It could have been worse..... I suppose

Well, I've unpacked and inspected all the resins and customs, and the news isn't too good unfortunately.

In total I've got one broken tail....

3 broken ears, 2 broken legs......

and major stickiness issues with some of the customs.

The stickiness isn't too surprising given how long they've been cooped up in a hot shipping container, so it wasn't a huge surprise. But I've been trying to figure out why some go sticky and some don't. This classic warmblood has had issues in the past when wrapped in sheet foam, I knew bubblewrap wouldn't be good news so tried paper. It stuck to him, so once the sealant hardens up again I'll have a go at gently removing the paper.

I think I can fix the tail and the legs (one on a small Daire resin and the other on a mini), and have a go at the ears.

Other damage is beyond my competency. On the customs, where the sealant has softened in the heat they have been very vulnerable, and some have a few rubs and dents here and there.

Having unpacked all of the non-minis, I was actually a little overwhelmed by the numbers of them and this has confirmed with me that I need to thin down a bit! I'll be listing resins and customs for sale on my website, here, and MH$P.

Overall the experience has made me feel the need to cut back - I'd rather change around my collection more often so some guys who've been with me for 5+ years will be looking for new homes. If you see anything that interests you in the above photo then let me know. There are some I won't sell (Gomez, Atom, Darcy, Hazel, grey Valor, Memphis Belle, American Graffitti), but the others I will consider offers.

One more sleep!!!

This week is a very exciting one!

That's because tomorrow, our stuff arrives!

It's been 4 months now since it was all packed up in Cornwall, then it sat there for 8 weeks whilst our sponsoring company faffed around and delayed payment. It includes everything from our house in the UK: furniture, clothes, kitchen stuff, books, music, you name it. And of course my models. There is a whole room waiting for them!

We have shipped our things internationally three times before. The last time was the most successful in terms of damage to resins. I think I had just one ear break. Before that it's always been multiple breaks. So I'm hoping my packing has improved and I won't have any. Time will tell.

Happy New Year!

Well, I had a lovely Christmas and New Year here despite the heat. 40C degrees a few days prior to Christmas really did not get me in the festive mood! And last night at about 6pm we had a rather nasty storm here and it was the closest I've come to being struck by lightning! We were outside readying the BBQ and watching the galah's having a shower on a nearby power line pole about 50ft away from us. Next thing - Crack! Bang! Sparks everywhere! The pole was hit! The birds all disappeared and did not return for the rest of the evening! We did actually check to see if any had been killed and were lying on the ground, amazingly none were.

I've been pretty mopey this morning as per usual, New Year is an anti-climax and nothing really amazing happens. I'm still waiting for all my stuff to get here, the ship is due into Fremantle on the 9th of January but we've heard that the workers at the port have been on strike. So maybe we'll get our stuff by the end of January, who knows... I just hope they don't get snarled up in customs any longer than necessary.

I have had three new equines join me here over

the last few months. One is this super-cute Equorum shetland in mouse dun. He has a double mane which lies on both sides of his neck, in very soft mohair/silk mix.

Next is this lurvly Leggs resin sculpted by Liesl Dalpe. She's been painted by Deb Brown of the UK, who is a really consistent and reliable painter. I love the chilled out expression on this mare and Deb has created this gorgeous caramel colour with a dainty blanket.

And last but not least is a further addition to my Savage collection! This is the Babysitter, sculpted as a young Thoroughbred mare but I think she could be a couple of different breeds. Again Deb Brown painted her as a rich chestnut which is slightly washed out by the flash in this picture.

One or two more will be arriving soon, particularly a couple of LB scaled resins - I'm becoming more and more attracted to this scale and am keen to start seeing how my tack making skills are at this scale - haven't made anything small for a while!