Sunday 7 June 2020

Heigh ho! Back once more - after quite an absence.

Hello Everyone!  Cy Bear here, starting the conversation.

It's been a long time since Isobel and I were here, but we've jointly decided it's about time we corrected the situation.  So, here we go.

2019 was a kind of difficult year for Isobel after her fall in May, when she broke her hip.  Rehab took longer than she really wanted, but it progressed satisfactorily for all the experts involved.   We'd only just re-opened our blogging, when she became very busy with several orders for our Tiger Who Lost His Stripes Arm Puppet,

Tiger Puppets Without Stripes Tiger Plush Puppets Tan Plush image 6
Our Tiger Without Stripes Arm Puppet in 2019
and more repeat orders for Sister, Bishop and Padre Bears (all of whom were needed as Christmas presents).  We had posted about most or all of  these various toys just before this happened, thus there wasn't much point in repeating ourselves, so we didn't!


Bear Novelty Collectable Fun Gift for Everyone Bishop Bear image 8
There are some newer members of the Clerical Bear Collection needing to be added - see below
Then after Christmas, when orders for any Coldham Cuddlies goods normally tail off, the orders for the Tiger Arm Puppet took off skywards, and Isobel got some unexpected custom orders from people who wanted arm puppets to look like other toys or, even, dogs.

So, as posts can't get written when Isobel is sewing, I've been sitting in my normal place on her bed, waiting to help her in this task, when the time was right. There didn't seem to be much point in telling you all about which Puppet was being done - since you already know how they are made.  Similarly the same can be said about telling you about the Clerical Bears - the Bear bodies are all made the same:  it's only their "uniforms" that change, and you've been told about how they come to be made too.  So, I'm afraid the blog has languished ..... but there are very good reasons now for resurrecting our weekly posts from now on. I'll tell you about that shortly, before I close this week's post.

Sister Rose Bear Pink Nun Collectable Fund Raising Poplin
The real  "Pink Nuns" live and work in several US States.
Now, the entire world has been affected by something called the Covid19 Pandemic - which as a Beaver Lamb Bear really hasn't affected me directly, but it has had quite an effect on Isobel.  No...she's not actually been ill, but because she will be 80 years old later this year, she was told to "self-isolate" so she didn't catch the virus.  That has meant she's been under my feet ALL DAY, every day since the middle of March.  But while she's been very busy finding all sorts of other things to do on the computer,she hasn't had the time to properly sit down and write here either.  Self isolation for her has meant that she's not been allowed out of our flat - not even to visit Clare and her grandson, who live just 3 doors away since the "lock down" (which is how it is referred to everywhere) started. She even has a stranger (who is not allowed to come into the flat) to do her weekly shopping for her.  She can go out once a day - for exercise, and get "essential supplies" like milk (which is done at the local corner store at the end of the driveway to Old Chapel Close).

Poor Clare Sister Bear in the style of With Brown image 0
Our Poor Clare Nun is also not included in the picture of the Clerical Bears either.
The way it works is:  Isobel writes out a shopping list for the week (as she does every week anyway) and posts it (via the computer)  to the Volunteer (as the helper is called) the evening before the shopping is needed.  The Volunteer - a lovely lady called MrsCN - does it (or as much as she can if it's on the shop shelves), and when she's finished packing the items in her car, she rings  to tell Isobel  how much she owes the organisation (Age UK - a really terrific charity!) she works for.  By the time MrsCN arrives at our flat front door, Isobel has a cheque written out to pay Age UK, and hands it over while having a quick word - with at least a 2 metre (6 ft plus) distance between the two ladies, as well as Isobel handing over the previous weeks' empty shopping bags.  Then MrsCN goes off to deal with her next "isolated customer",  Isobel picks up the shopping bags, unpacks the goods and puts everything away.  This has been going on for 11 weeks now - and looks like it will be repeated for several weeks, if not months, to come.

Until a week ago, it also meant that I was perched on the window ledge of the living room window in our flat - bit of a change from my usual perch:

If Isobel had the time, this is the view she gets while she sews the Cuddlies
Shortly after lock down began, all around Kirkby in Ashfield, lots of Teddy Bears and Rainbows popped up in people's windows - in an effort to cheer everyone up as they were walking around the Town.  Even though not many people can see me (as we live on the first floor) and the complex is not directly on a road, some of the Carers who come to look after the other ladies and gentleman who live in Old Chapel Close can see me.  So Isobel thought she would give me a change of view - from sitting on her bed all day, looking at a wall.  It's been fun, but then I've also been needed a lot for farewell photos, as each Arm Puppet (be it a Tiger, Rabbit, Blue Teddy or Teddy Bear Dog - which you'll hear about in upcoming posts) is got ready to be dispatched to their new homes, almost without exception to somewhere in the United States.  Sitting in the window has meant that she hasn't had to carry me from the bedroom to the sitting room every time such a ceremony takes place.  Now the orders have slowed down, I am hoping I can remain sitting in a comfortable armchair in the living room, as there's so much more happens for me to observe - than my usual spot in the bedroom!

Sister Breda, our "Blue Nun" whose community was started, and is still based, in Nottingham is missing too
Meanwhile, Isobel is exploring how to get help from the UK Department of International Trade (DIT) in publicising the Coldham Cuddlies Shop, using a new website (whatever that is) that is being "built" for the Coldham Shop by an outfit called Yell.com - which is known as https://www.coldhamcuddlies.co.uk.  That has actually been in existence for some time, and initially was meant to publicise just the Animal Toy Hospital and the Patients being treated there.  The website is being changed now so that not only the Hospital is highlighted, but also the Shop and this Blog too.  At least I think that's what Isobel is working towards.   I don't know about these things, and suspect Isobel is busy finding out!

Dominican Father Dressed Bear In Style of the Order of image 0
Newest addition to the Clerical Bear Collection:  Fr Dunstan Bear, OP (a special order)
It will be easier for the Department of International Trade) when they become involved  to help Isobel in her task of getting us all better known globally.  Which is why Isobel has been so busy on the computer of late. They do the sort of thing she and Peter tried to do when they lived in Canada until 1987 when assisting small companies in Alberta to export overseas - especially, the Middle and Far East.  Both areas Peter knew when he was a International Business Journalist, before he and Isobel got marred, and the family moved to Alberta in 1975.  Obviously exporting stuff from the United Kingdom is very different from Alberta the concept of knowing about the other countries etc is not, so Isobel is keen to get "up to snuff" with what happens nowadays.  After all most of the internet was still being invented when that was going in in the early 1980's!! Isobel used a teleprinter to message Peter and people overseas!   They left Canada to return to the UK in 1987 - and a lot has happened and changed everywhere in the intervening years.

Apparently she's been watching/attending Webinars all about exporting.  Agreed,  that's what we've been doing all along via the  Etsy website, but this way, Isobel and Coldham Cuddlies will be helped to do it with the the DIT's  international resources behind her.  These are world-based via the UK's embassies, high commissions etc, and likely to be helpful in a different way from what is currently available to us via Etsy.com.  The latter have enabled Isobel to hone her selling skills to a mainly United States audience, with some customers coming from European and UK since 2010 -the ten years that ColdhamCuddlies has been in existence.  Now, hopefully, with the help of people who do nothing else but try to help UK businesses - even those as little as ColdhamCuddlies - to sell their goods overseas, Isobel can fulfill her "gypsy tendencies", and  hopefully find more Cuddlies homes in more overseas countries.  Exciting prospect isn't it?

Tiger Puppets Without Stripes Tiger Plush Puppets Tan Plush image 0
The "new Look" 2020 version of our Tiger Who Lost His Stripes - a story all it's own!
You'll have to wait till next week to find out what more has gone on.  It's so lovely to be back again chatting to you all.

Your Friend
Cy Bear