Irresistible Or What?

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

I am always quite eager to go out for a little journey if my son asks me to accompany him and it doesn't take much to make me happy!

Some how or other, on such a journey, we often find ourselves in a very large pet shop because Sam knows that I love to look around. On this occasion, I did need a few rabbit supplies, so after I had picked out what I needed, I went to look at the rabbit enclosures and spent some time looking at them. There must be quite a turnover of rabbits because they seem to have different ones there every time I look.

There is always a small section where unwanted rabbits are put up for adoption, which is quite sad. Usually there is a note to say the owner had to move and so couldn't take them to the new home.

Anyway, on this visit something else caught my son's attention and he asked me if I had my camera handy, which I had.

These baby degus were perched on top of a rope ladder and snuggled up together. They stayed like that for the whole of the time we were there. There was a fourth little chap who for some reason didn't want to sit on the ladder next to his siblings but he seemed to be desperate for company and followed our hands around his enclosure. He let us tickle him.

My son decided to take a leaflet on their upkeep and care. I was most surprised by this.

Goodness knows if it will end up with him allowing the girls to have pets.

I had quite a few comments about my injured fox in the last post. I haven't seen the fox since but there is a strong smell of fox in my garden, so it obviously visits, probably at night. I wish I knew how to get rid of the aroma of fox.

Some of you thought the fox might be under the shed. However there is only a couple of inches of space over concrete which means it would be impossible to access and the floor of the shed is intact. The Officer from the RSPCA thought the fox might well have had a very old injury that he learnt to cope with and he described him as chunky. He would have been a forager, he said. So maybe he's not as badly off as we first imagined.

A Barn in my House?

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

My lucky little rabbits have just received an early Christmas present.

It was a friend who first put the idea into my head. She told me I was making things hard for myself transferring Ash and Lily from hutch to run each morning and evening and having to clean out two lots of accommodation. She suggested a Bunny Barn and told me to look on the web site for a bargain.

Well, I soon found one and within three days of ordering, the flat pack was delivered.

My son, Sam, being a carpenter by trade, soon had the barn standing in one piece. In fact it took him less than 15 mins from start to finish.

As the bunnies were quite used to their old way of life and knowing that rabbits like routine, I wondered what they'd think of their new abode.

After the shock of finding themselves in a completely different environment, they gingerly sniffed their way around their new habitat but avoided the steep ramp to their sleeping quarters for a long time. I knew Ash, the black rabbit would soon get over his reservations because Netherland Dwarf rabbits are quite agile jumpers. However, Lily is a little more sturdy and chunky and her legs are much shorter. I wondered if she'd ever get the hang of going up to the top level. It wasn't until the next day that she tentatively started to mount the ramp but when she got to the top, she couldn't quite grasp how to get off the ramp and onto the landing so she let herself slide all the way down again and chickened out. She didn't attempt it again for a long time. Ash, on the other hand was by then, racing up and down the ramp as though he'd always been doing it. He practically leaps off the top of the landing in what looks like a suicide jump.

A day later, Lily finally plucked up the courage to go and inspect the upstairs living quarters but then she decided she couldn't get back down.

I can remember having to show my late cats how to use a cat flap and I had to do the same with Lily and the ramp.

Anybody coming into my house would have seen me lying on the floor with my head inside the run, coaxing the bunny up and down the ramp with dried apple treats.

The effort definitely paid off and everyone seems satisfied with this new abode. It certainly looks better than the run, is easier to clean and the rabbits still use their tray as a toilet and they have so much space to exercise in and I seem to have more time as I'm not transferring the bunnies to another place twice a day.

They come out regularly for cuddles though.

So thank you, dear friend, for putting me on the right track. sometimes other people can see things more clearly.

Hiding

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

My rabbits know that every morning they get moved into their large run and get fed with fresh greens and hay, following a cuddle each. So why do they always try and hide when they know that I am on my way to get them? They are playing a game with me, thats why.

Sometimes they try to make themselves very small and hope they won't be noticed and sometimes one of them will jump into the tray, knowing that I won't want to pick up a bunny with a wet tail end.

However, when I went to collect them from their night time cage this morning, they had pulled a piece of newspaper over their heads, hoping that I wouldn't notice them. They really are are very funny but loveable bunnies.

I am a bit dismayed that so many of my blogging friends have suddenly given up and abandoned their blogs. Some of them I have *got to know* after a couple of years of writing and commenting. It seems so sudden not to have any contact from them at all when this happens and I am left wondering how they are getting on, after sharing with them for so long.

Some tell me that they don't feel that they have anything to write about, while others get interested in other things or haven't the time to blog. I feel we all have this happen to us from time to time but to give up completely after three years or so seems very extreme.

When I compare my blog this year with what I was doing a couple of years ago..... I notice that I am not going on so many trips to lovely places that I used to do. My grandchildren are growing up and there are not so many funny stories to tell and I don't seem to be writing about my past or doing memes any more, so I dare say that my blog is not as interesting as it used to be.

However, I do still enjoy writing it regularly and consider it to be like a journal. I have acquired new readers and I am always very pleased to get to know new people. I am also constantly taking photos for the blog. However, there is a definite gap when some one who I consider a good blogging friend gives up.

I suppose it is inevitable with this kind of friendship. It seems to be of the transient type.

What do others feel about it when it happens to them?

The Other Side Of The Door

Photo Copyright:Maggie May

The door of the new year has now been opened and we are getting on with life in 2011.

The Christmas decorations have been taken down and things are slowly getting back to normal.

My daughter is now back home on the east coast and the house seems very quiet.

She rang to say that Rick, who is autistic, was moaning to her that he was homesick.

"What do you mean?" She said, "You are home."

"I miss everyone in Bristol." He replied.

Once they all got over their illnesses, the cousins played very well together in the attic and only emerged when they got hungry.

This morning, I was rather taken back when I saw what they had done up there. The whole room had been rearranged with bedding spread all over the place and they'd made it into little dens.

Oh well...... they did enjoy it.

Its back to school tomorrow for Amber and Millie, in fact Rick and Dean went back today. Its After School Club for me too.

Lily, the rabbit has made a remarkable recovery. I have had to dismantle the small part of the pen she was cooped up in. I thought she might try to injure herself in her quest to jump out. So even though I was advised not to put the two rabbits together, I decided to go with my instincts and my knowledge of my rabbits personalities, and leave them together permanently.

Well, Ash so far, hasn't pulled out her stitches and they seemed so pleased to snuggle together again. It is a joy to watch them.

In fact Lily has been bouncing about in sheer delight. I am sure she has recovered far more quickly because she was part of a bonded pair.

Lets hope the vet was just playing on the side of caution and that I won't live to regret it because the stitches are not due to come out until next week.

Henpecked

Photocopyright: Maggie May

Usually, when Harry says, "You brought it all on yourself," it may not necessarily be true. However, this time he is probably right.

There were the most terrible crashing sounds coming from the rabbit cage this morning but by the time I had been summoned to investigate, the rabbits were sitting side by side licking each other as though butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.

For a little while, I have been a bit suspicious that Ash was getting bullied and sometimes Lily sits on his food so that he can't eat it.

She is very heavy handed and pushes him around.

However, he is besotted with her and goes back to her as though she is a kind of goddess.

I get a bit annoyed that he won't stick up for himself.

Now she has really started to hassle him. She means business. She wants to be mated.

She nips his rear end and throws herself at him.

Her behaviour is quite disgusting!

Poor Ash is overwhelmed by these advances. He is like a little boy with a promiscuous hussy!

Sometimes she goes into a sulk. Other times she uses violence.

These hormones are really kicking in and they are powerful.

I had thought a doe would come into season every now and then and get a bit moody, but no....... female rabbits are continually ready for any advances they can get. All the time, every day, every night.

That saying about *breeding like rabbits* is true. They seem to be very passionate creatures.

That makes it difficult. I cannot be with them all the time to rescue Ash.

If I separate them he is frantic with anxiety. He adores her but is overwhelmed by her sometimes violent passion.

Theres only one thing for it. She will have to be spayed.

Do I need this hassle right now? Can I cope with this just before Christmas?

I can't forget how ill Ash was after his operation and a female would have to face bigger surgery and trauma. Also a rabbit mustn't stop eating or it could go anorexic and die and I should think there was a risk Lily might go off her food after an ordeal like that.

Although she has obviously reached sexual maturity, she is still very tiny and not five months old for a month or so. That is the age that the vet reckoned was the time to do it.

For the next couple of weeks I have got quite a few commitments, appointments and social events, as well as work and the grandchildren. My daughter is coming for Christmas so the house will be full.

I know I have brought this all on my self but I really don't need to be told this quite so often.

So come on folk...... what shall I do?

Risk getting her spayed now or wait and hope Ash doesn't get hurt or traumatised till the end of January?

Bonding

This is what happens when a happy little bunny decides to chill out!

Little legs get thrown out behind her.

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

Although this photo is slightly out of focus, it is the only one I have of my two bunnies actually sharing a cage. They seemed to tolerate each other very well. However........ shortly after this photo was taken, all Hell broke loose and Lily was badly scared. Ash didn't like sharing his things.

They were quickly separated and I spent a lot of time searching on line for the best way to bunny bond. (Not all the things that came up were related to rabbits, I can tell you.)

I have been putting them to sleep alone in each others' cages at night and alternating their toilet trays and mixing their scents, so that they don't have a territorial feeling about either cage.

Then every day, the two rabbits are taken upstairs and placed in the empty bath tub on an old blanket.

As neither rabbit had ever been there before, they were not worrying about territory. First time in there, Lily just sat quietly, while Ash was more interested about possible escape routes.

Every day for ten minutes or so they have a chance to sniff each other out and judging by the upright ear positions,(friendly), they have not been in fighting mode since. The ears go back and tails up when they are going to attack.

They can be feisty little beasts.

I will carry on like this until I feel that they can tolerate each other for longer and they won't be left alone any time just yet.

This rabbit bonding is a work of art. I didn't know that I would need to be a psychologist.

However, I can be as stubborn as they can.

According to the bonding sites, a quick bond can take a fortnight but a difficult bond can go on for months.

I have a feeling that I will strike lucky with these two, though.

Lily and Ash

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

Not so long ago my little rabbit Ash, had a generously sized play pen.

However, he now has to manage with a much smaller space for a couple of weeks or so.

All because of Lily, his little companion to be.

She is in a smaller space still.

I have been assured by the breeder that this is the correct way to go, so with excitement and some trepidation about the difficulties of rabbit bonding, I brought Ash his new baby *sister*.

Lily doesn't seem phased by anything and compared to how Ash was when he was a baby, she is not the slightest bit skittish.

So when I put them in their separate compartments for the first time, they turned their backs on each other.

Lily didn't think there was a big deal to the meeting, though Ash sniffed her rear end but seemed quite friendly in a nervous kind of way.

After a while they began to ignore each other and just get on with life.

At one stage they did kiss through the bars though, so I guess they are going to bond.

Watch this space as I hope to get some pictures of them grooming each other.

Sorry, all you folks who don't like rabbits except in a meal, just bear with me and I might return to normal, (whatever that is).

Sitting Round My Table

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

I don't know what it is about my back room that makes everyone want to stay in there when they visit me.

I have very comfortable seating in the front room and the decorations there are pleasing and its quiet and peaceful.

My back room, on the other hand is badly in need of being redecorated and the carpets need to be replaced as they have seen better days. I have a rabbit run in that room, as well as a cage.

In the centre of this room is a round table that seems to be the dumping ground for any old leaflets and papers that come through the doors as well as things that the children bring back from school. All waiting to be sorted.

I try to get rid of the clutters regularly, but as fast as I do so, another load of things come in from my son, the girls or the school.

It is a bit frustrating at times as I was a much tidier person once upon a time when things were put in their place.

It never ceases to amaze me that most people actually choose to sit round this table amongst the general clutter.

One such friend is Audrey.

I first met Audrey when my youngest granddaugher Millie and Audrey's youngest daughter Jade, started to bond together in Nursery school.

They were attracted to each other very quickly and that did seem to help them both to settle down and enjoy life there, every afternoon, five days a week.

Amber had already been through a Reception class and had picked up English fairly well, though at first she hadn't been able to express herself easily and used to think that others could understand her Japanese.

I think Audrey must have moved to Bristol from another region around that time and she was just one of several mothers that I chatted to in the playground.

My family lived with me for almost a year when they came back from Japan, so that I was involved in the school run (and seeing the children when I was at work in the same school at lunch times) right from the beginning.

Eventually, the girls started seeing each other out of school and that was when Amber first began to notice Nadine (the oldest of Audrey's children) and they all seemed to get on very well together. Nadine is a year or so older than Amber, so she is really looked up to by my grandchildren.

Audrey is the friend who looked after my house and rabbit when we went away in the summer. She says that she will be willing to do it again even though we are adding another bunny to our household soon. She is not over the top with rabbits and I think she can take them or leave them, but isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and clean out their trays and she even got a nip on the arm once from Ash for her trouble. That was in the days before he calmed down after being neutered.

It is really good to have someone like this who can be trusted with the house keys and precious pets.

Audrey made my day recently, when she sat round my table one morning, feeling quite sad about something or other, but after a cuppa and a long chat, she said, "Oh I do love sitting round your table like this..... you make me laugh!"

That is quite a compliment, don't you think?

So maybe I shouldn't worry so much about the heaps of junk everywhere because in the end, it is people that matter most......... and of course, rabbits.

The Chosen One

Photo copyright : Maggie May

I knew that the little rabbit in the picture below was the one that I really had taken a fancy to.

I picked it out of 4 photos of babies (all from the same litter) on the web site of the breeder where I bought Ash.

She had told me that there were two boys and two girls, so I was hoping that the one I really secretly liked more than the others was a doe and not a buck.

I would have loved any of them as they all were so cute, but seeing as I was the first to reserve one out of that litter, I thought I could afford to be picky and indulge myself.

I had rung round rescue centres before contacting the breeder to see if I could find a suitable dwarf rabbit to be a companion to Ash, my existing bunny. However, there were no dwarf ones available and the whole object was to get them to bond and live together in the same quarters, so I obviously was not going to bring home a huge rabbit that would toss Ash around like a football.

My son took me over to see the babies on Friday morning and I was amazed to see how much my little rabbit had grown from the original photo. Fortunately this little rabbit was a doe, so I gave her a long cuddle and paid my deposit.

Lily will be ready in two weeks to come home with me. Then the fun will begin..... getting the two rabbits to bond.

I thought you would all like to know that my husband, Harry's chemo has now been postponed for at least 3 months, possibly longer, because his recent blood tests have turned out to be unexpectedly satisfactory.

We feel it is definitely answered prayer and we will enjoy the extra time that we have been given.

Our New Baby

How about this one?

Or maybe that one?

These are just two of the baby rabbits in a litter of four that is six weeks old, and one of them is mine!

They are not ready to leave their mother yet for another 2 weeks. I will be going to view them in person soon and choose a female (doe) so that Ash will have a companion.

We have already named her Lily.

However, we won't be able to put her in with him yet, as she will be too tiny and probably scared of him (the bouncing teenager) and I don't want him tossing her about like a football. So..... I will keep her in a separate part of his run for a couple of weeks until they are completely used to each other.

That is the way to go.

Am I mad or what?

Avon Valley Country Park

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

While my daughter, Deb, was here with our grandsons, from the East coast, we had several action packed days.

We were fairly lucky with the weather and managed to all go off together with Sam and the girls, as all the cousins get on so well and love outings together.

One particularly successful day was when we went to Avon Valley Country Park. This is a farm with rides and walks as well as animals. Something for all age groups.

This beast is one of the residents there.

The farm is in a lovely setting near the River Avon and we walked all along the edge of the fields where lots of different animals were grazing...... from sheep to llamas.

One of the things that happened to me was that I fell in love there..............

I made the mistake of going round Animal Corner, where there were rabbits and guinea pigs in need of urgent homes, as the farm take in rescue pets for resale.

Well a rabbit is a rabbit, isn't it? Nothing extraordinary about them.

Well then, why did a certain little rabbit tug at my heartstrings? This little rabbit was white with brown ears and rings around its eyes. It was tiny and had small ears. I had never seen such a beautiful rabbit before. It was different from all the others.

I went back and asked about it. It turned out to be a Dwarf Netherland. I was told quite firmly by Harry that I couldn't have it. The children wanted me to have it and I kept going back to look at it. My heart told me that I wanted and needed this rabbit, although I had been perfectly happy when I got up that morning to live in a rabbit free zone.

My head told me not to get the rabbit as I hadn't got a hutch or any equipment to put it in. In my mind I had named the rabbit Miffy and I thought about it constantly.

Eventually we all went home and Harry was hoping that I would forget about it.

I couldn't. I decided that I would have to get a Netherland Dwarf.

Two days went by and I had researched on the net just how to look after such a rabbit.

I rang up the farm again and told the person in pets corner about Miffy and asked if she was still there. She was......... but.......... when I told them about my plans to have an indoor rabbit because of my mangy fox and the fact that we wanted it in the house for company, they told me that I would have to get a baby rabbit because Miffy (who was a boy anyway) was 18months old and was an outside rabbit who would not adjust to life indoors.

I thought that would be that. It was Miffy I loved.

Deb, decided to take me to a rabbit breeder in the county, just to look at different types of rabbit. Not to buy, of course.

I thought I probably wouldn't be interested in any other rabbit but it would be an interesting afternoon out.

When I got there, I was looking for a Miffy replica. Well there wasn't one.

Inside the shed, was a little run with baby rabbits not quite old enough to leave the breeder all sitting together. They were minute and some had been reserved for £5. I was told I could do the same if I wanted.

There were none like Miffy but I was allowed to pick up several little ones that were still available. Three little ones, a smokey grey with curly hair (lion head) and a sort of patchwork one the same didn't really do anything for me. The breeder showed me a white one with red eyes that I really didn't like. Then I spotted a pure black smooth one who was really beautiful. It was a boy and I was told that it must live alone but would make an excellent house rabbit. I picked him up and cuddled him. He was a Netherland Dwarf crossed with a Lionhead but he was smooth furred with bright brown eyes. I paid my £5 deposit and thought that would give me time to get the cage and accessories and I would have to ask Sam to come back and collect it in a few days.

The breeder was taking my details and she then told me that it was due to be released in two days time, so that I could take it that day if I wanted as two days wouldn't make any difference.

I told her my predicament about the lack of a cage.

No problem. She had one that I could buy.

This little bunny was no Miffy so we thought of a suitable name for it and came up with Ash!

Now how is it possible that I could go from a white Miffy to a black Ash? Well you must believe me, when a rabbit gets under your skin, you just sort of love it.

Harry has got used to the idea now, even though he thinks I am slightly mad since chemo, but at least I didn't get a yearning for the longhorn cow. That might have caused a problem.

Happy Easter Everyone

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

In my last post, I wrote that Harry and I would be going to Church on Good Friday, that is if you waded through my froggy encounter first.

I wrote about collections of miniature crosses and the fact that a friend of mine had made me a lovely model of one, hand crafted out of stained glass and held together with lead and soldering, just like the church windows of old, in a tiny sort of way.

I am writing this after just coming back from The Good Friday Service and our church was decorated with these displays, so it was no surprise to me, to learn that most of the time was spent emphasising The Cross and how Jesus died for me........ and for you too. Forgive me if you are not Christian........ I am not stuffing this down your throat, just telling you of my interpretation of the Good Friday service and the service that will be so different on Easter Sunday.

So during this morning's service, we were invited to come to the front of the church, where there were two baskets of tiny wooden crosses...... each one of them skilfully carved out of a chunk of wood by some one somewhere, unknown to me.

By taking a cross we would have a lasting reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

When I got home, I wondered if I would have enough crosses of my own to illustrate this post (as I like to use my own photos.) My glass cross will still be on display in church until Sunday when I can collect it. So off I went for a little search about the house and I found a suitable Easter card, a couple of crosses on chains, a letter opener in the shape of a sword that is still a cross, an earring, a minute bible with a cross on it, as well as the tiny wooden cross that I was given today.

I also have my celtic cross on the wall in the garden.

So I am constantly reminded of the message from this morning, but I really didn't need the reminders because the message is in my heart.

There are no bodies on our crosses because the whole point of the cross is.......... that Jesus didn't stay on it, but was put in a tomb and on the third day he rose again, so the Easter Sunday service will be a joyous affair.

There folks....... that is the whole point of Easter but we can also celebrate our rabbits and fluffy lambs and chicks and the chocolate eggs as they all are symbolic of new life.

Which leads me to say, I hope you all have a very Happy Easter, whatever your persuasion of faith or belief.

Lets hope the weather is dry and sunny and that we can all enjoy Springtime at its best.

Definitely my favourite time of the year.

From a Coach Window

There is much to be said for traveling by coach. For a start, we were high up and could see over the hedges along the motor way for miles, which in a car is not always possible.

English motorways go through some beautiful countryside. (So OK, so do Welsh, Scottish and Irish motor ways.) I just happened to be in England.

As the scenes rushed by, I was reminded of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, that I loved as a child. From A Railway Carriage.

It described looking out of a train window at all the passing things that whizzed by, and the last line ....... "Each a glimpse and gone forever."

The light caused everything to look quite striking, even though it was raining. Many of the fields were bright yellow with crops of rape seed flowers, which were in sharp contrast to the many greens of fields, shrubs, trees and hedgerows that we passed. The fields stretched out into the distance where the far hills were obliterated by mist in a blue grey haze.

Church towers snuggled behind tree tops.

Fields of brown earth invaded by hundreds of large black crows grubbing for food.

Occasionally a sparrow hawk was seen hovering silently and effortlessly as it stalked it's prey.

Every now and then small factories appeared like a scar on the landscape.

Tiny huddles of campers in tents and caravans.

Sometimes, we went over a river, gorged by the rain and saw a boat or two moored by the banks, men fishing.

We went through pig farms that seemed to stretch for miles on either side of the motor-way. Rows and rows of round topped huts, as far as the eye could see, reminding me of refugee camps for some reason.

There were black and white cows, but further up north, only brown ones.

Fields of lambs that were half the size of their mothers, not gamboling like the little ones do but grazing quietly and orderly.

Not everything was beautiful as we sped along. Huge pylons and ugly cables spanned the farmland and stretched for miles.

Ugly cream gasometers that couldn't be hidden.

Power stations with large, fat chimneys, seen for miles and looking quite sinister against the sky.

Road kills, mostly birds lying against the central barrier ...... a squashed pheasant and two crows, one lying on it's back with it's legs stuck in the air.

We came to some traffic jams where the roads were being repaired and cones everywhere. Other vehicles started to overtake us, motorbikes and fast cars. Some with sleeping babies and one with a child lying across the back seat, not even strapped in.

One car that went past, had a large breasted lady sitting in the passenger seat with an unusually large box on her lap. The box had large writing on the lid. "TAKE CARE- LIVE RABBITS!" 

Now, who do I know with rabbits?