Going Quackers, Beary Breaks and Hentastic Additions

Well only 6 months since my last post then............!

Firstly 'Hi' to my nephew Richard, who thought I had dropped off the planet and taken my blog with me.

So......we are now owned by three Runner ducks, seen above and below. We've had them since they were 10 weeks old. Left is Tiggy (chocolate magpie) then Daisy (white) and then Beatrix (fawn). They are certainly entertaining and rather hyper. Rather more hyper than I had expected, but to be fair to them they are still only 6 months old and yet to lay. They are usually running around the garden, bolt upright (as is the Runner duck stance) and rootling through the grass. They rootled through one of our hens feathers the other day while she was dust bathing. She was quite befuddled as to what was occurring!

I'm made the hard decision to take a long break from bearmaking. Although I would get great feedback and lovely comments (Facebook and such) sales just were not happening anymore. As much as I would love to churn out bear after bear, I obviously need to sell them. I may come back to it in the future, with perhaps a brand new look! I still have bears available on my website at www.sarahsbruins.co.uk. If you would like to take a peek. The silver lining is that I've returned to my first love of drawing! (see cockerel above). It was strange to be picking up a pencil and applying it to that bright white empty page. I've been picking up fabric and scissors for 12 years before now! It's lovely to be drawing again and my confidence has had a boost by a local picture framers saying he would take some of my work to sell in his shop! Just need to find the time to knuckle down a bit more!

Above are our new hen additions! Top is Delilah, below her is Florence and then there's Bibi. They are only 18 weeks old and still 'springy' and 'bouncy' and inquisitive about everything! Our other 7 hens are still putting them in their place, but this will calm down in time.

We had a sad loss of two hens a little while back. Lettuce (cream coloured hen) developed Egg Yolk Peritonitis, of which there is really no cure, so she was put to sleep. We were heartbroken to lose suddenly our little Chick, who one of our hens hatched from an egg. The only one to hatch from 12 eggs. She was 2 years old and full of life until she suddenly became ill one evening and by the morning we had lost her. It's a tough time when we lose our furry and feathered family members.

Well, to end on a brighter note.......in my next post, will tell you about Miriam Margoyles coming to the Museum! She arranged to come and see the original manuscript of Great Expectations, which was given to the Museum many years ago by a friend of Charles Dickens. I sadly missed meeting her. I was there when she arrived, but then had to shoot off to the dentist! Such is my luck.........

Anyway... 'speak soon'.

Sarah xxx