2008? where did 2007 go?

I mean it, where did 2007 go? last post was May and this is New Years Eve, yes I know sad, sitting blogging on the last day of the year but I have to, it's kind of like when you are about to go on holiday and you have to get everything done before you go, so I have to pack in the last 7 months before midnight, plus I am driving tonight so it will take my mind off the fact that I can't have a drink until NEXT YEAR!!!

Review of the Summer (like they do in the papers!!)
Well, since starting the Peerie Burra Bears it's been mad, they have taken over from the big one's, so it's great they are popular. Bears in general have been going well, with a few new outlets, Scottish Parliament Shop, new outlet at Edinburgh Airport and of course the new Museum and Archives got their own exclusive range with Fair Isle pieces inspired by the collection's on show.

Maggie, wir peerie Border Terrier is a proper terrier so I decided to take her to dog classes, what a bloody nightmare, she was the worst dog, just wanted to kill every other dog (all of whom were far bigger than her!), and the barking, it was embarrassing, even the man who ran the classes had bother with her, I did persevere for a few weeks but then swapped my Sunday afternoon trip to the Tingwall Greenhouses for a proper Sunday denner and a nice bottle of red wine!! much less stress especially seeing as 'me Man' has taken over the Sunday denner cooking - RESULT!

The House saga continues, were planning to build at Houss at da Sooth End, absolutely gorgeous spot overlooking Papil, just a hassle trying to buy the bit of land, although I think we are nearly there with a huge helping hand from Betty 'wir cooncillor', I know for a fact that if it wasn't for her we would still be where we were 8 months ago - THANKS BETTY!!!

The house plans are also coming along nicely, well that's from our point of view, Planning Dept thinks differently, but I guess that's what they are there for, so we'll leave that one for next year?

'Me Man', his dad and wir nephew climbed up Ben Nevis, with a peerie Burra Bear in tow, he phoned me from the top, ah modern technology! he also changed his job (again), going back to an office based job and swapping the boiler suit for a North Face jacket, this time there was no going back as it's permanent!

I did Flavour of Shetland event on Victoria Pier, it went well, looks like it may not take place next year, cooncil spending too much money on it, nothing new there then! it will be shame though, it's hard work but great fun, Minty helped out so it was lightsome. Big Sis even managed to nab Chico the Clown to come to hers on the Sunday night and do a magic show for her birthday.

Me lass, got a job and won the local heat of Futurechef (Inverness in January 08 for next round).

Me and Big Sis went to London to see Norah Jones, god I do love her music but holy heck, it was like torture being at the concert, I honestly nearly fell asleep, it was a mad dash to get there as we'd been shopping, and then we had to wait about 3 hours before she actually came on in The Hammersmith Apollo, which was actually a slightly bigger version of the North Star in Lerwick. They kept coming with more and more different guitars for her to play, to end up with I was nearly greetin, the only saving grace of the whole concert was the man who played at the beginning, M.Ward, he was amazing!! Actually the best bit of the whole night was eating Chinese food after midnight in the middle of London!

We actually had a really good time in London, although Big Sis thought I didn't enjoy it! I just wasn't taken in with all the sights, it just seemed really peerie, and as for the Palace, well all you could see was Japanese Tourists, horses backsides (that would be the police horses). Things I did enjoy - the big hotel room we got, breakfast at the Wolsley & Fortnum & Mason (although I swear the Kiwi fruit tasted like onions!), Madame Tussuad's, lunch at Carluccios, copious quantities of Supermarket Cava (which was situated next door to our Hotel), in our hotel room with Harrods sandwiches, mmmmm, and the best was getting dressed up and drinking Champagne at the Ritz, it was perfect!

And the worst was the next day, when I was feeling pretty rough, getting to the airport late, missing our flight. Although we did have an angel watching over us as we managed to get on a later flight thanks to a really lovely lady behind the BA desk.

Clickimin Craft Fair went well, we were ultra organised as a committee, and everything ran smoothly, even thinking about having something similar in the Summertime.

So, to sum it all up, had a pretty mad busy year, ate lots of takeaways, spent the last 7 months in my shed working (me lass threatened to get me a bed to put out there!), had a weird night singing Karaoke in the Marlex, was part of the 100 Shetland Women exhibition at Bonhoga, had a really good meal somewhere other than Montys? the Queens Hotel restaurant, but the one thing that still confuses me is the Berlingo? why?

Happy New Year! xx

Bears, bears everywhere

Ok, so where did March and April go? this is 1st May and I have kind of lost the last 8 weeks, I think it may have had something to do with the fact that we launched a new Burra Bear, the 'peerie' Burra Bear and it has been mad trying to keep up with the orders since. I thought it was about time we had a new bear as it was 10 years since the very first Burra Bear was made, we did launch the 'peerie oolet' last year, but this is the next big thing, as so many folk have been asking for a peerie version for so long now.

Lots of orders to catch up on this week, and keeping the shops stocked as it is Folk Festival weekend, so lots of visitors around. Guess that means no drams for me this weekend, just lots and lots of woolly bears to make.

Burra Bears holiday

I forgot to mention, in January I visited the Whiteness School to present them with Jeemsie the Burra Bear. Jeemsie was chosen to take part in the Island Bear City Bear project, the Whiteness School had teemed up with a School in Glasgow, they both swop a bear and the bear stays with them for a few months, each child in the class takes the bear home with them and they visit different places in their own town or city. This gives the children a taste of life in different places, and educates them through the bear. The whole visit is detailed on the website, www.bearsholiday.edublogs.org , have a look at how Jeemsie the Burra Bear is getting on in Glasgow and how Mungo the Glasgow Bear is getting on in Shetland.

Elsi Arrub appears

Andrew Halcrow's yacht, Elsi Arrub has appeared, off Australia, it is still in one piece, which is great news. I met Andrew's sister Marilyn yesterday and she said they had the boat under tow, so peerie 'Andrew o Fuglaness' will soon be on dry land and my what stories that Burra Bear will have to tell, his adventures on board as sole captain for all those months, he will be a very important Burra Bear, and will hopefully raise plenty money for the CATS appeal on his return.

Poopy bags

Being the owner of 2 little dogs, Sparky a very wonderful long legged, long wire haired Jack Russell and Peerie Maggie, a determined but cute Border Terrier, I am very aware of what comes out of their back ends! I always make sure I take Poopy bags out with me when I go for a walk and insist me Man and me Lass do the same (every jacket pocket in our house contains one!). I am always horrified when out walking to see other dog's mess which has been left on the pavement, road, grass by the irresponsible owners, really how difficult is it pick it up? Anyone owning a dog should be made to pick it up, and I am glad they now fine folk for not doing this, just wish the Council folk who enforce this would come out here and catch them at it! Anyone walking a dog whether it belongs to them or someone else really should be aware of the mess they leave behind. I am particularly annoyed about this as Peerie Maggie has the most disgusting habit of eating other dogs mess, it is absolutely gross, Sparky used to do this when he was small but it was usually sheep's mess (and that's another thing, but don't get me started!), which somehow didn't seem so bad, or maybe I just got used to it lying all over the place.
The SIC even give away Poopy bags for free from their department at Grantfield, so there really is no excuse!
But it all comes down to the usual thing, people need to be educated, and if what I saw the other day is anything to go by there's not much hope! Sitting in my shed sewing bears I looked out the window to see a young mother with baby in buggy, stop on her way up the road, take a drink out of a plastic juice bottle and proceed to throw it over the railing and into the sea (or onto the pier, not sure which), so, what hope is there for the children when the parents are doing this?

Doing my bit

I am doing my bit for the environment, well I have always recycled bottles (regular trips to the bottle bank, with beer and wine empties), and have tried to re-use anything I can, then last week on Radio Shetland I heard of a new scheme to recycle plastic and newspaper. The Council is to deliver purple and clear bags along with the black sacks, purple for plastic and clear for newspaper, but only in the Lerwick and Scalloway areas. They did say that anyone outside these areas who wanted to use the bags could fill them and deliver them to the Recylcing Centre, so I went there on Saturday and spoke to an awful fine man, who handed over the bags and proceeded to tell me that the paper was shredded and offered for animal bedding, and the plastic would be sent to China and re-made into garden furniture.

You really should go up there for a look, it's very organised (they even have different lanes on the road!), and you can drop off your recycling, it's great! I was a bit surprised when I asked for the bags and the man said he hadn't been told that they had advertised it yet, and that no one else had been up to ask for bags! Come on everybody do your bit too! We all go into Toon at least one day a week and if you have a car make that extra trip out to the Recycling Centre (follow the main road past Hughson Bros, and it's the 2nd junction on the left, failing that follow the smell (it wasn' too bad really). Makes you feel good!!

French bears

The French Bears have arrived! John phoned this morning to say they had just arrived and only just over 4 weeks after posting? Maybe they went walkabout to America and back, It usually only takes 7 days to get there by post! I seriously think they may have been searching for their long lost brother who is sailing the high sea's alone on the Elsi Arrub. Anyhow, better late than never.

Had a lovely Friday night, me and big Sis did Give us a Tune on Radio Shetland (you can listen again if you go to the Radio Scotland Website), we had fun and all without any drams. Just hoping I didn't offend anyone, and it is still to be confirmed whether Paul Daniels lives in Wast Sanick in Yell? Here's to next time.

New Year already

And didn't it go by fast, or is that just the fact that I am getting older and everything goes faster!

We had a lovely New Years Day, after spending New Years Eve driving and visiting family on the West Side. January 1st saw us heading back to the West Side to peerie Sister's house for dinner, we all cooked something, me Man got up early and cooked a beef roast while I went to Lerwick to the only shop open (Boots the chemist) to get medicine for peerie Sister's peerie lass, she ended up with the Chicken Pox, but was very proud, showing off her spots!

We arrived to a champagne table with party poppers, hats, masks (peerie Sis likes parties, preferably bairns parties, but that can be adapted for Big Eens too!), and we had a massive dinner of prawns, beef, chicken, lamb, duck, tatties of every kind, veg and a mountain of peerie sausages cosied up in bacon, then another mountain of puddings, and all washed down with quite a few glasses of Bubbly and Red wine, just perfect!
We washed up the dishes to Meatloaf, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, ahhh the songs of our youth. What more could you ask for to start the New Year!!