Still no Internet access to download pictures, I manage to use Austins laptop computer when he is eating or at work, I swear he would be permanently attached to the computer if he could be.
I am settling in, I am lucky in that I know London really well from all the times that I have visited so can find my way around very easily.
Have applied for a couple of jobs and will be sending CV's off to a few more next week, so now it is just a waiting game. I have managed to put all my stuff away and have taken over a corner of the dining room table to work on, will really have to get used to not having a dedicated workroom any more but so far it is working out well. I sit and look out the window at the London traffic at a big intersection which is interesting and rather distracting, no accidents to see yet but I would not be surprised if it happens.
I am being so spoilt, Yoon-Mi (Austin's girlfriend) also shares the flat with us and when she gets home from work she makes dinner and puts it down in front of me, I have got used to Korean food very quickly and it is actually very tasty although I am not that fond of rice and there is a lot of that. I will have to start cooking again,|I am not used to being so lazy.
Have started working on bears so hopefully should have something for eBay next week.
I really miss my furry children, my Jessie poodle was my constant shadow and one of the kitties was always sleeping in the workroom. I also really miss Mom, bear making is a lonely occupation and we always had each other to talk to and discuss ideas and problems. I really am grateful for the computer and my mobile phone it makes it feel as if we aren't to far away from each other.

Living in London

I have arrived. After a few chaotic days and sleepless nights and many, many hours of packing I am in London. It has been a crazy time over the last couple of months and as per my usual style I didn't really start packing until last week and only packed my suitcases on Tuesday the day I went to the airport. Most of my books and stuff are in storage waiting to be sent with my parents stuff when they sell the house but I have 4 boxes waiting to be posted to me and had 2 suitcases to take on the plane. Pretty scary stuff to find your life reduced to that amount of stuff although I am still a major hoarder and love all my things around me. The most important stuff in the suitcase besides clothes was my bear making materials, thank goodness I make mini bears because as it is I had to seriously decide on what fabrics to bring with me. Wendy and I have just always brought fabric together and stored it together and shared everything it is going to be so strange not to have her across the table to offer advise and make me laugh.
The airport arrival was interesting, I had to pay for excess baggage - £70 (R1232) a serious amount of money. The flight was okay but I won't even go into the table manners of the guy sitting next to me. Now for an interesting bit of info, I am sure I heard stuff shifting around under my feet on the plane but didn't think too much of it. When we landed everyone jumped up as per usual, myself included when the captain said that they had a big cargo of freight on the plane and it had shifted during the flight and was now all in the tail section of the plane so we would all have to wait for 10 mins before getting off as they were worried that if the people got off first the plane would tip backwards, believe it or not.
The plane landed early so even with the wait I got thru very quickly. Immigration was very quick as I had my x-rays ready and it is only a small bit of paper they fill in, they must have all the info already from when I got my visa.
My suitcases were already waiting and I got thru customs straight away. I was impressed with the new Terminal 5 although it is so huge you spend a lot of time walking. Austin (my brother) met me and then we had the 2 hour underground journey to get to Golders Green. The little flat is really nice and Wendy sorted out my room when she was here for the bear fair in Stratford at the beginning of the month.
It is so strange being here on my own, Wendy and I have always stayed in London for the bear fairs so we know the city very well but we always did the shopping together, oh well it wont be long before they will be here. I really miss my Jessie poodle and my kitties, I couldn't sleep last night because I am used to Jessie by my side and Mishka fighting for pillow space.
I will put some pictures up soon I am able, I am using my brothers computer and trying to get him away from it for any length of time is a challenge. Hopefully it wont be long before my computer is connected to the Internet.
Have started to settle in and it wont be long before some new bears are finished.

Unsettled

Still no finished duck and seen as I have mentioned it twice I obviously feel the need to complete him. I am very unsettled today, I have bears to make, a couple of half done samples for kits but the huge pile of ironing that is threatening to fall over has to be done (I positively loath ironing).
I then decided that I need to find the washing instructions for my winter coat and I know that they are in a drawer somewhere, well I cleaned out a drawer (I am a pack rat because the drawer is now almost empty and nothing important was being kept) and then found the instructions in another drawer.
The main problem is that I leave in 11 days time and need to sort out my life and actually pack stuff into 3 piles. Pile 1: stuff to take on the plane with me. Pile 2: stuff to get sent to me. Pile 3: stuff to be left in a neat order for when the house finally sells and the moving company comes and packs everything.

megan chamberlain

adopt your own virtual pet!

It has been a quiet weekend, icy cold even though it hasn't rained. Worked on kits on Saturday.
Sunday was house cleaning in the morning and then in the afternoon we had people coming to look at the house. Selling a house is not easy but we couldn't have put it on the market at a worse time, the interest rate is going up again next week, we just have to be patient I suppose. One couple really loved the house but wanted another parking and more garden. This is an old Victorian terrace house and space for all of that is just not available.
Started stitching some new bears and looking through my box I found the
poor unfinished duck that I started at Easter time so a companion must be found for him.

Bear Fair

Wendy left for London on Thursday, luckily the flights are in the evening because I was still trying to finish clothes and label the bears a few hours before the plane left and thank goodness we live close to the airport.
I keep on saying that I will be more organised for the next show but I think after 15 years of doing it I can't change, must thrive on the adrenalin rush ( who am I kidding, I am just disorganised).
The website has been updated with all the latest show pieces www.essentialbears.net
so if you have a minute please go and have a look.

A whole month has gone past so quickly and so much seems to have happened. ( technically we are already in June but lets deal with May first)
The Bear Fair on the 1st May was fantastic we did really well and lots of bears found new homes and we sold a lot of kits. I wanted to go and see my sister for a change instead of her always having to come and visit us but the crazy stupid thing to do was book my flight for the day after the fair, it was chaos trying to pack and plan in a couple of hours before the flight.
Made it in time and Bronwen met me at the airport, drove through to Hillcrest (about an hour outside of Durban). We grew up there and it was so nice to visit all the old places, although it has changed from a small farming community to a huge commuter town. The Main road and surrounds have all changed and it was only infrequently that I got a glimpse of the way it was but the residential areas on a whole haven't changed. There is no more farming, the big sugar cane fields are all gone and in their place are very fancy housing developments. Such is progress I suppose I most probably wouldn't have noticed it quite so much if I had carried on living there

This is our old house, rather changed from when we lived there.
My sister has a beautiful dog called Max. He is a gentle soul, takes after his Labrador mother in nature and his Chou father in looks.
Bronwen also volenteers for an animal welfare group and she fosters dogs until a home can be found for them. Bella came to her a couple of months ago, heavily pregnant and with her companion Boomer, they had been abandoned by their previous owners. Boomer found a home quickly and after Bella had her puppies and the 6 weeks rearing needed her puppies found homes but no luck for the little girl. She is such a lovely little girl, well she kept me company while my sister was at work.
I stayed with my sister for a week and had a lovely time especially with shopping, there are some really nice craft shops in Durban. Came home on the Saturday and then during the following week Bella found a home. I dont know how my sister does it I would have kept all of them, proberbly why we have 1 french poodle and 5 cats living with us at the moment.
Posted bears of to Bear Paths in America for the latest internet show and what happens they go MIPS (missing in postal system) Finally turned up but not in time for the show.
Then I caught some dreadful stomach bug and was out of action for about four days. That sort of virus really knocks the stuffing out of you. seems to take a couple of weeks to feel normal again.

So that brings us to the end of May. Now it is the last minute frantic rush to get the bears ready for the Teddy Bear Artist Event in Stratford-upon-Avon.