Ann La Mar

Teddy Cinco – Part 1

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Yorkshire.Teddy.Rescue

Text & Photo by Ann La Mar.

We Urso Majors follow Tinkers amazing teddy bear page. She helps all poor bears who have been abandoned and broken by lovingly mending them and helping them find happy new homes. All proceeds made rehoming the bears goes to Asthma UK.

A few weeks ago Tinker announced a competition, it said

‘’enter the pretty knitty teddy bear competition. Knitted or crocheted teddy bears’’.

This was our competition entry.

“Hello teddy bear friends, I am Fluffle telling the story and Typo my little brother working the big computer (See our picture).We would like to enter our beary special brother Cinco into the knitted/crochet bear competition. One day during lockdown a box arrived from the supermarket with our weekly honey. It had on it a picture of this cute little bear but in the box was just wool and instructions.

We watched and waited as our mum started to work with the wool and funny sticks, this bear began to appear and disappear and appear and disappear, 5 times this happened, (along with some naughty words) until finally we saw a bear, hence when we were telling Auntie Miki in Spain he became our Cinco.

Cinco now complete and looks nothing like the bear on the box, lives ‘on the commode’ with many brothers and sisters in Auntie Miki’s bedroom. We thought this was hilarious when she first said it, one of those things lost in translation! We embrace diversity in our family and our Cinco is loved so much by us all.

Find out what happened later!

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Benjamin’s Birthday Party

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Text & Photos by Ann La Mar

My Yarm bears sort of live in secret being rotated from the top of a chest of drawers to the drawers in the bed…. and other hiding places so no one except me actually knows how many there are! 

Benjamin is celebrating a very big birthday this year so Honey our bear cook wanted to have a little party for him. Auntie Miki sent a picture of some Teddy bear cupcakes so she decided to try and make them. Honey worked her magic in the kitchen and very soon the little cupcakes were baked and transformed into little teddy bears. 

Honey invited Benjamin and a few of his closest friends to the party. He was so happy that  Honey had made Teddy bear cakes especially for him, they even had candles 1 for every decade he has been with me. After the party and eating the cakes they all went for an afternoon nap. 

Guess who did the washing up? 

Wilfra Cakes For Bua And Truffle McFurry

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by Miki de Goodaboom

You saw it probably, Ann La Mar recently baked Wilfra cakes from Ripon and shared them with us here. They looked gorgeous!

Truffle wanted to try them and Ann was so kind to send him some. Under the pretext too of needing help by the quality control.

Truffy invited his cousin Bua to share them with him, as Bua was with us as we visited Ripon during our Tour Of Yorkshire in September 2016. We were delighted to see him again and to share Ann’s cakes and apple with him. Bua looks always a bit sad, but he is not sad. He is originally a German bear, and he tends to think too much, and always gets that expression on his face when he thinks…

You might wonder how we do it… but we, The Urso Majors, have invented another kind of internet, where we can send each other not only words, but also food, drinks, bears, etc… It works fantastically! But it is not a world wide web, it works only between Planet Goodaboom and Planet Boomerann’.

Wilfra Cakes For Bua And Truffle McFurry S

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Winnie Wimbledon In Thirsk

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By Ann La Mar

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom, partly based on a photograph by Ann la Mar)

I first saw Winnie on the Internet, she was so cute and had such a sweet face. We, the other bears and I decided we would like her to come and live with us on Planet Boomerann. She lived on the south coast of England so arrangements were made for her travel to Yorkshire.

We waited and waited, days became weeks and still Winnie didn’t arrive. I checked with the lady at her previous home but she hadn’t gone back there. By this time we were very worried. I knew Winnie had been to that place called ‘ the Royal Mail sorting office’ full of conveyer belts and big baskets of mail. I think poor Winnie had been dispatched to Wimbledon in London. This would have made her happy because she had big dreams of becoming a tennis champion.
We were so sad and downhearted that Winnie was lost that Miki and Truffle decided to look for her. Some weeks later a surprise package arrived and to our delight there was Winnie. Miki and Truffle had found her and sent her home from her adventures. We were over the moon.

Winnie has settled into Yorkshire life but she is always up to mischief with her brothers and sisters so I thought it would be a good idea that she had a hobby. I decided to take her to Thirsk to visit the yarn bombers display. These ladies as so clever knitting amazing things to decorate their town. Winnie loved sitting on the bollard with the Yorkshire rose and a background to match her dress. She was very high up, her ‘head in the clouds’ needless to say not one stitch of knitting has been done!

 

Little Addition by Miki de Goodaboom

While I was painting Winnie sitting on that lovely bench knitted by the Yarnbombers from Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, a little bear with a blue bow came around. He looked at Winnie, looked at the free place next to her and then asked her if he might sit there next to her.

“Of course you may!’, she said in a quite posh way. “I am Winnie Wimbledon… and who are you?”
“Hello Winnie… I am BlueBow, and I come from Richmond.”
“From Richmond? It is quite a distance! Have you come walking, all alone?”
“No, there are others like me, we came in a bus to see the Yarnbombers decorations!”

And they went on and on and on… Teddy bears have always so much to tell each other!

Winnie Wimbledon In Thirsk S

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

 

Modelling For The Yorkshire Cap

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Auntie Ann asked me if I could model for the Yorkshire cap, and how much it would cost. Well, she asked my Mom, because I am under age. We said yes, and it costs nothing of course, you don’t make family pay when you help them. I was so proud to be asked!

For the modelling my Mom asked me to stand straight and look serious. I can’t stand straight, my legs are too wobbly, I have got no bones inside of them. But without the bones, I am very elastic, I can sit and cross my legs, that looks cool too.

So here I am, with the Yorkshire cap on my head and a matching bow around my neck. I had to squeeze my ears under the cap, so that you know, in case you wonder where they have gone.

I am glad the modelling is finished, it was so hot under the cap. That is tough in our Andalusian desert! Now that I have had a bit of Yorkshire on top of my head, I feel a bit more like a Yorkshire guy, just missing the whippet pet!

 

Bye for now, take care!

xxx

Truffle Modelling For A Yorkshire Cap S

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

The Urso Majors

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By Miki de Goodaboom

Well, I guess it is time to introduce “The Urso Majors”:

  • Ann La Mar, Yorkshire girl, reporter at Goteddy , cook, writer, and much more…
  • Truffle McFurry, Teddy from over the moon, traveller and writer and supporter of all Teddy bears around the world
  • me, Miki de Goodaboom, French artist, mathematician and writer

We three have visited together many places in North Yorkshire during September 2016. The result is a series of illustrated books written by us and illustrated by me..

The first volume is set to be published in ebook form very soon.

We will keep you updated!

01 Ann Truffle and Miki S

 

 

 

Upside Down Christmas With Paddingtons And Piccadilly

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By Ann La Mar

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

 

In my role as roving reporter for Miki I am given all sorts of interesting tasks. I was thrilled to be put on Paddington Patrol.

I was keen to get on with this so while on a shopping trip in Yarm I was over the moon to find Paddington in Waterstones book shop window. I had my phone out in a flash and began taking photos. Looking closely at the scene it was really quite amusing. A big Paddington was surrounded by Paddington books and behind him was a Christmas tree with gingerbread men, candy canes and little Paddington decorations. The thing that caught my eye was this cute little Paddington suspended upside down from the top of the tree clinging on to the branches he really looked as though he had made an early start on the Christmas sherry! I couldn’t wait to get home to send Miki the pictures.

Once home I was thinking of this poor little Paddington and asking myself why I didn’t buy him and rescue him from his precarious position. I mentioned this to Miki and of course she said ‘Why didn’t you’!

First thing the next morning, feeling rather guilty I went back to Waterstones and asked the girl in the shop if I could possibly rescue the poor little Paddington from their window display. She was very amused and proceeded to get him from the tree. He was suspended by his leg with fishing line poor little thing. This little bear had ‘spoken’ to me and we had a connection so he was the only one I wanted. I was delighted to set him free and bring him home.

Next came his name, as the real Paddington bear was named after Paddington station where he was found and Miki and Truffle have Euston bear from Paddington’s family living with them, I decided this family member must also be named after a station. I looked at the underground stations and came up with Piccadilly because he was in a Pickle when I first saw him and ‘dilly’ loosely means delighted and I was certainly delighted to have him. Miki loves his name and thinks it is very funny and so like an ‘upside down’ Paddington.

Upside Down Christmas With Paddingtons S

 

PS: If you are interested in prints of this painting, they are available in many different sizes on paper, metal, canvas, wood, etc. Also on pillows, covers, phone cases, Tote bags, shower curtains, T-shirts, notebooks, towels and many more.  Just click on the painting, it will bring you to Miki de Goodaboom’s  online shop.

Yorkie

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By Ann La Mar

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

 

While having a bear break ( like a coffee break with the calming addition of bear research) I came across a bear with the sweetest face. He immediately melted my heart.
He was on an auction site so I had to wait some days before I knew for sure he was mine.

I couldn’t wait for the postman to bring him. He was travelling from London back home to North Yorkshire where he started out. Once out of his brown paper he was the sweetest little bear ever. He has a coat of arms on his foot which says City of York. I think this is for the City Council. I guess he was made to commemorate something but I have yet to find out what. He has a tag which says Stonegate Teddy Bears, this is a wonderful bear shop in York.
I wondered if he had a name as it would have been nice to have continuity. I contacted his previous owner who told me he had no name. That is so sad. I decided to call him “Yorkie” after the chocolate bar that was once made there by Rowntree’s.
Yorkie has settled in with all his bear brothers and sisters and is much loved.

 

Yorkie S

I Am A Witch

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Hello everybody!

The other day Auntie Ann La Mar went shopping for her Christmas tree in England, and she came back with lots of photos of very beautiful Christmassy stuff. She sent them to us, we were over the moon, it really was as if it was Christmas already!

There were some witches, they looked fabulous. Auntie Ann told us that they were the witches of Pendle. I thought witches are all bad, but one of them looked quite nice. I asked my Mom Miki to paint me as one of his witches, together with the nice witch.

She said:

“I am not sure I am allowed to do so, Truffy… because of the copyright thing…”

She explained to me once what a thing it is, that copyright. I have forgotten. Anyway I asked her 100 of times again, until she said yes!

“Truffy, if they put me in jail, it will your fault!”

Would they put my Mom in jail because she painted that lovely painting of me? Surely not! And if they do, I will go down to the street, with all my brothers and mates, and make a big revolution to free her!

Take care

Truffle xxx

The Witches Of Pendle S

 

 

Lily Lavender De Boomerann And Christine De Lafontaine

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By Ann La Mar & Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Ann La Mar:

“After a day in the house I felt I needed some air and some shopping so I decided to incorporate it with a little bear hunt. I decided I would look in the shop where I bought Alphonse. Miki was having a really bad day so I told her what I was going to do. She asked me to look out for a bear for her saying ‘I really need a bear right now’  she gets so much comfort from them. I really hoped I would find the ‘right one’ for her.
I went into the first two shops…nothing, then I went to the ‘house of Alphonse’ …nothing. Next I went to a local shopping centre and thought I will try ‘the house’ of Fluffle (another bear I have)….no bears at all. I decided to go a different way home to pass through Yarm and visit ‘the house of Noel’ ( a bear I got for Miki), they had bears in here but not the right bear… I would know it as soon as I saw it. I then walked to another shop I’ve never been in before as I had seen a huge Paddington there as I was driving past the previous week. Outside there was a basket with an assortment of bears and other creatures I dug deep into the basket and pulled out the most beautiful white bear. She  had a little mauve bow in her fur and was wearing pretty floral dungarees. Her fur was so soft and white as a lily, her features so fine and elegant. This was the bear for Miki without doubt. I immediately thought Lily Lavender for her name but it wasn’t my bear I would put it to her later. I was so thrilled I had found her because I really wanted Miki to smile this day.

I went home delighted with my purchase. I couldn’t wait to tell Miki…I took some photos and wrote to her spinning it out….at the very end I told her and sent the pictures….she told me ‘ She is so adorable… she makes me feel alive again’ Her reaction, just what I was hoping for.
  I told her what had come to me about a name, she loved it. Unbeknown to me Miki’s  grandmother was called Lily. She was very close to her they had a special bond so this was a beautiful connection. I was so happy.

Very soon Lily will be going on a plane  to join Miki and the ever growing Planet  Goodaboom family.

At the end of the day Miki said I had helped her find her way again…that made my day. My work was done….until the next bear hunt! ”

 

Miki de Goodaboom:

“The day I saw Lily was the time I ever saw a Boyds bear, and I fell in love immediately. It was the beginning of a long Boys love story, which is far to be finished. Ann and me are still in love with them, especially the white ones.

As Lily was a gift from Ann, I called her “Lily Lavender de Boomeran”, Boomerann being the name of the planet on which lives Ann La Mar.

One week later, Ann found another white Boyds bear at the same place, “Blessed Baby-Bear-Boyds”. Another little beauty! As my Mom saw the photo of her, she wanted me to have the same. So I hunted for the Blessed Babybear through the cyber-world, and finally found her in the USA. She flew all the way from there to Planet Goodaboom, and lives now happily among all her new brothers and sisters.

Her being a gift from my Mom, her name is now ‘Christine De Lafontaine”, “Lafontaine” being the name of the planet on which my Mom lives.. and Christine? It is simply a bit like me…”

 

Lily Lavender De Boomerann And Christine De Lafontaine S