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I really shouldn't have any rabbits. A cat, a horse, a 3 year old daughter, a husband and a bump ought to be enough for any family. But I actually have two rabbits and it all started with a very large, white bunny called Princess.
The name, "Princess" was rather ironic. She didn't look like a princess. In fact, she was probably the ugliest rabbit you'd ever seen. She was a very big bunny with a huge Adam's apple, milky red eyes and usually a few stains on her white fur where she had been sitting in something she shouldn't.
The reason I owned her is because she was the ugliest rabbit in the pet shop, no one wanted her and it pulled at my heart strings.
Princess lived in our house for a while. I thought she might be a house rabbit and tried valiantly to litter train her. I failed.
My husband, Tom, finally announced enough was enough when she ate his computer. That was after she had destroyed item: 1 bed, 1 mattress, 1 carpet, 1 duvet, 1 bookshelf. I couldn't bear to confine her to a small cage so we made a ridiculously huge outdoor run which obliterates our lawn. Tom didn't mind this so much as it provided a good reason not to mow it.
I took to letting her out of her palatial home so she could run loose around the garden. She loved my little daughter, Caitlin and followed her everywhere. She ate our vegetables, destroyed several things in the garage, escaped into the neighbour's garden (both sides, more than once) and on one memorable occasion, even managed to sprint through the side gate and onto the road.
She also terrorised our cat. It wasn't unusual to watch him running as if for dear life, eyes the size of saucers, tail the size of a ferret and ears flat on his head while being pursued by a big, loppy rabbit.
One spring evening, Princess had been hopping around the garden all day and I'd left her out late. It was now dark and I was in the kitchen when I heard screaming from the garden. I ran out to find Princess in the jaws of a fox!
I live in suburban Folkestone for goodness sake! And she's a huge rabbit! Still, Mr Fox clearly fancied his chances. He didn't even stop when I ran out into the garden.
"GURRRRROARRRRROARRR!", I roared my best monster roar, thankfully well practiced as it makes Caitlin laugh.
The fox dropped Princess and ran one way. Princess ran the other. In fact, she ran straight into the bushes and brambles that Tom and I try to pretend are nothing to do with us.
It was late. It was dark. But the problem is, I am extremely fond of this rabbit.
So at around quarter to midnight, Tom and I were out with torches, I was crashing through brambles and spiky branches (ouch) until I found her huddled in a dark corner. She wasn't hurt! I, on the other hand, was scratched to pieces!
A lot of spoiling and some rest later and she was back to her cheeky self. I even let her run around the garden again (supervised this time) and the first thing she did was find a whole in the fence and pay the neighbours a visit!
But the Fox got his revenge. He came back in the early summer. It was a balmy evening and Princess was playing sillies and refused to come back to her cage for her tea. In frustration, I gave up and went to put Caitlin to bed, thinking I'd catch the rabbit later.
But there was no later for Princess.
While I was upstairs, the fox came into the garden. I didn't hear anything. Later I looked everywhere for Princess to get her safely home. She didn't come when I called. Eventually, I treked through the brambles and bushes again and found her in the same "safe place" where she had escaped to the time before. She was dead. There was a bite on her neck and blood but I think in the end, her heart gave out.
It hit me harder than I expected and I was also flooded with "if onlys" and guilt. I buried her that night in the garden with an offering of grass from her favourite spot of lawn and a dried apricot (her ultimate treat). And I found I missed her floppy white presence in the garden every day.
In fact the garden felt extremely empty, probably much to the cat's delight.
Which is why, within a few week's, Floppy and Nutmeg moved into residence in the Princess' old run and we are now a two bunny family. But that is another story.
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ASSIGNMENT 1: Click here to find out about my cat!
ASSIGNMENT 2: Click here to find out about my horse!
ASSIGNMENT 3: Click here to find out about my rabbit, Princess (deceased)!
ASSIGNMENT 4: Click here to find out about Denny the Duck's Disaster
ASSIGNMENT 5: Click here to find out about my daughter's 1st letter to Father Christmas
ASSIGNMENT 6: Click here to find out what I've learnt during this course. Hopefully you'll agree I have learnt something!!
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