Goodbye 2015

And what a great year it's been! Spotty fox and all his friends were born this year and now I can't imagine life without him ! Thanks to every one who likes my drawings, you really do help to keep me going !

Post Christmas Diet

Spotty stared very sadly at what Stripey called his lunch. Little Bun thought it looked yummy !

Post Christmas Yoga

Meep found she was a natural at Yoga. Spotty not so much, he was only doing it because Stripey asked him to try it. 

Post Christmas exercise

Meep decided she was in desperate need of exercise. She wasn't doing all that well so far as even Alan the snail was going faster than she could run. 

Post Christmas sandwiches

Meep was feeling a lot better so she made nut roast, lettuce, jam and sprout sandwiches for everyone. Spotty wasn't quite feeling up to any more food yet. 

Boxing Day blues

Spotty and Meep were beginning to regret the mince pie eating competition they'd had last night...

Happy Christmas !!!!

Click on the image to see it larger ! Have a wonderful day !

A Christmas tree miracle

It snowed all day on Christmas Eve. Late in the afternoon, just as it was getting dark, Cheep asked all the others to gather in the garden and close their eyes. When they were allowed to open them the little Tree had been made magnificent by the snow and was covered in all of Cheep's friends all singing their hearts out. It was completely wonderful. 

Grandpa Spotty's birdwatching notes

Waking up the hedgehogs

The hedgehogs were a bit grumpy when they were woken up but they soon cheered up when they saw the stocking rack that Meep and Obie had made !

A quiet day

It was a busy day in the Spotty household. Meep nipped in from the kitchen where she was busy making mince pies. Stripey was busy knitting Christmas stockings for all the animals, including the hedgehogs and the owlets. Little Bun and the Squirrel were "helping", and Spotty was in the garden encouraging his Christmas tree by singing carols to it. 

Christmas presents part 3

Stripey was very pleased with all the Christmas shopping they had done. Spotty felt like a frazzled pack horse. 

The nut thief part 3

Spotty came to an arrangement with the Squirrel. He could keep a stash in his flat as long as he could live in there as well, and he could replenish his nut heap any time he wanted as there would always be nuts in the house. 

Nut thief part 2

Spotty solved two mysteries in one today. Firstly, why the squirrel always slept on the sofa and secondly where all his nuts had gone. 

Nut thief

Spotty was wondering why, whenever he fancied eating a few nuts, the bowl was empty. 

Christmas presents part 2

It was curious to note that Little Bun suddenly developed an urge to look at Meep's collection of interesting rocks when she heard frantic rustling coming from her room. 

Christmas presents part 1

Spotty was all of a dither. He was trying to think of a Christmas prezzie for Stripey. She probably wouldn't like a hammer drill or a nice set of ratchet screwdrivers. What did you buy girls ? 

The Christmas tree part 4

Spotty was sent out to bury...erm, plant the twig he had bought. Inside in the warm Stripey and Meep were admiring their handiwork, a beautiful tree poster covered in real ornaments. 

The Christmas tree part 3

Stripey soon got Meep and little Bun making garlands and painting and glittering a big piece of paper on the table. They even put a Santa hat on Bertie. The only one who wasn't enjoying himself was the squirrel. He was in the midst of a dilemma. Should he paint the acorns they had given him to decorate or go and hide them somewhere ?

The Christmas tree part two

Meep was still miffed, but Stripey had an idea when she saw the tree's shadow on the wall. 

The Christmas tree part 1

Meep was very disappointed with the tree Spotty had bought. Spotty said no one else would buy it and it deserved a chance. Meep thought she might as well have picked up a few twigs from the garden. 

A new home

There were two new little doors in the back wall of the pantry. Obie had done a good job. The wallpaper almost matched. Little Bun and the Squirrel couldn't wait to see their new flats. 

Building Works

Spotty stuffed an extra large packet of chips into Obie the robot, who spent the rest of the day building an extension with two floors for Little Bun and Squirrel. They were beyond themselves with excitement !

A lovely dinner

Meep cooked a really lovely dinner. There was a nut roast with roast potatoes and chestnuts and lots of carrots and a few sprouts and gravy. There was apple pie and custard for pudding. Even Bertie was smiling, for once, although no one really knew what he was doing there. 

Bertie is unsatisfied

Spotty explained to Meep very gently that Meep should have asked him about the sheets and that it was wrong to exploit her friends. Meep was really very sorry. She said little Bunny and the squirrel were squatting under the shed, they had no home and it was cold and didn't have much to eat. Spotty immediately said to bring them in ! There was plenty of room in his house ! Meep should cook them all a nice hot meal, by herself this time. 

Bertie was not happy, Spotty was far too soft. 

Bertie is back

Bertie watched Meep paying off her exhausted helpers in out of date cat treats and old bird nuts. Something would have to be done about it. Meep was in serious trouble now. 

Linen wars part 3

Spotty was very pleased to see how many sleeping bags Meep had made. It was remarkable in such a short space of time, quite remarkable. 

Linen wars part 2

Spotty showed Meep what Obie had made for him. Then he told her she would have to make sleeping bags for homeless hedgehogs out of the remains of his bedsheets. 

Linen wars part 1

Hmm. Spotty looked at Meep. 

The choir performance

Of course the choir performance was really good. The audience loved it, Samantha was delighted and Meep was OK as long as she held little Bunny's paw all the way through. Spotty was a bit worried about his bed linen though, as several animals appeared to be wearing costumes made out of his best sheets. 

Last choir rehearsal

Last rehearsal before the concert and poor Samantha was in despair. They were all singing with great gusto but quite what they were singing was difficult to discern. The only ones paying any attention to her were Alan the snail and Spit (the spider). The concert would be tomorrow. 

Prawn aid part 2

Obie worked all night and was very proud of his Conduct-o-prawn. Samantha loved it as she could wear ribbons on her head without the helmet messing them all up. 

Prawn Aid part 1

After feeding Obie some chips, Spotty asked him if he could come up with something which might help Samantha with her choir duties. Truth be told, no one could actually see or hear her. Meanwhile Alan the garden snail was desperately trying to get her attention by singing Handel's Messiah at her. 

The Diva part 6

Meep had been pacing up and down all morning waiting for a book she had ordered from Limpopo to arrive. Now she was avidly reading it, from cover to cover. 

The Diva part 5

Samantha had managed to coax a note or two from Meep and at the end of the evening she announced the audition results. Spotty got a solo as did Mrs Crimwallop and then there was a collective gasp as Samantha said that Meep and Bertie would do a duet, together. 

The Diva part 4

Poor Meep ! When Samantha called her up her legs turned to jelly and she wished the floor could swallow her up. The few notes she managed to squeeze out were all wobbly and squeaky. Bertie looked very smug.

The Diva Part 3

It was the night of the auditions. Bertie was really belting it out, but Meep had gone a delightful shade of green and was hiding behind Stripey. 

The Diva part 2

It was three in the morning. Meep was wearing a very fetching cape made from her ghost outfit. This Spotty could tolerate, but she had been singing along to the ring cycle since five the previous afternoon and his earplugs couldn't handle it. He marched her off to bed and shut her bedroom door firmly, with strict orders not to make a sound.

The Diva

Meep was taking the choir extremely seriously. She was getting ready to audition for one of the solo parts. Cheep flew out and hid in the kitchen while they were rehearsing. 

Samantha

For those of you who might doubt that a freshwater prawn could be capable of being the musical director of a choir. She wears the breathing apparatus and she sings the notes which pop at the top and come out at the front. There is a slight delay between the singing of the note and the hearing of it, but Samantha has learned to deal with it. She is, as we know, quite quite determined. 

The choir

Samantha the fresh water prawn was having trouble knocking the village choir together for their Carol concert. They had loads of enthusiasm and not much else, yet. Samantha was determined. 

7 Cross Hatched foxes

Another from the McSpot Foundation.

A nice quiet night in

After a difficult few days Spotty and Meep were glad to have a nice quiet night in watching Star Trek movies. 

Spotty and Meep musical snow globe

Hiding

Spotty found Meep in one of the pantry cupboards, as well as all his missing socks and slippers. Turns out that Meep didn't want Spotty to go away and leave her alone at Christmas. Spotty told her everyone was coming to him at Christmas and that if he went off to visit Mater and Pater she could come too. 

Hommage à Antony Gormley

Hommage à Antony Gormley by Antonia Fetheringspot 2014

Sock thief

Oh no ! The sock thief strikes again...and she would have got away with it too if the floorboards hadn't creaked and Cheep hadn't made so much noise !

The McSpot Foundation, Glasgow

Meep gets 'socked'

Spotty tried on all his socks. Meep got socked as well. Stripey couldn't stop laughing !

The sorry state of his socks

Spotty would have to take Stripey up to visit his parents. So he was reviewing his sock and slipper situation. He couldn't find a single matching pair.