Starting Afresh - First Cuddly with a New Look

Goodness gracious me - but it is such a long time since I've been able to talk to you - Cy Bear back with you again!

As the title of this post indicates, we at Coldham Cuddlies are thinking of starting afresh in various ways.  Jogged into action by Isobel's recent differences with her computer, we've joined a new Team on Etsy.com - called Friends R Us, and from all accounts it's going to keep Isobel busy, as well as hopefully raise the Cuddlies profile at the tame time.  (There's a lot of daily supporting each other that goes on, and lots of Treasuries and things involved as well). The Shop is going to be re-jigged, beginning with new titles and new tags - if and when there is time for it happen that is.  Finally, but actually most importantly, new Cuddlies will be coming in to the Shop (www.Etsy.com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES).  I'll qualify that last statement by saying that perhaps they won't ALL be brand new specimens, but different versions of old favourites - just like our Frog, which Isobel has been working with over the past few days.

He's made from the same pattern used to make our previous Green Frogs - who have had either light green undersides or orange ones in the past - and Isobel has decided to another multiple offer.  This one has been listed  in the Shop earlier this week under this link -

https://www.etsy.com/listing/116285186/stuffed-frog-brown-and-yellow-animal-art?ref=shop_home_active_1

(Alas, pictures of our original Green Frogs are not currently available, I don't think - until Isobel has a chance to look at the photographs she did back up, well before the computer crashed a couple of weeks ago.  Otherwise, because she's enjoying making these guys at the moment, it may mean she makes a couple of the Green ones again - but I do know the fabric for them is running out, so that may be ALL she can do in that particular colour format.)

In case the link doesn't work, I'm going to show you some other views of this fellow - which Isobel has found a lot easier to work with this time around.  She'd realised that it was in fact easier to follow the instructions given in the pattern - TO THE LETTER - rather than make him the way she THOUGHT was even better!!   (It wasn't actually!)

 It's resulted in almost three versions of Mr. Frog being made in 10 days or so of evening sewing.  One remains to be stuffed:  the other is in the throes of being put together.  As you must realise, in effect Isobel has to make each one twice, then sew the limbs on to the body, and then sew the underside to the rest of the body after that. 

She's  hopeful that all three will be ready to be offered for sale by the middle of the coming week, because she's not going to be living in two different places from now on.  Clare and Alan have been busy getting to know and cope with their adoptive son in the last 12 days or so, and it's meant that at times Isobel has been staying up the road with their dog and two cats - feeding them at regular intervals and walking the canine too.  We are all hoping that as of this week, Little Person will be allowed home for good and can carry on getting settled - as he's shown every sign of doing to date.  Isobel can then spend all day at home, because for the next few weeks, no one is allowed near the house to enable the parent/child bonding process to strengthen.  So far so good:  and everyone can't wait until some sort of  "normality" can be achieved.

Meanwhile, here is a close up of Mr. Frog to end this post.

Hope to be back with you again next week - it will depend on what Isobel's sewing and other plans end up achieving.  Meanwhile, have a great week everyone. 

Your friend, Cy Bear.

Some other Animals of my acquaintance.

Hello there Everyone:

As promised last week when I bemoaned my stupidity in handling my "trusty" computer (or should that be MIS-handling?), this week has not been as fraught,  I've been pleasantly surprised to find that somehow on sites like One Drive I seem to have got some more pictures of former Cuddlies that might prove useful in the future.  Also, on Friday night, while surfing (a VERY DANGEROUS occupation as folks will realise in view of my proclivity towards clicking on buttons without realising what will happen next), I made another lovely discovery - some files that will be even more useful.

Among the finds was the fact that,  somehow, the list of nearly  ALL of the  80+ different  Cuddlies included in the shop (www.Etsy.com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES) was still available for use.  Now how come I managed to save these, and not the others which were in the same place on my computer, I will never know.  But no matter:  I have something to work with!!  Hurrah!

When moving north last year, I inadvertently discarded the typed version of this list, which included all the prices for each Cuddly and the Etsy Shop section in which they appear. (It had become very tattered and difficult to keep in once piece though).  It was invaluable when blogging,  allowing me to refer to the actual reference number for each Toy.  One of the jobs planned for the summer break was to re-do the list.  Now I only have to edit it, and add the newer Cuddlies that have appeared since the original was thrown out!  Except that I have to work out how to change the format in which it originally appeared (and is filed on One Drive) so that I don't lose all the elements in the interim!! Having got this far, am confident I shall find a way.

Now, to the other Animals I re-met during my recent trip back to Heytesbury.  They include one dog - a Lurcher named Blackberry, who answers fairly readily to "Berry", and two cats (who were mere kittens when I left a year ago) called Pelinore and Merlin.  The latter are two brothers, from the same litter, but one would never know it!

Talk about a guilty  look - but, for once, she did not actually have anything to be guilty about!  Berry when I knew her last year was still small enough to be able to JUST squeeze herself through the cat flap - and take off - often to the The Hospital of St. John, an almshouse complex of bungalows, apartments and studio flats for the more mature and where I had lived with Peter since 2008, until he died in 2012.  Not every resident was willing, or sometimes capable,  to entertain a puppy, so it was an interesting test of village neighbourliness in the early days!  I sometimes found myself called upon - because of my relationship with Widget - to catch Berry and return her home!

I  used to dog-sit Berry's predecessor - a Boston Terrier called Widget.  Unfortunately, Widget died earlier in 2014, and Berry was rapidly found to replace her.  Her owners have a number of grandchildren, who are regular visitors, and a dog is regarded as an indispensable part of the family when it comes to keeping them happy and occupied.

Berry's particular friend in the animal part of the family is Merlin - who is a cuddly armful of fur, who is never happier than when being fussed by his humans.  Unfortunately, he is also ready to play with anything that comes into his sights - and Berry on form, is hard to miss.  Because of the difference in size, Merlin often comes off worst in a play-game - and tends to look scruffier than his brother, Pelinore - who is a much more distant feline who definitely considers such rough and tumble goings-on to be beneath him.

This picture was taken before he launched himself at me - in a vain attempt to reach me and climb up onto my shoulder.  Regrettably, he does this often (usually choosing the rear of the target human), and his claws are remarkably adept at keeping him in place, once he has achieved his objective!)  Despite that, he's a very loveable little fellow and his purrs sound much louder than he looks capable of producing.

Merlin particularly enjoys licking Berry, who puts up with the attention for so long and then moves to stop the attention happening!  

The resulting fur grab, results in Merlin looking very shaggy and ruffled in his spinal region as  show in another view of Merlin, still with the look of choosing the area of human anatomy that he wants to land on - immediately!

And then, there is the aloof, Pelinore:

While Merlin is curled up in the background, Pelinore is about to get going on his daily rounds of the big garden in which his home is situated.  The birds and other small creatures are duly wary of his attention and when the weather is fine, Pelinore spends most of the day outside.  When he does condescend to come inside, he'll find a comfortable chair, bed or window sill on which to perch - and may, sometimes, be joined by his brother.  He's does not encourage cuddles or fussing - and does spend a lot of time preening his coat and keeping it in good order.  He's still a beautiful cat - with potential to grow into his fur, methinks.

"Now - what shall it do next?"

As with all Lurchers, Berry has a good turn of speed and loves to run up and down the long garden where she lives.  This final photo shows her getting ready for one such spin up and down her favourite paths.

Nowadays, as you will realise - Berry is only able to fit her head through the cat flap, which is her way of greeting anyone who comes to the back door.

Next week, as mentioned last week, I'll show you some recent pictures of  the Hospital of St. John taken during my visit there in July - and include some other shots of the garden there, which survived the computer meltdown.  

Until next week - have a good one, everyone.  Isobel.

PS:  These photographs would not have been available were it not for the friendship and hospitality extended by the animals' owner, Katherine and Mark Venning:  both with long time family connections to the Organ Building firm of Harrison & Harrison Ltd - details of which can be found by clicking here   www.harrisonorgans.com

Incidentally, Coldham Cuddlies have been adopted by the Venning family too.