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Beatrice Bear loves art and has learned about many artists work through the workshops at Heartfelt Studio . One of her favourite is Klimpt , she loves the colours and shapes . She was a very lucky bear to accompany Liz on her journey and squealed with delight to spend time visiting places that interest them both  The total immersion was a bit frightening at first for a little bear, being in a dark room , but when the music and colours started to weave around the walls and floors .she was enthralled and was even brave enough to lie on the floor and let the images wash over her. She did NOT like the scary monkey and hid her face when he came on . Her favourite part was the flowers in the fields and the blue tree in the forest and the way the pictures danced and moved around the room . She sat through the performance twice and her little sighs of delighted contentment were heartwarming. Oh Dear Beatrice , I think this glass might be too big for a little bear ...let me help you . Of course we had to visit this very famous local landmark  The bluster of the festive season has blown us into a new year of discovery and hope and joy. For Beatrice Bear , everyday is an adventure .A serious but very curious bear often brings such a big smile to me in her enthusiasm. When the storm raged around the station and the woods and hills in this last week and the bears played indoors mostly , Beatrice was asking lots of questions about why i was laying out my foraging baskets . What could i possibly forage in the cold of January?  Lobaria pulmonaria! I told her and all the other bears and lots of other Lichens but we must never pick them from the trees ,we await storms eagerly for windblown casualties ( Lobaria pulmonaria is a large epiphytic lichen consisting of an ascomycete fungus and a green algal partner living together in a symbiotic relationship with a cyanobacterium —a symbiosis involving members of three kingdoms of organisms. Commonly known by various names like tree lungwort)  'What can you do with all this delightful Lichen' Beatrice asked excitedly. I showed her the different kinds , the wealth of treasure growing all around us . The harbingers of clean air. Just watch the magic within this green delight....and she did .      The squeals and giggles as she rolled in the green Lichen and peeked at the cooling cooked pot and the absolute joy when she wrapped the dyed wool around her...oh dear i think there may be a bear sized outfit needing to be made very soon.
The sweet earthy aroma fills my studio and just like our bears , makes me smile. Liz and I would like to send out Happy New Year wishes to all the lovely people who have supported and encouraged us throughout our first year of 'Bear Business'. To all the wonderful people who adopted one of our bears, to those who visited the Bear Room just to say 'Hello', and to those who brought their own bears to share a cup of tea with the Book Cover Bears, we say a huge THANK YOU ! We look forward to meeting many more bear fans ( and their bears ! ) in 2020.  Beatrice and her Mummy Liz spend a lot of time outdoors tending to the sheep and other animals here at Dalmally Station and they both love the plants and wild creatures that live and grow in this wild mountain place of the Scottish Highlands . Liz has retained many of her Irish Celtic traditions even though she has lived in Scotland for more years than she has lived in Ireland. One of those special traditions is Solstice ...the shortest day and the longest night of the Northern year. In the darkest hour a simple light can lead you through the darkness and a tiny candle light can piece a huge expanse of black . One of the traditions is the gathering of winter foliage to bring the outside indoors , each foliage has its own meaning and story. Beatrice can listen for hours to Liz explaining the Holly , ivy and many other greens and branches growing in and around us . This was Beatrices first year being responsible for collecting the Holly and Ivy . She knew she would need help with the prickly holly so she asked Angus the Station dog to help with her trusty chariot .
It was all going so well for the happy pair but Bertie Bears influence has rubbed off on Beatrice , luckily Angus realised Miss Beatrice was well and truly stuck and called for Lizs help ...Beatrice is NOT a tree climbing bear  That pine tree is not the best to try and climb Beatrice - well done Angus When Beatrice got over the shock , she did climb another tree ...Liz lifted her into the stations Christmas tree to hand some food treats for the birds , fat balls and seeds and fruit . Its important to remember our feathered friends in the winter months .
 With only four sleeps left until Christmas Miss Beatrice Bear thought that it was perhaps time to take Bertie Button shopping .......which she had avoided doing until now as Bertie was very close to exploding with excitement whenever the Christmas word was mentioned as it was ! So, having had a big pot of strong tea and a firm chat to Bertie about what he should - gifts for friends and family - and should not - gifts for Bertie - be looking for, Beatrice braced herself and took Bertie shopping. Under the watchful eye of Beatrice Bertie chose a trolley and, making 'brum brum' noises, very quickly disappeared among the shop isles.... Time passed and there was no sign of his return so, fearing that the small bear had got lost in the rather large shop, Beatrice went looking for him. Bertie was nowhere near the gift section .....but he had managed to find the crisp and sweetie shelves !
Reluctantly Bertie returned his carefully chosen sweeties and, with Beatrice holding one of his paws, started looking for things that were on his list......
Sometime later two tired but happy bears had completed all their shopping and were ready to head home so Beatrice made her way to the till ......
....and while she was paying for their purchases a certain little bear was spotted tiptoeing very quickly out of the door with a trolley full of sweeties. Oh Bertie Button ! With thanks to Colin, our very patient local village store keeper, for allowing our bears to roam unsupervised around 'Glenview Stores' and for not involving the police when Bertie tried leaving the store without mentioning the trolley full of goodies he was taking with him !
BOOKS ARE BRILLIANT....especially when it comes to keeping excitable little bears occupied !12/17/2019  During the last few days a distinct air of excitement has been growing in the Book Cover Bear room. All of the bears appear to be in a state of high alert and to be suffering from a very bad case of the fidgets.....and as for trying to talk to them, they can't complete a sentence without dissolving into giggles or bouncing up and down in their chairs. Even Miss Beatrice has been caught up in the shenanigans ! Every time Liz or Andrea turn around they are greeted by intense stares, their every move monitored....in fact it was becoming almost impossible to get any work done when thankfully a book came to the rescue. Andrea remembered that there had been some ideas for making things in the back of one of the books they had been reading recently so the said book was located and Miss Beatrice was put in charge - which suited her very well indeed - of making some owl paper puppets. As if by magic, silence descended on the Bear Room, the only occasional sound being scissors snipping, or, it has to be said, of small squeals from Bertie Button as the feathers he somehow managed to glue to himself were removed by Beatrice. At the end of their endeavours the bears were very pleased with their work and their mum's were very pleased at how tired and quiet they were from their efforts ! Now.....how many more sleeps until Christmas.........
 'Whit of Whiteley Wood', by Lorraine Johnston, is a wonderful children's book being sold in aid of Whiteley Retreat, an Ayrshire based respite facility for children and young people with cancer. The charity will receive 100% of profits from sales. www.whiteleysretreat.com
Liz and Andrea have recently been so busy helping some of their lucky bears to get ready to travel to new homes all around the world that they hadn't noticed that Bertie Button and Miss Beatrice Bear had been uncharacteristically quiet. Now anyone who shares their home with a bear knows, a quiet bear, just like quiet puppies or quiet children, can be a highly suspicious occurrence so it was with some trepidation that an investigation was launched.....  ......however it has to be said that when the sound of gentle murmuring led them to a peaceful corner of the Bear Room, Liz and Andrea felt slightly guilty for thinking the worst of their little companions, for there was Bertie, sitting perfectly still and listening intently to Beatrice reading from a lovely book that had arrived in the post a few days earlier about a very helpful owl called Whit. We think this story will prove to be a firm favourite in the Bear Room and have a feeling Beatrice will have a very willing audience for repeat readings ....starting with Liz and Andrea ! 'Whit of Whiteley Wood', by Lorraine Johnston, is a wonderful children's book being sold in aid of Whiteley Retreat, an Ayrshire based respite facility for children and young people with cancer. The charity will receive 100% of profits from sales. www.whiteleysretreat.com Snow,Ponies,cats,cowsandShearing Icelandic sheepBeatrice had a wonderful adventure in Iceland , the stunning landscape of waterfalls , black sands and amazing mountains was the backdrop for her visit. Wool and the warmth of friendship at the Pingborg wool centre, just outside Selfoss in the south of Iceland, was the real reason for this visit and Beatrice so loved being involved with the whole process on the farm. She has returned to the Bear Room at the Studio with wonderful tales about her joyful visit .
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