The first 2 weeks with Yalena

[dennot]

It’s been 2 weeks now since Yalena set foot in the dennot household, so I thought you might like to know how we’re getting on.

She arrived in her crate, which is a new smaller type being used by AD. Weight is around 60 kgs, but there’s a handle fitted on each end, so it can be moved about on your own. Unscrew and take away the top and there’s a sheet of polythene stapled to the rim of the crate. Remove this and all is revealed!



Everything is a bit of a squeeze inside and poor Yalena had to travel with her neck in an awkward position. The doll is held in the crate onto a bracket by her rear neck bolt, so undoing the nut sets her free. I had the crate upright and it took quite a while to get her out, being very careful not to cause any damage. Once free, you then have 30 odd kgs in your arms! Luckily I had placed a chair nearby to sit her on.



So the first thing you learn is that she’s heavy. Second is that she is perfectly formed and is absolutely gorgeous – and full size (I’ll review her ‘vitals’ with photos in another thread later). So after satisfying the urge to get a quick ‘feel for the situation’, it was time for a short rest and a cup of tea and then make her feel at home.

Unlike Pink Lady’s reutilisation of the packing crate to act as her storage space, the new crate is too small for that. So an old wardrobe is undergoing plans for conversion and the crate will have to go into the shed. So at the moment, she’ll just have to sit on a chair or the spare bed (with plenty of soft cushions) where I can keep a good eye on her.