Pendelfin was born in 1953, in the shadow of the Pendle “Witch” hill near Burnley in Lancashire, in the north of England. It started out as little more than a hobby for Jean Walmsley Heap (J.W.H.) and Jeannie Todd, working from a wooden hut in Jeannie’s back garden. But this hobby soon became an obsession and a successful business as the Pendelfin family grew and grew.

The very first PenDelfin piece was modelled on the Pendle Witch and took the form of a moulded wall plaque. Very early on in the Pendelfin journey, J.W.H. and Jeannie realised that their roles should be different, and so as they took their first experimental steps towards success, J.W.H. took on the design and modelling of the stoneware figures and Jeannie began to master the art of mould-making and casting.

Following on from the Pendle Witch, The Fairy Shop, a large 3-dimensional wall plaque, was modelled, based on an original painting by J.W.H. and (ab)using an antique mirror to produce the mould of the frame. At this point, with mould-making sessions and materials growing, the shed was becoming far too small and PenDelfin was relocated to the village of Harle Syke and into a small lock-up shop.

During PenDelfin’s time at the shop, witches continued to be a popular theme, with more witch-based models being produced, including the Cauldron Witch, the Pixie House and on a completely different theme, the famous little Thrifty, modelled at the request of J.W.H.’s part-time employers, the Burnley Building Society. Little Thrifty began life in the Children’s corner of the Burnley Building Society. Created by J.W.H. he was involved in many stories encouraging children to start putting their pennies away. One large model of him was created, but making it proved such an ordeal that no further models of his size were ever attempted.

Interest began to grow in the figures being created, and around 1954 Doreen Noel Roberts joined, eventually taking charge of the group of small part-time staff working there. The size of both staff and operations began to increase, as sales gradually improved. In 1956 a small family of rabbits were produced for the first time. This became a turning point for PenDelfin as these figures started to sell very well indeed. Repeat orders started to pour in, and attention started to focus almost exclusively on producing PenDelfin’s trademark rabbit models, all with a carefully thought out character and history!

A band of musically inclined rabbits, rabbit bookends, uncles, aunts and of course the original Father and Mother rabbits all followed, as well as many other lively young characters and several large and lovingly modelled stands to provide a backdrop to the PenDelfin village, as it became.

PenDelfin continued to expand, and although it had its trials and tribulations, by the 1970s was a well established company in Burnley, occupying a large part of a former mill building and dispatching members of the PenDelfin family to enthusiastic collectors all over the world.

On the 11th June, 1986, disaster struck as a devastating fire destroyed most of the PenDelfin works. Almost miraculously, and thanks to amazing efforts by all the staff, lead by Arthur Morley, production was underway again in less than a week.

In 1992 the PenDelfin Collectors Club was founded, with “Family Circle” pieces produced each year for club members only.

PenDelfin is still in business today, but is perhaps not the company it once was. Ownership of the PenDelfin company has changed, and the models are produced abroad now, with only the decorating being done in the UK. Time will tell whether the legend of PenDelfin endures, but in the meantime the older pieces are no becoming ever more scarce and collectable, with rarities such as Aunt Agatha and the Rabbit bookends commanding strong prices as collectors seek out the early pieces to complete their collections.

Perfect Pieces (http://www.perfectpieces.co.uk) specialises in British pottery from the last 100 years, and has an extensive Pendelfin section, with a very large stock of retired pieces and stands, as well as newer membership pieces.

Visit the Perfect Pieces website for more information or to contact us.

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These tips are taken from PsyTech Inc. book Rabbit Care Secrets

This is absolutely critical information you need whether you already own a rabbit or you are just thinking about getting one:

Avoid pine scented beddings (the kind you’re most likely to buy at the pet store) like the plague! (Many studies show that they cause liver damage in small animals - and there’s mounting evidence that they may irritate your bunny’s respiratory system too). Opt for brands made with unscented wood shavings or compressed newspaper instead.

Cell Sorb, Care Fresh, and “Yesterday’s News” are all great brands. (we’re trying to set up a special discount for our readers… we’ll let you know if we’re able to do it).

Of course bunny rabbits love carrots, but you have to watch the quantity closely because there’s actually a lot of sugar in them. (Same with banannas and grapes, etc).

It’s OK to give small pieces a few times a week… but it’s dangerous to do much more.

If a bunny gets too heavy, their internal organs don’t function very well.

Before you buy a bunny rabbit from a pet store, please consider the frequent problems encountered including (1) unknowingly purchasing a pregnant bunny and winding up with too many rabbits to care for; (2) the high incidence of illness; (3) the frequency with which pet stores misidentify your pet’s gender (especially important if you buy 2 or more rabbits because not every gender pair gets along well).

Consider looking for a rescue (search Google for “rabbit rescue”) instead. (Over a million bunnies in rescues around the world are put to sleep each year because they can’t find a home - wouldn’t it feel good to save a life?)

Avoid wire mesh cage bottoms. They’re easier to clean, sure but they cause sores on your pet’s tender little feet. Opt for plastic bottoms instead! (Or even better, give your bunnies an entire rabbit-proofed room or two)

If you do purchase from a pet store, read about the proper diet and care for rabbits first. Generally a sales associate at the pet store is going to steer you toward buying products, rather than what is necessary and proper for your bunny to live a happy, healthy life. (Of course, there ARE some very ethical pet stores - but they’re harder to find)

Rabbit Care Secrets You can get the book here: http://www.rabbitsecrets.com/R.htm is the book with literally hundreds of “word of mouth” tips and tricks - secrets which are next to impossible to find in books and pet stores. This is the gold which only comes from years and years of hands on experience… including all the hard to find Rabbit information people just can’t locate with internet searches or trips to the library!

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Do you remember the Volkswagen Rabbit? Well, if you do not, let me refresh your memory.

First off, the Volkswagen Rabbit has been in production since 1974. This vehicle has been created and produced by Volkswagen AG. Since its birth, The Rabbit has been manufactured and marketed under various names which include the Volkswagen Caribe, the Volkswaegn Cabrio, and the Volkswagen Cabriolet. It is a simple FF compact car with quality Volkswagen car parts yet it finds competition in its segment through the forms of the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Peugeot 307, Mazda 3, Saturn Ion, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and the Renault Megane.

And now, a generation of the Volkswagen Rabbit is ready for the auto market. However, this new vehicle was said to be marketed as the last generation of the Volkswagen Golf hatchback. But at the very last minute, the company has decided on using the Rabbit name for it. But if you do travel to other spots in the world, you will know that it is still marketed bearing the Volkswagen Golf nameplate.

The very famous and popular Volkswagen Beetle was actually replaced the Volkswagen Rabbit during its introduction. And now, Volkswagen has decided on bringing back the type of vehicle that gave the company its popularity and reputation through the Volkswagen Rabbit. And the company sure knows that the best way to bring in more customers is to make sure that this new vehicle version would be sent out and aiming for the compact vehicle segment.

The Volkswagen Rabbit is now offered with either two doors or four. Any version holds a good combination and package of features. As for the price, you sure can find that this vehicle is not too pricey. Imagine, for a vehicle from this brand with good features, you could be able to purchase it for only $14,990 for the version with two doors or for $16,990 for the one with four. It runs on a 2.4 liter inline engine with five cylinders which has the capacity to create 150 horsepower for the vehicle. Its gas mileage is not one of the worst but it is just enough that you do not need to rush to purchase gallons and gallons of gas each time you venture out to the streets and highways.

Volkswagen car parts

As a manager of one of the largest auto store in Springfield,Massachusetts, Sarah has extensive expertise on auto parts and automotives in general. This 42 year old is a certified car enthusiast.

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