Flashback Friday - Favourite toys

I had 2 favourite toys when I was little - Panda and Dorf (a frog, of course!) I still have both.

Although Dorf is actually Dorf2! I'm not exactly sure when I got Dorf, but I must have been pretty little. I used to take him everywhere, either in a little bag Mummy made, or pulled along on a matchinf green satin ribbon. One day I must have dropped him from the bike seat behyind Mummy, and he was rapidly (and unbeknownst to me at the time) replaced by Dorf2. A 3rd was also bought in case, but never needed. Dorf is very well-loved, and now sports stitching in various shades of green cotton on his back, where the gritty stuffing leaks.

Panda was a first birthday present, and spawned my love of Giant Pandas. My parents were forced to promise me if there were ever pandas in Australia, they would take me to see them. So in 1988 they took su to Melbourne to see Xiao Xiao and Fei Fei. And while we lived in the Philippines, one year I chose our Easter holiday destination - China to see Pandas! We did see other things, but our guide was amazed we wanted 2 full days at zoos! So, can you imagine how delighted I was to hear Adelaide zoo will have 2 Giant Pandas from early 2009? I think James and Eleanor are in for plenty of trips ot the zoo! One of James' first toys was also a Panda (hmm, better get Eleanor one, too!)

This is just after my first birthday; Panda in my arms and Dorf at my feet, ribbon and all! (Note the quilt on the bed. It was made of scraps by my aunt and disintigrated long ago -I really wish now we'd kept it!)

And at about 1 1/2 playing 'dressups'???

To show how much I preferred soft toys to dolls (yuck!) here is one of the first photos I took when I got my own camera; most of my toys! I remember saving for ages for my first Care Bear (Cheer Bear), and was really pleased to see them around again, so my kids can have them, too!

And yes, I have made both a frog quilt and a panda quilt!