Here's a Quickie - a Christmas Farewell

Hello Everyone:  Cy Bear  here, to tell you about the Farewell to Silvery Brown Furry Bear (SBFB for short!) - who is on his way tomorrow to White Plains, NY, USA.

He's been waiting to make his travel arrangements since the beginning of December, but it was only this morning that the payment was received.  So his travel plans were speeded up and he will be posted from the Codford Post Office tomorrow morning, using a special postal travel plan which we hope will get him to his Forever Home in time for Christmas Day.

SBFB all wrapped up, ready for the journey

The payment evidently got caught in the "Christmas delivery holdups", Isobel tells me - whatever that may be!  Anyway the cheque arrived in a lovely Christmas card to Isobel, who only then found out that the Lady buying SBFB is a family friend.  She and her husband are former neighbours of IvyM (Forever Friend of Mons. Reynard and Mme. Lapin - who have both been patients in our Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing # 79124185), with each having had their treatment reports earlier this year.

 In case folks wish to be reminded, Mme Lapin was featured in two posts on February 18 and 20, 2012, and the Rejuvenation of Mons. Reynard was posted on March 4 and 7, 2012). 

MrsPC-F, is the grandmother of MylesF who lives in White Plains, and she and her husband, MrC-F, live in Florida.  So, when we parcelled up SBFB, I wrote a little note to MylesF - just explaining what was happening and introducing SBFB  as his new Forever Friend.

I naturally could not tell MylesF - who is only 4 months old - what his new Forever Friend  is called - because, of course, that will be  for Myles to decide, and of course one cannot spoil the surprise.  I'm sure, however, that SBFB won't remain Silvery Brown Bear's nick-name for very long - it's not terribly Forever Friendly, I don't think!


Anyway, I'll close this now - so that we can all go to bed.  Hope you're all well and getting ready for Christmas - it's my first real Christmas this year, and I'm getting quite excited by all this.  Isobel is going to be away - which is why she and I will be sharing the blogging in the next week or two and I'm being left on guard of the other Coldham Cuddlies while she is away.  It is an immense responsibility!

Bye for now. Cy Bear.

  

Treatments recently offered in the Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic

In our post  on November 15 ("A Commissioned Coyote + a Rocking Horse called Prince), Cy Bear first referred to the Bear Quintet of Patients in our Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic, together with a picture of them all sitting in, or near, the Lloyd Loom Chair in my bedroom.  It is pleasing to be able to announce that three of them have now received their treatments, and we'll be posting about them in the next few blogs.

However, there is one thing that needs to be highlighted.  A very new Etsy acquaintance suggested in a series of  convos late last week  that the Clinic might be better named  if it were to be referred to as The ColdhamCuddlies' Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic.   Cy Bear and I could not agree more - so, that is how  Etsy Listing #79124185 will be named in future. The title has already been changed in our shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies to reflect this change. 

The November 15 post dealt, in the main, with the way our Tweed Coated Coyote had been constructed.  We can now tell you what has happened to him since.  He's arrived at his Forever Home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will eventually become the Forever Friend of recently arrived AndyB, daughter Clare's most recent Godson.  He was also accompanied by the Yellow Plush Baby Bunny (the last of his variety due to my having run out of the fabric) and here is a picture taken of them both prior to their departure. This little fella has been given to AndyB as one of his first toys, as he only arrived on December 6.

(You will see that Cy Bear is included in this official Farewell photograph!  I know when I'm beaten - although I do hasten to add that past omissions in this regard have not been intentional.  Merely, there has been a need to catch the post and it's not necessarily been convenient to set up camera and Cy Bear prior to their departures!)

In this photograph, another Yellow Bunny is included.  He was also a Patient in the Clinic, having travelled back with me after we had interred Peter's ashed in early November.  He had spent the last few decades in a cupboard belonging to PatC - Fred Bear's Forever Friend (himself a former Clinic Patient) - and appeared when she was turning out her haberdashery hoard which has since been donated to me.  I had to leave the hoard with Philippa when I came back because there was so much of it.

(The hoard has been duly delivered, but I've been so tied up with the treatment of the Wagstaff Bears (three of the Quintet) that there's been no time to do the sorting properly.  That's one of my New Year resolutions! )

Little Yellow Bunny was sadly in need of further sustenance.  His years in the cupboard had resulted in much of his stuffing be knocked out of him, and he was minus his fluffy white tail.  PatC asked if I would put him right, and it did not take long to sort him!  He was de-stuffed of what remained in his little tummy, had a good wash in soapy water (and changed colour!) and then had his innards replaced, together with a replacement white fluffy bobtail.  He now looks like this - and has been returned to PatC, who I think intends to return him to his original Forever Friend - her son! 

(As is my custom, I have taken a template of this little guy, and he will be appearing in our Shop (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies) sometime in the New Year!  The Wagstaff Bears used up most of my stuffing store, so I had to get a refill last week.  At the same time, I picked up some new fabrics - both plush fur and other toy-making fabrics - and they too will be featuring as replacements or new Cuddlies in 2013.)

The treatment of the three Wagstaff Bears is now complete - and since there is quite a lot to tell you about their individual treatments, I intend to break the reports into three separate posts (hopefully drafting them before leaving Heytesbury for the Christmas Holiday with Philippa in High Wycombe.

 (As mentioned earlier, I leave on Thursday, December 20 travelling by train, via London.  The idea is that I will be driven back either on Sunday, December 30 or Wednesday, January 2 (depending on prevailing weather conditions at the time).  Emails and blog will be checked during that time, but will no posts will be  be compiled - hence the drafting plan:)


 Thus, I shall end this post, and get going on the next few posts!  Meanwhile, here is a picture of the three Wagstaff Bears - as they were upon arrival at the beginning of December.

L to R:  Bum Bear, Mohair Bear and Ted Bear - the Wagstaff  Bears