Ambulance: a review

Perhaps the most exciting addition to the village of Glen Fallow in a very long time was the arrival of the ambulance, a piece I have wanted for a very long time! You may remember the story of baby Adelaide's birth, which featured a very pregnant Victoria Springer being rushed through the village in a wheelchair by Thomas the paramedic. No more! Thomas is proud to unveil his shiny new vehicle, which is equipped with all the mod med cons!

Thomas was all set to find a volunteer to model some of the cool features for him, but fate volunteered Owen after yet another fall out a tree. Thomas managed to incapacitate his patient for long enough to grab a few cheeky shots before whizzing him to hospital (men's priorities do seem incredibly flexible when confronted with a new car).

As well as some simply mind-blowing miniature medical equipment (I could have done with the oxygen mask whilst unpacking all the teeny bits and bobs - simply too exciting) the ambulance has a really neat design that is great for play access. One whole side wall can be lifted to reveal the fully-fitted interior. The roof stands up by itself, which is a practical relief for photography.

Note the drip in the top right corner. This has it's own hook on the wall
so that it doesn't shift around when Thomas whizzes through the village.

The accessories didn't disappoint, which I had anticipated and was the main reason that I held off buying the ambulance until I found one new in box. Sadly the vehicle itself is a little sun-damaged on the exterior (you can see the yellow:white contrast between the ramp and the actual bus) due to being in a box (?) for a good ten years.

My favourite feature has to be a tie between the oxygen mask which Owen models above and the extendable ramp that allows the gurney to be securely placed in the ambulance. With both back doors open you can easily slide the bed in without removing the side wall, which makes for a realistic feel. The floor of the ambulance has grooves to ensure the bed doesn't go flying out the back when Thomas brakes suddenly at the hospital.

After admiring his new ambulance for a while, Thomas suddenly remembered the drugged young boy in the back, and hence this review is cut short.
Poor Owen.

Overall I am really pleased with the ambulance, not least because I've been eyeing it since it was first released, and I never imagined I'd get one. The retro feel of the number and the hanging bell (which I didn't get a picture of, I now realise) both add to the charm without feeling too ironic. As is usual for a Sylvanian product, even at the time of release it cost a fair amount, so lurk on eBay for a good while before you leap. It's a great addition to the General Hospital and is a brilliant example of what a Sylvanian vehicle should be.... *cough* Japanese sports car *cough*.

Recent purchases

Following a very busy summer and a lot of ups and downs I'm back and here to talk about my recent Sylvanian purchases! I'll get these up gradually in the next wee while but for now here is a sneak peek of my exciting additions to Glen Fallow!

Hopkins Rabbit family, Tuxedo Cat family and triplets, Cottontail Rabbit family
and baby girl, Easy Buy Mouse girl, Garden Rabbit baby keychain.
Bluebell Cottage and Ambulance.

UPDATE: The Cuoco rabbit family are introduced here.
UPDATE: The ambulance is reviewed here.

New Story

I've written a new story to introduce a couple of new arrivals and the Children's Home of Glen Fallow. Read it here!

Originally I was going to apologise for it only being a short story, but it's evolved so much as I have written it that now I feel I must apologise for the opposite crime!

Hope you enjoy!

Niamh

I'm back!

Hi everyone! It's been a while, but I'm finally free to delve back into Glen Fallow :)

There's been a few new arrivals to the village, and hopefully more to come, so stay tuned! I'm going to try to get back up to date throughout this week, so expect a few more posts - and hopefully a story or two!

Love,
Niamh

My Collection - Reference Page

I'm currently making a page to log my collection, on the urge of my pragmatic dad. It'll be a reassurance in case something terrible were to happen to my collection he suggests...

I've decided to go the whole hog and detail all the reference numbers as well, so it may be helpful to new collectors. Take a look here, but bear in mind it's a work in progress!

Lots of love,
Niamh

What I do instead of revising...

The Fallow Chronicle - Spring 2015

A very quick look at the new newspaper in Glen Fallow. The full Spring edition will hopefully be available to read mid-April, to coincide with the grand opening of the new Koala Cafe.

I plan to start updating the village section of my blog over the Easter holiday, so stay tuned!

And again, apologies for being AWOL!

Rilakkuma Re-Ment

Today my order from modes-4-u arrived! I was actually super surprised to see it, as I wasn't expecting it for another week or so yet. Thanks modes-4-u!

Free gift to celebrate Chinese New Year -
what could it be? ;)

I bought 3 x Rilakkuma Chocolate cafe re-ment blind boxes, and one Hello Kitty Coffee Shop re-ment blind box. And I got a free gift too, which I won't reveal, in case you plan on buying something (which I SERIOUSLY recommend - this company rocks).
The Outback Koalas are modelling today, as they'll be using these sets to boost the upcoming opening of their as-yet-unnamed cafe!

Hello Kitty Coffee Shop - Set 9 of 12

Set 9 of the Hello Kitty Coffee Shop series contains a sweet little shopping bag, a bag of the HK House Blend coffee and a coffee tumbler. I love the detail on the coffee packaging, as the bag looks creased in a very genuine way. The lid of the coffee tumbler has a lifting lever, to prevent spills. Very cute, but I was slightly disappointed with the lid - as it wasn't of particularly high quality, and I can see the glue. I get the impression that the Hello Kitty sets are of a slightly lower calibre than that of the Rilakkuma sets. No biggie though.

Contents: Coffee tumbler, (tumbler lid), coffee bag,
shopping bag

"That is some shopping bag, dear..."

Rilakkuma Chocolate Cafe - set 2 of 6

This set is pretty darn cute - The cake stand is lovely, and the handle for lifting the cover is in the shape of a bear. There's also a trims sort of thing, a gorgeous big plate, a golden spoon and a huge cake slice.

Contents: Cake stand, cake cover, cake, cake slice,
plate, cake tray, cupcake, spoon.

ALL MINE...

"Can I have my dinner on this one, please, Daddy?"

Rilakkuma Chocolate Cafe - set 4 of 6

I love this one... The chick is really sweet, and I think Annabelle and Michelle are going to take speedy possession of it. There's lots of lovely pieces, such as a character-adorned fork. 

Contents: Plate, bread drizzled with chocolate, chick,
blob of cream, fork, coffee jug, chocolate drink.

The chick is MINE!

"And to my left we have a delicious chocolatey beverage..."

Manly enough for you, Charles?

Rilakkuma Chocolate Cafe - set 5 of 6

The final set... This one is lovely too, with two beverages, two cakes, a tray and a bag for your pastries. The lids for the drinks are very realistic - they look like shrunken versions of starbucks!

Contents: Tray, 2 x cakes, coffee mug + lid, frappuccino + lid, bag.

"Which one...?"

Well that's a bag of goodies...

Verdict

Re-ment is adorable, and http://www.modes4u.com/ is an awesome place to start your collection. I'd go for the Rilakkuma sets personally, as I think they're a lot cuter and better quality than the hello kitty ones, but each to their own. Overall, I'm just very happy, and the Outbacks are too - they're all stocked up for a very successful cafe opening!

So happy!

Non-Fallow News (and some sylvanian stuff too)

It's with a saddened heart that I have to inform you that my dwarf hamster Tanna died yesterday. The little solace I can find is that she passed peacefully in her sleep, curled up in an egg box cushioned with bedding.
Hopefully this is the culmination of the misery I have felt these last few weeks, and maybe things will look up from now. Recently I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by my collection, and so many of my buildings have vacated my room to give my head a bit of space. I'm not giving up though! Glen Fallow is still very much a bustling community within my bedroom, but for now some of it is off-limits due to (de)construction (and technically it's non-existence).
Meanwhile I hope that by the end of January I can complete my family profiles and hopefully begin the "Village" section of this blog, where I will present all the different buildings and areas of Glen Fallow. This will give some better insight into the families' homes and their daily lives.
I hope I don't shock anyone when I say that I am going to try not to purchase any more Sylvanians until Easter. I think I need to slow down a little and sort out the things I do have, because recently I feel I've just been buying compulsively and not really getting an awful lot of long-term joy out of it. I do want to continue collecting, without a doubt, but I can feel my health slipping and to keep my head together I really need to take some iron control over my life and daily routine. Plus exams are starting to loom, and I really don't do enough studying... stress stress stress stress...

In short, my purchasing will be on hiatus for a little while, but I hope to still be updating my blog in this time and doing other productive things. I'll still be active on the forum of course (how could I not? It's the first site I visit whenever I have an internet connection - I'm addicted!!), so don't worry about missing my sparkling personality. :lol:

I still have a trade organised with Eaton, so that's something to look forward to! Oh, and I wouldn't be adverse to any others, so do tell me if there is anything you want from the British range! ;)

Lots of love (and sorry about this),
Niamh x

New Family Profiles

This week has been pretty busy, as I had an English prelim on Monday and I have my Spanish prelim tomorrow... I have, however, managed to finally get round to some more family profiles, so I'm closer to completing the Family part of this blog *yay!*.

I've updated the Barker labradors, the Chocolate rabbits and the Harvey cats.

I have also uploaded the Hawthorn mice profile and the profile for my favourite new mix-match family in Glen Fallow: the Winter-Night rabbits.

In other news, Adrian and Patrick returned last weekend from a lovely honeymoon in Glencoe, but they haven't returned to work yet as... they have a new family member!
That's right, Adrian and Patrick adopted little Burl Timbertop from the Orphanage! Burl now features on their family profile, and I am pleased to say he is settling in really well with his two new daddy's.

Burl, the apple of his fathers' eyes.

Sylvanian Parliament

The time is now to hold an election in your village to choose your constituency MP!
Cabinet positions are also available to view and apply for on the forum.
Use your rights! Choose to vote!
http://sylvanianfamiliesforum.co.za/

The turnout was great on Tuesday. There was even a queue to get in!

A sad story, but one of great strength

A few days ago, I was browsing gumtree (as I'm sure you can relate), and I found a listing for the Old Oak Hollow Treehouse in Edinburgh for - wait for it - £20. It's in pretty great nick as far as I can tell, apart from a missing parasol (and possibly a missing door... I'm not certain...). I faced a dilemma. Stupidly perhaps, I told my mum, and she told me that I really don't have enough space left for something as huge as that. So I considered, and I came across a rather painful, but true revelation: If I was to buy it, it would only propel me to NEED to buy more furniture, new things. I ought to focus on what I have, and finishing the incomplete parts of my already existing village, instead of constructing an empty shell of a town.
This is totally not a cool decision to have to make, but there. I decided to decline a very tempting opportunity to get my dream building.
I'm not sure whether anything could heal this wound, except perhaps if a mint in box treehouse came floating my way free of charge, and somehow my bedroom grew another square metre...
*I'm off to cry with my new found maturity*