READY NOW FOR CHRISTMAS

At last! I am ready for the Christmas Holiday.  My workroom is a bit of a mess but that will wait until next week sometime!  Tree is all up and the food is in or ordered - Time for a rest.  Thank you to all who have adopted this year or have just viewed and read this blog  - hope you have found some interesting posts.  December the 21st is the shortest day and first day of Winter so it can only be onwards and upwards.  Spring around the corner!

All that remains is to wish you a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS xx

TEAM MERCURY on their way!

Team Mercury! Are a 3 man British Army team who will be competing in the Amundsen Omega South Pole Race:
They are 3 serving members of the British Army plus the 4th member OLLY below 

THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY!  GOOD LUCK LADS AND OLLY!

Follow them on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/132973759193/?notif_t=group_activity

LJ BEARS has supplied the teams official mascot and the 4th member of the Polar Team 'OLLY'!

CHRISTMAS BEARS

Well I have been busy on the Bears and not just riding the Bike across the country!  Autumn is well and truly set in now so riding is on the back burner for a few months unless the days are really fine.  Any way back to the Bears:  Christmas Bears below, most have found new homes for the holiday but I thought you might like to see their pictures anyway!

BERRY MYST

 CHRISTMAS BOX

 HOT CHOCOLATE

 JANGLE YEW TREE

 WINTER BERRY

 WINTER LIGHT

The Inquisitive Mind of a Child

The Inquisitive Mind of a Child


Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today
The poppies, child are flowers of love
For the men who marched away
But, why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?Why not a beautiful rose?
Because, my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow
But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child
The blood our soldiers shed
The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy?
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief
For the men who never came back
But, why mummy, are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain
My tears are my fears for you my child
For the worlds is - FORGETTING AGAIN

CHRISTCHURCH, DORSET - POPPY LAUNCH

Another Poppy Launch for Paul and myself, this time last Saturday at Christchurch in Dorset.  Just down the road for us!  Sunny and cloudy this time but a wonderful mornings fun had by us all.  Once again all the bikes were well received, lots of people crowded into the little shopping square to see the Bikes and listen to the great band and watch the Army, Navy and RAF cadets with their competitions.  All in all a great Poppy Launch for Christchurch, we shall be back next year to do it all again!
As ever pictures tell the story, hope you like them.
Promise I will get back to BEARS soon!!!!!

Meeting point!

 Arrival at Saxon Square

 Paul just had to climb the Cadets Wall!  but did he make it with his old bones!

 Of course he did!

 Next the Army Cadets won the tug of War and chose to take the Legion Riders on!
Big mistake on the boys behalf, there was supposed to have been 6 Cadets on the other end
more like all the crowd!!!

We shall be back next year!

A WET SOUTHAMPTON POPPY LAUNCH!

Paul and I left the home yesterday morning at 8.30am in torrential rain!  Fortunately we do have all the 'gear' for the Bike but non the less the spray on the motorway was 'not pleasant'! to say the least.  Only an hours ride for us to the meeting place this time.  24 Bikes turned up for the Southampton Poppy Launch at the West Quay Shopping centre.
There was a small service inside the shopping centre then one of the Marines abseiled from the ceiling followed by all the falling poppies.  The cadets then took the poppy boxes through the centre and out to the waiting bikes where they were presented to 3 of the riders and then we all left through the centre with a great deal of noise as you can imagine!! 
Pictures tell my story once again:

Wet on the outside, dry in the middle but still smiling!!!

 Abseiling from the ceiling!

 The poppies falling

 Presentation of the poppy boxes to the Riders

TOPAZ is the SCORPIO BIRTHSTONE BEAR!

Have now finished the eleventh Bear in my series of Birthstone Bears.  TOPAZ is the Bear for all us Scorpios! ( yes its my Birthday this month too) those with Birthdays between October 23rd and November 21st.  If you would like to see the other Bears in the series please visit:
http:www.ljbears.co.uk/BIRTHSTONEBEARS.htm
#1 has already been adopted to the USA but the picture below is of Bear#2 and is available now:

HEROES AT HIGHCLERE CASTLE

Sunday Paul & I ventured out in the early hours 6.30am!  to Highclere Castle.  Only a 60 mile journey for us but made worse by the freezing cold and thick, thick fog from the minute we left our home.  Not much fun I can assure you on a motorbike!  There was no one on the road (I wonder why not)! and the motorway was empty but then we could only just see in front of us.  Hypothermia was settling in on our arrival at the meeting point, the poor staff in the motorway service station must have been amused at 110 bikes all arriving and everyone dashing to find the air dryers for their frozen hands!!
All the bikes were on display in front of the Castle and the 30 that were in the display team (which included Paul) did a really good job considering they had not practised! or even performed anything like that before in a display arena, and on wet grass!  No one fell over!  Great day, very well supported again by the general public, several thousand people and the sun shone from mid day onwards.  The high light had to be the AVRO VULCAN which flew over twice, what an aircraft in the sky to see, well worth waiting for that to happen.  As always pictures below: hope you enjoy them.

Very early at Highclere, no one else about yet!!

Paul and I had a good look around the static aircraft well before everyone arrived, later in the day you could not see the aircraft for all the people around and in them!

The boys will never live this down : practising their display outside the arena without their motorbikes!!!

Video link below to see the boys in all their glory!!!!

The Royal Horse Artillery and gun carriage

This was the War Horse! absolutely brilliant, after a little while you forgot that 3 men were working him!  He strolled around the Castle grounds most of the afternoon.

And finally the AVRO VULCAN: if only you could hear the noise from that wonderful aircraft

AUTUMN BEARS!

LITTLE CEDAR, AUTUMN GLOW and MILKY WAY#2

I am sort of still here! been a little under the weather of late but loved making these Autumn Bears, the colours are changing rapidly here in the UK now and there is a definite Brrrrr in the air in the early evenings, just three more weeks and we move our clocks back an hour! then it will really be Autumn and dark.

GOOD SHOW IN LONDON!

Well that was a hectic day yesterday - 92 miles from here in Hampshire to Kensington, no rain on the way there but thick white cloud and an empty motorway at 6.30am!
Arrived at 8.30am and the people were already lining up outside!
Paul and I had a wonderful day, chatted to lots of customers and friends, some we have known for over 10 years and some very new customers.  One even from Singapore who ordered a Bear from me several years ago it was really good that he went to the trouble to find me and come and say hello.  Several of the Bears found new homes and those that are remaining are now on the website and listed below:
http://www.ljbears.co.uk
Pictures below for you:

LUPIN

GRENADIER GUARDSMAN

MAYFAIR

HONEY BEAR

LOU LOU

As always a big thank you to our customers that we saw yesterday and thank you to so many of you for adopting one of our Bears x