A Fine Romance

Match making for rabbits or How to find a life partner for your bunny!

When Sophie was about 10, her older sister Eve was fully involved in Guinea pig breeding, it had started by accident, the vet wrongly sexed our first 2 guinea pigs and they bred and before we had time to separate them the female became pregnant again! Eve thought this was wonderful as it was a way for her to make money, she encouraged her friends to get their parents to buy the babies.

Anyway, Sophie felt left out and one day when we were visiting a local children' s farm she found the rabbits and became obsessed with wanting a rabbit. It was actually very embarrasssing because she started screaming and crying in the middle of the farm because I said "No", we were moving soon and i didn't want to have yet something else to worry about having to move. She carried on screaming and crying all day and all the way home. Oh how I hate it when children whine like that.

I'm not very good at saying "No" and sticking to it........so a few weeks later we are in the pet shop buying a rabbit... a very pretty female grey and white rabbit . Sophie called her Pepsi. She adored Pepsi and all was well. A few months later we have moved and were settling in to our new home. Sophie notices that Pepsi is pulling lots of her fur out and is getting rather irritable. Sophie says Pepsi needs company as she is lonely. We talked to the pet shop, they advised us that it would be hard to find a rabbit to share with her unless we had her spayed. 2 females would fight and obviously a male would mean disaster!

The other option was a castrated male,we made enquiries and found a rabbit rescue centre in East Sussex. They invited us to bring Pepsi along to meet and greet their rabbits and hopefully find a mate! So one spring Sunday afternoon we drove across to the Rabbit rescue centre . The woman in charge spent a bit of time with Pepsi and then put her in a pen and introduced one at a time a neutered male rabbit, we fell in love with a very handsome white lop but Pepsi was terrifed! They chased each other around and after a while seemed to like each other. So we did the necessary and brought this new white rabbit home , we named him Magic!

This was the beginning of a nightmare, because when we put the 2 rabbits in to Pepsi's cage, which is huge ( About 7 foot across)We had done all the correct things the woman had told us, cleaned the cage out totally , put Magic in first and so on. They just started to fight, there was fur flying everywhere. Sophie got very upset and so we separated them. We tried again the next day and the same thing happened, we tried them in the open grass run and they still fought. Magic went to one end and Pepsi to the other.

It was not a match made in heaven at all!

After a week of trying we were all for giving up and returning Magic to the centre. We rang her to ask for more advice . What she suggested surprised us all.......... She told us to put both rabbit in a confined space, travel box and go for a ride in the car and make it as bumpy and rough as possible!! Sounded very cruel........but in fact it worked............They went in the box as sworn enemies they came out as the best of friends!! The bumping around forges a relationship to build in adversity apparently! We put them back in the cage and they started to lick each other, cuddle up and now they have been inseparable for the last 6 years, well apart from when Pepsi made her bids for freedom but you've heard that story!

A few lines from me............

It's not been a good doggy day!

When I take beth for her walk in the mornings there are 2 ways of entering the paddock, one though our wood and the other along the road and up the side of the field. If we go through the wood , which we invariably do we make enough noise for the rabbits to run and hide and make their escape under the gate back into the safety of the wood, if we go the other way rabbits do not hear us and then get trapped in the field. This is what happened this morning, Baby rabbit in field Beth gives chase and catches, you've heard that story before. I've come to get used to it but still don't like it, especially when she is crunching on bones, yukky! But it also wastes valuable time, that I can ill afford in the morning when I have to get Lucy ready for school .

So by the time Beth has finished her breakfast there is no time for a long walk only a run around the field. Back home, took Lucy to school and then went off to see a client.

Three hours later I arrive home, I open the front door, strangely quiet, Beth usually runs to meet me, getting all excited. Where was she??

I walk to the foot of the stairs....................there she is, she creeps out , ears down, looking very sorry for her self................What has she done? I go around the upstairs rooms I cannot see anything amiss. Back downstairs, into the Sitting Room and there it is...........runny Poo on the carpet! No wonder she was looking so worried. Such a bad girl. I don't say anything I just clear it up, take her in the garden and give her the silent treatment. She skulks in the utility for a while, then I go and give her a pat, I can't be cross for long, she is in season ithink this upsets her tummy. Or was it the rabbit?

"Best made plans..........."

A month ago in those halcyon sunny days in April I rashly invited some family friends over for a lunchtime BBQ on Sunday 13 May. It seemed like an excellent idea! Our friends were all for it and promised to bring lovely marinated meats for us to BBQ. They were keen to see me but didn't want to over tire me so it was agreed they'd bring quite a bit of the food and all I'd have to do was let them get on with it! Seemed too good to be true!

As this last week progressed the weather forecast was getting gloomier and gloomier, so I knew in my heart of hearts that it was going to rain on Sunday.

But we don't give up easily, so Saturday you would have seen me cutting the grass, yes, I can use the mower now as long as Stan starts it. You may ask why couldn't he do it? Indeed, you may ask again! But anyway I did it, the garden was looking pretty good, the wisteria looks stunning, the rhodadendrons are beautiful and the azaleas are looking good too, (shame about the weeds inbetween! but they'll be gone on Friday when we have our Weeding memorial session!)

This morning I awoke to a dull day but it wasn't raining, so I was encouraged and looking forward to our friends coming for our BBQ. On my return from church I discovered that Stan had been busy he had erected a sort of metal shelter over the BBQ using huge old oil drums , a ladder and a strip of metal roofing sheet! He stood out there admiring his handy work. BUT then

It started to rain, but "never give up" we say, "What about our Dunkirk Spirit!"

We were deteremined to have our BBQ and at 12.30pm shape just as I was going to light the barbie, we had such a storm, thunder, lightening, heavy rain, the lot. Lucy got scared and said we mustn't go out as we might get struck by lightening with all that metal around the barbie.

So in the end we had to cook indoors, crowded in the kitchen. Our friends came and brought lovely marinated chicken and beef kebabs, done in a yoghurty , garlic dressing, very tasty it was too. Followed by yummy Sherry trifle and lots of wine.

We were still eating at 4pm and by then the rain had stopped so we were able to go all go for a walk with Beth, the dog, through the meadows and woods behind our place. We needed a walk to use up some of the calaries we'd eaten for lunch.

Such a shame about the rain, but all in all a perfect day with friends.

The demise of Hamster and the finding of the hole in the ground

It was strangely quiet in my study early this morning, I glanced over to the hamster cage, and quickly realised that something was amiss, the grape I had put in the cage last night was still there, the food dish still full.



I looked down at his little bed and there he was all tucked up and so still, no longer just asleep but deceased.



I knew over these past few days that he was going down hill, there were the tell tale signs, the excessive drinking and strong smell of urine, and now his time was up. He'd had a good 2 years which is average for a hamster. I haven't told Lucy yet, I let her go to school and as she is staying the night with her friend I will not tell her until she returns tomorrow, I think it's better that way.



He'd certainly had his adventures. Last year he had planned and executed his escape. He used to work at pushing open the cage door, and eventually he succeeded!



We came down one morning , the door was open and he had gone. I'd heard a cafuffle in the night and now I knew what it was. Beth , the dog, , must have found hammy, I was convinced she had eaten him.



We searched high and low but didn't find him. However, not deterrred Lucy put out food for Hammy and in the morning the food had gone, so He Was Alive somewhere in the house!



This went on for several days, we'd put food out, Hammy, found it and ate his fill and returned to his hiding place.



Then I noticed that Beth was spending a lot of time nosing around under Lucy's bed. So I pulled everything out, quite a feat in it self, there snuggled in the bottom of a box surrounded by chewed blankets stuff was Hammy. He was not pleased at being found and bit me hard, it bled for ages!



We got him back into his cage, but the next night he escaped again, this time we knew where to look! This time he was put back in his cage and I tied the doors up............No more escaping for him!!



Sadly now he is no more.



I went out into the garden to dig a hole and bury him. As I had the spade in my hand I thought I'd have another look for my Rotary Lines hole in the ground. After tapping at the grass for a few moments I suddenly hit metal. Yes, there it was........My hole in the ground! Hooray! But it's raining now so I still can't hang the washing out!

Moving photos practice- "hooray I think she's done it!"

This is Lucy looking over the kitchen stable door.

This blog is just a practise for moving photos around.

Did I tell you it been a week of "returns", first the ducks

Then it was the return to work. The day in Brighton.

And also this week has been the return of Tom, our friend who is training to do the dreaded HIPS! He arrived on Tuesday and will be staying till Saturday, which has added a bit more interest to the week.

See blog below for todays proper blog!!

Birds Nests in strange places

A couple of years ago I noticed some rather strange things happening by the drain pipe at the side of the house, clumps of grassy stuff kept ending up in the drain hole, I kept clearing it out thinking it was blowing in from where we'd cut the grass.

But then we started to notice other strange things, the pipe from the bathroom started over flowing, the water was splashing all over the ground.

Stan & I went down for further investigation, Stan put his hand into top of the down pipe , its a v shape drain and pipe just goes into it, he pulled out enormous amounts of grassy, feathery stuff, then to our surprize a Great Tit flew by with much consternation, gave us a odd look and flew off.

Suddenly it dawned on us, the Great tit and partner had built their nest in the top of the down pipe and every time we emptied the bath it was washing their nest away!

We felt dreadful, we wanted to help , we didn't want the nest in the down pipe but what to do??

We had no more nesting boxes but we had a bat box unoccupied, so Stan managed to net off the drain pipe and screwed the bat box up beside the pipe and opened the top lid an inch or so and wedged it open.

Then we waited, a couple of days later we realised the birds had worked it out, a nest was being built in the bat box. Eggs were laid, chicks were hatched and all was well.

There are Great Tits nesting in the box again this year, it's wonderful!

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Elsewhere in the garden there are many other birds nesting too, but one caught my eye the other day. I was out feeding the rabbits when I heard such a commotion, Tinker, the tailess cat, was going mad, I saw a bird dart past and cat flew into the climber at the back of the workshop, cat scrambled up the plant, I shooed him down, as he stumbled to the ground I looked up to see what he was after and there in the climbing plant (you can tell I'm no good with plants, don't know its name!, it has flowers like a hydranga but its a rambler) I spy a tiny nest, in this nest are some small chicks, I can hear them.

I shoo the cat away and then position one of Stan's car bonnets against that section of workshop so Tinker can no longer climb up.

Then I go indoors and keep watch, I see a Chaffinch go to the nest, taking food. All is well. I've kept an eye on the the nest this past few days and every thing seems to be in order. Chicks are growing, parents are feeding. Cat is out of the way!!

The return to work

A picture of Brighton Pavillion, hope that brings back happy memories Un Peu Loufoque!

Today saw me make my first tentative moves towards returning to work, I am looking forward to seeing my families again and getting back into the swing of things.

I had to go to Brighton to meet my manager, Jean, a very lovely person, so this was no hardship.

But to get to Brighton I have to drive along a notoriously dangerous stretch of road, the A272, which crosses the other main roads going northwards to London. I must admit I was feeling quite vulnerable as I set out on my journey, it's not as if this is my first time driving as i've been back behind the wheel for 2 weeks, but it was the first time I'd been on such a long journey alone since before the operation.

The A272 takes you through some pretty villages and country side but there is a sinister feel as you go along certain section, shrines of flowers in memory of loved ones killed along the road, jump out and hit you in the face. I know it is important to grieve but I do wonder at the need for such visual signs along a road, it is most disturbing. As I drive along one section near Bucks Barn crossroads, I recall a colleague who was killed in an accident only a few months back. He was only 53, and he was not at fault the other driver lost control and hit him.

I stopped at the Post office at Cowfold to send a letter to Sophie in Spain, she rang this morning, she wasn't feeling too well, so was having a lazy day, but tomorrow she starts work, she is to clean 2 apartments, she says she is looking forward to it! It is a trial, so she will only get more work if she does this well.

Arriving in Brighton, I feel better, I'm looking forward to seeing Jean & Issi. They botyh greet me with big hugs, and soon tea is made and we chat. Jean filled me in with news of work and then we go off to Lunch. Jean takes me to a place called "Open House" it's an Arty sort of Bar/cafe, lots of interesting pieces of art hung on the walls for people to buy. We order our lunch and sit on big comfy Chesterfield Sofas, the place is almost empty but it has a nice feel to it.

I eat Pittas with assorted dips and Jean has a Risotto.

I love Brighton, it's such a vibrant place, full of intersting and colourful people. Some people call it Little London! Well, given the choice I'd rather be in Brighton any day, London doesn't have any Sea!

Unfortunately , due to having to collect Lucy from school , there is no time to walk around The Lanes or go in the Pavillion, or even go on the beach, but it was a jolly good first day at work!!