microsoft front, Isobel's jotted down telephone number - allegedly for their Support Team definitely wasn't a "go-er!", but she has now found a Business Support telephone number, complete with all valid international calling codes (I'm not surprised that Isobel gets befuddled:  even a Beaver Lamb Bear can understand her irritation!)  Anyway, that number is going to be used sometime on Monday (after she's watched a Webinar from the local East Midlands Office of the DIT on how to get one's website to work properly for your particular project.)  

One of the Dress Skirts for One of the Cat Toys

In between we've been working on the Shop - planning several changes there, and keeping up with the usual administrative jobs (playing Team Games, I believe it is called in the real world) - just so ColdhamCuddlies Shop doesn't disappear into the Etsy world!  Last week Isobel learned that there are now over 62 million shops on the Site - so you can see the necessity of doing everything one needs to for people to find us!
Then in the evenings, Isobel has been carrying on with the Smith Memorial Project - we've one or two photos to show you - included here, and Isobel is satisfied with progress to date.  We're keeping MsVS updated on how we're doing, but still have some way to go.

This is one of two skirts being made from MrSS's Two shirts provided for the project.

Today, Isobel is also making this year's Crab Apple harvest (picked by one of the Old Chapel Close visiting gardeners for Isobel) into something called Crab Apple Butter.  It's an old-fashioned recipe that she's made for many years, and is pleased she's been able to use some fruit this year.  Last year it was one of those years when Crab Apples don't appear (apparently it happens every two or three years), but Isobel was able to stretch her supply of the Butter until early Spring this year (last made in 2018).  The crop is abundant this time around, so when we've finished this, she will be returning to the second half of the procedure.

The first apparently is to top and tail the fruit, wash it and put it in a large saucepan.  Then Isobel adds Apple Cider and Ground Cinnamon and Ground Cloves (it smells like Christmas in the flat presently), plus the same amount of Water as the Cider until the Crab Apples are soft; then the mixture gets sieved.  The second part of the procedure (allowing Isobel to sit down for a bit) is allowing the mixture to cool, so one gets a more accurate measure of how much sugar has to be added.  Then I gather that the Sugar gets added and the mixture is gently cooked to thicken it, while being stirred - until there is a slight line visible in the mixture.  The stuff is then ladled into jam jars (which have been heated in the oven meanwhile!).  Then tops are put on the jars, and the Crab Apple Butter allowed to cool and set.  
I'll show you photos of the finished project next week - meanwhile, I'm saying good bye to you all for This Week.  Have a good one, Everyone.
Stay Safe All, as well.
Your Friend.
Cy Bear.
PS:  Please forgive the lighting in the photos - they're very much rushed, but just needed so I could use them for this post today.  (Also for showing MsVS what is happening on this side of the Atlantic for her special family project).  Hopefully, soon, I'll be familiar with my new smartphone, which has special recommendations for using its camera, which should also assist in future ColdhamCuddlies plans.

Still Battling Technology, But There May Still Be Hope

Hello again Everyone - Cy Bear back once more

Some better news on the Technology Front:  last week, Isobel moved a little further forward with the smartphone - by realising that she had ordered the wrong book if she needed to have her hand held setting everything up to get it working seamlessly.  She arranged for the right one to be swapped with The Helpful Book Company - so hopes to be in a better position on that technology matter soon. Some more apps have been downloaded, but there's a way to go yet.  However, the machine is still functioning:  and that's a major plus.

A full frontal view of our Child's size Panda Head Golf Club Saver

As you see, we found them:  the missing photographs I mentioned last week in my run down on Isobel's battle with technology were eventually run to earth after lots of searching on the endless Microsoft "Help" sites.  There's just so much time Isobel can spend with them before her head starts to spin, and she gives up.  Try as she might to follow Microsoft's "helpful" hints at what to do next, she always ends up either where she doesn't want to go - or doesn't understand what she's being told to do in the first place.  (She doesn't think she's as stupid as she always feels after a session trying to sort herself out).  

Showing off the shorter Self Colour Black Metal Handle Cover

However, just before bedtime last evening, on the One Drive site, she spotted an unusual reference number "1979-12-31" at the top of a list on her Pictures page, clicked on it (her normal behaviour on such occasions) - and blow us down with the proverbial feather: here were the 50+ missing photographs : all in quadruplicate (proof of Isobel's searches) and all requiring editing before appearing in any guise in public.  This morning has been spent doing those tasks (and almost missing live-streamed Mass from St. Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham in the process).  But done in time for us to be able to produce some the photographs Isobel talked about in our last post, here. 

Child Golf Club Saver from a different angle

Now we can show and tell you more about the new Grey Cat Arm Puppet.  Here are some of the photos we'll be using when we list it as a New Coldham Cuddlies Arm Puppet next week.  As we told you quite a lot about it last week, I'm not going to repeat it all here, but there may be some additions, which I'll keep short!

The first view of our New Grey Cat Arm Puppet, being operated for photographic purposes by our friend and neighbour, MrRY - who kindly helps Isobel in these situations.

One view of the Grey Cat Arm Puppet, showing his paws

The New Grey Cat Arm Puppet viewing his surroundings and greeting "His Public"

          The New Grey Cat Puppet waiting for his Travel Papers to be prepared in a Final Farewell Photo

Isobel did take several more pictures, and they will also form part of our listing for the New Grey Cat - which will probably be done tomorrow.  

Next week sees us take another step in our exploration of the toy export market with Isobel booked for a 30 minute One to One telephone meeting with MsSR (or MrDB) from the UK Department of International Trade.  That all sounds quite interesting - and hopefully will lead to some new adventures I can share with you all.  Maybe, even, we might make further progress with the whole Facebook saga- who knows:  stranger things have happened!!  (Due to the photograph hunt, the third link MsSR gave Isobel hasn't yet been approached. Given time, she hopes to be able to do it today. Alas, there has been the usual silence in news from THE TARGET!!)

In the meantime, that's all from me for this week.  Hope everyone is taking care of themselves, and not doing anything to attract more lock downs happening:  local or not, they don't sound very nice from a Beaver Lamb Bear's point of view, and even worse I should imagine from everyone else's.

See you next time. 

Your Friend

Cy Bear

Technology Can Sometimes Overwhelm One! It is Now!!!

Greetings Everybody!

Cy Bear back again with this week's news from the ColdhamCuddlies Shop and world.  Technologically, it has been a bit frustrating.  Things seem to be moving on the Facebook front that I mentioned last week - in that it looks as though someone has realised Isobel is in a bit of pickle with their site, and are trying to rectify things!  However, it isn't helping yet at our end,however - because they don't get in touch in response directly!  Now most of our posts are not being read - except two or three days later (which kind of misses the point don't you think?)   Well, as promised (threatened?) last week, last night Isobel copied and pasted her missive of last week, and sent it to the second link that our Department of International Trade (DIT) contact sent her.  We'll see if anything more transpires this time around.

This was a Grey Plush Custom Order of a Grey Tiger Who Lost His Stripes - the Buyer remembered
the original character as more grey than beige from his childhood, but wanted the same nose!

The Grey Cat Arm Puppet Isobel told you about last week (now to be made with the same fabric as used for out Elephant Toy - see photo below)  was also cut out, sewn and sent off on Friday, so it should be on it's travels to Denton, Texas by now - if all the travel connections worked - see our postscript.

 

The Elephant's rump, showing the fabric it's made with

We're going to list it as a New Coldham Cuddly Toy - even though we do have a Grey Cat Arm Puppet already listed in the Shop.  This one looks very different from this first one - which was one of our first Custom Orders some years ago.  The latest Cat Puppet has had the photographs taken before it was posted last week, and Isobel has uploaded it to the computer photo files, but thanks to the recent Microsoft upgrade - and the arrival of the new smartphone Isobel is starting to suspect -  has somehow disappeared into a new "Personal Vault" where such things can now be "safely" stored (without Isobel knowing it now existed!).  Technology really is a frustrating thing when it doesn't actually help us!!

The Custom Ordered (special fabric) Grey Cat Puppet

As part of our on-going re-arrangement of the Shop (now that we've done several "one-off" custom orders) Isobel is going to create a new Section in our Shop - and our original Grey Cat Puppet - seen above and now also a One of a Kind Puppet in future, will be joined by the Arm Puppets we told you about just after we resumed posting a few weeks ago.  (Blue Teddy Bear, Bun-Bun Rabbit and Teddy Bear Dog Arm Puppets among them - 26.06.20).

 Alas, one of our Tiger Who Lost His Stripes Arm Puppets still hasn't reached his destination (after 12 weeks en route!).  The Buyer, understandably cross, contacted Isobel on Monday.  We refunded her the total cost of the order, and Isobel has claimed the lost money from Royal Mail - the reason why we send EVERY Toy by either Special  Delivery (in the UK), or International Tracked & Signed For service if going anywhere else in the world (not JUST the U.S.A.). 

It's one of the current "new-look" Tiger Who Lost His Stripes

                                                                 who has gone "walkabout".

Fortunately, Isobel had all the necessary paper-work to hand, and copies of it accompanied the Claim Form, which was posted to Royal Mail Lost Post services on Tuesday.  This incident happens to be the first of its kind for COLDHAMCUDDLIES in the 10 years we have been operating, but it's annoying and upsetting all the same.  We don't like disappointing youngsters who might have been expecting to have a new playmate by now.  Isobel suspects that the Tiger is lurking in a Customs Shed somewhere in the U.S.A, and she's hoping that now the Tracking system has been activated we will flush it out from wherever it's been languishing.  We've had Toys take their time getting home, but never actually seemingly lost for good before.  We hope we've alerted the authorities in time, because MrsSG the disappointed buyer was VERY patient and waited almost 3 months to tell us it had not arrived, and Royal Mail has a time limit on when claims can be registered!  We think we just made it!!

                                                                                        

We've also uploaded the photos of the new version of the Panda Head Golf Club Cover - which we presume is also currently "safely" stored in the Personal Vault, as we can't find it where we used to before the Microsoft upgrade!  Isobel is going to have to add it to this post when we finally run the latest photographs to earth (or, now we've got some relevant photos, we'll have a separate post once we've unravelled the latest technological developments).  We'll have to do the same with the new Grey Cat Arm Puppet, but meanwhile, we do have photos of a previous Grey Cat Puppet, made with the same pattern but using a Grey plush material chosen by the intended recipient himself, so Isobel will include them in this post - to break up all the printed matter.

With that, I'll close for this week.  Isobel is currently unstitching the shirts sent to us by MsVS that belonged to our dear former friend/designer MrSS from Tulsa, OK.  Whoever made them certainly did not intend them to be undone!  She's on the third and final garment, and has already spent two evenings solidly unstitching them.  Then will come the important creation process - which is still a project-in-planning".

See you all again soon - hopefully in a more technologically friendly space once more!  You All Stay Safe now though.

Your Friend

Cy Bear

PS:  Isobel has just checked the Royal Mail Tracker page - and we can confirm that our latest Grey Cat Arm Puppet is "In Transit!" - and we'll be able to check his progress once he reaches the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.  Fingers crossed he doesn't get way-laid en route too!