At last the sun shone!

This weekend was very busy for us sleepy South Hams people (and newfies). We had guests!! Not one set, but three sets of people came to visit us in the course of only a week. Ben and Amy were overcome with hospitality, with so many people to snuffle, kiss and generally keep an eye on!!

Visitors are soooooo exhausting - Ben didn't even manage to finish his treat. Amy finished it for him later!!

Friday was Sasha's Christening. Sasha is my Russian friend Elona's young son - and I am his VERY proud godmother. The service was lovely and we were sooo lucky with the weather - at last the sun came out! After the service we all went back to Rory and Elona's for refreshments and were able to enjoy the novel (for this summer anyway) experience of sitting outside on the patio. Rory (who is very competitive) challenged Kyran (who is 5) to a game of Jenga.

Sadly for Rory on this occasion experience did not triumph over youth!!

Kyran was jubilant and Rory gracious in defeat. So everyone was happy!!

The following day we decided to take the number 93 to Dartmouth and indulge in a little liquid refreshment in the Cherub Inn. The Cherub dates back to around 1380 and features many low beams and wobbly floors - just right to trap the unwary drinker or unobservant tourist. We love it for its great atmosphere and extreme dog-friendliness. I am pleased to report that a tin of dog biscuits is kept behind the bar for distribution to all canine visitors. Sadly only one newf at a time can visit as the floor space simply isn't large enough for my two furry friends to lounge around.

I think that the bus route from Torcross to Dartmouth must be one of the most beautiful in the country. My camera was still in my bag from yesterday's christening so I was able to take quite a few photos from the top deck as we rattled along the narrow roads, pausing only to terrorise caravan and camper van drivers into submission. I love to sit at the front and watch the look of pure terror on some drivers' faces when they're faced with a series of narrow bends and an immovable double decker bus! (Yes I know I am a very bad person!!)

Anyway, back to the photos ..... please ignore the strange reflections and wobbles as they were taken through the window.

Slapton Ley from the bus stop at Torcross.

Sweeping view across Start Bay

On the beach at Blackpool Sands - could almost be the south of France - but there's nobody in the extremely chilly water!!

Looking down into Dartmouth

View across to Kingswear

Dartmouth was surprisingly quiet for a sunny Saturday in August - perhaps everyone was making the most of the unusually sunny weather by heading off to the beaches or onto the water. The pirates were in town ..

So we headed inland ...

One of my favourite shops

View across the Boat Float

Then the number 93 took us home again. On the way home the farmers were busy taking advantage of the sunny spell and I was struck by the golden corn and the feeling that soon the year will turn again and autumn is only just around the corner.

But there's still some more summer to come (I hope!) - the Dartmouth Regatta at the end of the month, then I'm exhibiting at Kingsbridge Show. I've also signed up for the Christmas Candlelit Shopping in Dartmouth, so keeping very very busy!

Bustle & Sew, my new blog

I've decided to start a new blog in addition to this one ... and I'm calling it "Bustle & Sew" (more about that below!)

I've found that things are becoming very muddled - I want to blog about all my new ideas and products, but also about the life I enjoy here in Devon with my two naughty newfies, Amy and Ben. So Bustle & Sew will be more of a "how to" blog incorporating some tutorials and giveaways from my business, DevonBear Designs and lots of crafty photos and links, while stories of our day-to-day life will remain here. Hopefully this makes sense and if anyone decides to visit Bustle & Sew you'll enjoy some of the pictures and tutorials I'm going to put together over the coming weeks and months.

The name ... well ... I wanted to keep it separate from DevonBear Designs and was stuck for ideas until I remembered my names for the two newfies .... Amy bustles around looking very important and girly while Ben slinks through even the smallest space (not bad for 11 stone of dog!) with his young, flexible body. Clearly Bustle and Slink wasn't really going to be suitable, but what about "Bustle & Sew"? I thought. Especially as Amy likes to sit with me while I stitch. So a new blog is born.

Next week I'll be posting a tutorial for my handmade heart brooches (shown at the top of this entry on my new blog) - just in time for Valentine's Day. If you don't have time to make them yourself, then they are available for purchase on my website. I've crafted them from vintage Welsh blanket scraps, but felt would be just as good.

Amy's accident - and a new idea!

Last weekend Amy was a competition at the village fete - "Guess the weight of the dog". Here she is wearing her special harness complete with bunting! She of course had a great time as the centre of attention, and I went along to act as her minder. I spent a couple of hours accepting people's twenty-pences and recording their estimates of her rather too substantial weight. This was great fun, especially as helpers received free cups of tea all afternoon!

You can see in the photo above that she stands with her bum very rounded and her back legs tucked under her at an angle. She also walks in a crooked fashion due to a spinal injury sustained in her earlier life when she used to do water rescue work. She has a huge jagged scar running all the way down her back and can't raise her tail - it's a very funny shape having been broken in several places. She does the cutest little wag of just the tip when she's really happy, and she isn't in any pain now (except on damp mornings) as she is on medication from the vet. She still loves swimming which is the best therapy of all for her.

Is this a happy dog? I think so!

Anyway, all that time spent contemplating the roundness of Amy's backside started me thinking ... and I've come up with THE AMIE BAG!!!

Note how perfectly the shape of the bag corresponds to the shape of the sleeping Amy. Do you think this is a legitimate design technique? Should I offer myself as a special speaker on design courses? Probably not ... but I still think the Amie Bag looks really good. Vintage linen too, so recycled - just like Amy! It will have its debut on the DevonBears stall at the Saltram Craft Fair next month, so I hope the customers there like it too!!

A weekend at Exeter Craft Festival

Today is not going to be a blog about the newfies ... in fact I haven't seen them all weekend as they've been banished to boot-camp (aka the most wonderful kennels in Devon, let's run straight into the play area and not even bother to say goodbye to our mum)!

But they wouldn't have enjoyed this weekend at all, as the DevonBears have been at Exeter Craft Festival meeting lots of nice people and selling loads of stuff. We had a great weekend, in the most wonderful surroundings as the stalls were set up on the Cathedral Green. You can't see the stalls on the photo below, but they were just off camera to the left.

The only bad bit of the day was trying to navigate our way around Exeter's one-way system - we could see the Cathedral in the distance, but whichever turning we chose we found ourselves heading back out of town again. Marital disharmony threatened, but more by luck than judgement, we found a very-well hidden side street and suddenly we were there! We quickly set up our stall ....
Not a moment too early as vistors soon started to arrive ...

The junior team member (aka husband) was overcome with fatigue and abandoned his post for a quick cup of tea and newspaper break ...

Then the band began to play...

And he quickly returned to his post... (I wanted pink stripey staff uniform aprons but he refused to wear pink - spoilsport!)

Visitors came from across the globe - some travelling great distances to reach the DevonBears stand ...
Some of our products are off to far-flung places such as Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong - wow - my bags and aprons are better-travelled than I am!

Two days of fun, sunshine and hard work!! But a great time was had by all - we sold out of some things, and loads of feedback - more bunnies are needed!! A day off today, then collect my furry friends tomorrow (don't suppose Ben will want to come home) and start on the orders.