Sometimes it’s not so glamorous being a bear that does modelling.  During the past three weeks I have been pulled out of a bag and pushed back in again over 70 times in order to be photographed sitting on sheep, and on one day when it was rather windy, I was tied onto the sheep with string.  Not any old sheep I will add, but ‘Shauns’ – as in ‘Shaun the Sheep’ designed by Aardman Animations in Bristol.  (There are currently 70 of them all around Bristol that people walk around and try to see them all, taking photographs as they go.  The sheep are raising money for Bristol Children’s Hospital, they will be auctioned at the end of the trail).Some of the sheep are more memorable than others;  I was tied to this one, Isambaaard, otherwise I could have blown away into the Avon Gorge (at least that was Karen’s justification for the string around my tummy attaching me to  Isambaaard’s top hat).  I really didn’t like the sheep that had tried to become a rabbit, Peter Rabbit. I think sheep generally speaking are better being sheep.  I didn’t want to sit on the one that was trying to be a rabbit, so just sat next to it instead.Shaunus Romanus on the other hand I thought was quite splendid, and I felt very important while modelling with him at Victoria Park in Bristol.I was treated there to a special commemorative Shaun the Sheep cupcake – you probably know I am very fond of cake.The sheep that worried me most of all on the trail was this one, called ‘Sheepish’, who had been made to look like a poodle with a silly hairstyle.  I don’t think Karen liked this one much either as she only took one photograph.I climbed up onto the hat of ‘The Pirate Captain’.  The seagull sitting on his head seemed quite friendly but  I wouldn’t want to meet up with him on a dark night.Karen sometimes gets into conversation with other people while taking photographs of me, and a lady who had noticed me falling off of ‘Alright Me Babber’ asked if she could have a special staged photograph of a ‘toy in peril’.  I was a bit offended being called a toy, as it is well known that I am a public figure not a toy, but I obliged, and climbed up onto the sheep again(with a bit of help) and deliberately fell off for the photograph.  You can see the result here:-

Copyright – Mary Osbourne

The end result of all my hard work modelling will be a big framed poster on the wall at home, featuring all the sheep and me in 70 photos plus an extra one with just me in.