Well this is the last of the flowerbeary guardians for the moment, mainly because I've run out of pretty glass flowers . This little lady is the Phlox Guardian and her expression made me laugh so much I did something I rarely do...I left the quirky mouth alone! Oh no! Could this mean a slip in quality? Nah, I just like the uncertain way she looks, it was how I felt making her. One of those bears where you know the mohair is too long for the pattern but hell, you've sewn the legs so on with the show! You know you're going to have to trim more and more...you aren't sure about the colour and finally when you've made it you sit back and think...actually that bear makes me laugh. So blow it! If nobody wants her she can stay with me. I can honestly say though the trickiest thing about this bear was finding a pink coloured spring flower! Eeeeeekkkkk!!!! It's not easy, especially when all you can think of is Tulip, but that won't do because they aren't Tulips that she's holding! Out came the myriad of herbals and gardening books, and there was much thumbing until I found a variety of Phlox that was named Marjorie. It was a sign! Help was at hand! It has the same name as my late Nan, and the same do for you expression.
So onto the next bear! Looks as though I'll have plenty of time seeing as college was cancelled all week, bit tricky, I'd bought my flowers for the task at hand. I'm doing Floristry and while I love doing arrangements, coursages are not my favourite thing in the world....maybe because once upon a long ago, they were one of the things I had to make lots of...and if I manage to pass my qualifications I will have to make them again. But anyway, the snow, it's madness! How can a whole country grind to a halt over six inches of snow? I mean places like Canada have it worse and my friend Vera in the states was telling me that they have a snowplough go around over there! I had to laugh as the governement official tried to worm his way out of why London has literally stopped through it...his excuse? It was the wrong quantity of snow!
How inconsiderate of the British weather to put such a spanner in his works...isn't there a EU guideline to tell the clouds just how much to drop, what size flakes and what shape?
The upshot of this is it's been a great day. Kev got up really early while I was twisting and tormenting myself with gardening books and he made the kids a sleigh. Unfortunately the snow is too deep where we went for it to move very far so we are hoping it'll ice up a bit and then it should go like the clappers! Can't wait! We took our three little dogs with us. Bella and Bonnie the cavalier king charles girlies loved it, but came back covered in snowballs, the poor things had snow clinging to their legs, their tummies and their bottoms. As soon as we got in they made a beeline for the radiator and snugged down for a sleep. Tallulah my little rat dog, was in her element and didn't want to come in, but she was freezing, so we've changed her coat and look at her now in that very first picture...have you ever seen such a big smile? Now that's someone who has the right idea about how to deal with the snow bless her muddy little paw prints. Lmao...yeah...as you can see...not a lot of ironing done either!
Well this is Scrumpy Jack, all ready to go with me and his apples to Rivington Barn on the 13th of march. This was a pattern that I've been working on for a good three years, they started life as squat little dumpling bears and then got stretched and tweaked until they looked like this! Great, but the amount of work that goes into them...phenomenal! Five hours on the sculpted toes and face alone, which I suppose serves me right for being so pernickety! But he's done and hopefully he'll be adopted too before too long. 
