Warm wishes Needed

This is little Molly. She is going thru a critical time just now and has been to the animal hospital and is on pain medications.
Please keep her in your thoughts and wish her strength and fast healing.


Molly was given a permanent home on July 12th by Jen from etsy shop JMcGuniness after being abandoned with no food or water in a cardboard box at a pet shop. She was a skinny wee thing but started to put on weight fast.

She has been sick and had ileus and went from 3.5lbs to just 2.7lbs. Jen is still syringe feeding her Critical Care from Oxbow and she is now managing a little solids.

Jen has another house rabbit called Lola. Lola is the lagomorph star in her etsy shop.

Jen is a photographer and also a member of the Etsy For Animals team that I am on. I own this delicate fawn photograph by her and every time I look at it I am heartened by the calmness.

I have been thinking positive thoughts for little Molly and wishing her great good health and a speedy recovery from her ordeal.

I said to Jen that I would write about Molly so that others could also send love, warm wishes and positive energy to her.

The power of the bunny universe is strong.

with many grateful thanks, Annette xxx

Forest Dwellers

There are two species of Bongo - Western/Lowland Bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus and the Eastern/Mountain Bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci.
Edinburgh zoo has three Bongo - two females and one male and I am not entirely sure which species they are but there are more Mountain Bongos in captivity around the world and their status is Endangered unlike the Lowland Bongo which is only 'near threatened'.

The two females are - Emi born on 12 September 2007 (hope she had a nice birthday!) and Esainkiki (Kiki for short) born on 24 August 2007. A Bongo's gestation period is 9.5 months so these two ladies are not sisters. They are both bold and vivacious Fire Pigs in the Chinese Horoscope and both being Virgos are very giving.
The male is Djembi born on 3 March 2005. He is a Wood Rooster in the Chinese Horoscope and being a Piscean does not like confrontation.

Kiki, Emi and Djembi have a large paddock with a sizeable pond at Edinburgh Zoo. They look very relaxed and though they are secretive forest dwellers they have adapted well to an open enclosure with a few trees surrounded by bushes for privacy.

Bongo are indeed incredibly handsome antelope with the most striking markings. Bright whites on a rich chestnut coat and the softest brownest eyes ever!

Karen from etsy shop Rare Friends raises money to help the Bongos from the sale of T-shirts, Caps and Totes. The funds go directly to the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF).

This T-shirt has a gorgeous photograph of a male. The green leaves compliment the rich chestnuts!

A great way to wear your ethics on your sleeve! Or keep your cause close to your heart! Or put your back into helping the endangered bongos!

In January 2004 the RSCF repatriated 18 Mountain Bongo to Kenya after 10 years of hard work. The programme is detailed and well thought out and will ensure a self-sustaining wild population of bongo in Mt. Kenya.

However the illegal bushmeat trade in Africa is threatening all animals, not just endangered ones. Please do not purchase animal parts on your African travels nor from internet sellers. These activities will only fuel the demand for more 'product' - irrespective of where they come from.

The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force is fighting hard to combat this trade. You can take action and make a Bushmeat Promise to help them in the most suitable and convenient way for you. If helping becomes a chore then sometimes even the most ardent become dispirited so the Promise has been designed to work with you to help them help the animals.

One of the ladies has a very close friendship with a Red River Hog in her paddock (also an Equatorial African forest dweller). I watched them all for about half an hour and Hamish the hog constantly grazed under his companions underbelly.

Hamish was born 2 October 2006 and will be a charismatic Fire Dog in the Chinese Horoscope and being Libran will be a just and kind soul.

Hamish is a father and recently had piglets! Though his friendship with one of the ladies is very loyal indeed! Love knows no boundaries.

Here is Djembi in the sun. His horns are mimicked on his chest with a white flash in the same shape. Very striking!

And you would have noticed in all the photos that they have impressive ridges of hair down their backs, including Hamish.

After Emi, Kiki and Hamish had been over to the wood fence to investigate my presence they joined Djembi for communual same-way grazing (as observed regularly with cows and sheep in fields).

My young nieces had been to see the Bongo and Red River Hog but the penguin parade was on and since they are the same height as the penguins they dashed over there! perhaps hoping to blend in and join the avian parade?

Want to know what the pingus are up to now? UK daylight hours apply.

Leverts 3

Leverets 3 all spoken for ~

Baby Hare Princesa (Spanish pronounciation)

Princesa loves the colour pink and she has the most beautiful pink eyes. She already knows all the flowers species that are pink and has planted a few of each kind in her garden. Princesa also has a keen eye when she is out and about and comes across many little attractive and interesting pink things that she puts inside her pink bag. However, even though she is surrounded by pinkness she is really a tomboy underneath and has no fear what-so-ever of scampering along a muddy log to reach a pink petal nor swimming the fast flowing river to retrieve a shiny pinky shell. Usually she has muddy paws every day when she turns in for the night. She prefers to perch princess-like on a shelf admiring her pink things and watching her flowers grow.

Dama and Quilla

Baby Hare Quilla

Quilla is a very talented young hare and has a true gift for movement. Quilla loves to visit the horses in the field every day and she dances and plays with them until the sun goes down. The horses have been teaching her about moving gracefully, and even though they are very big with large clumpy feet she has observed their flowing and elegant actions in all that they do. She has even tried to toss her head like them, though she has no mane to swish about! Quilla has been practicing these graceful motions with the horses and has learnt so many new ones just by watching them move! The horses make sure that they do not step on little Quilla accidentally when she is in the field flitting prettily around them, non-stop all day. When she grows up she wants to become the first hare ballet dancer in Swan Lake.
Quilla loves to practice her stretching on a shelf and she will spend many hours on these movements, pointing her long, long beautiful furry toes. She also loves to visit her horse friends every day.

Baby Hare Dama

Dama loves to study the sciences and he gets so much help from his friends the dragonflies, damselflies and wasps. They have taught him about biology – how their eggs are laid, how long it takes for the babies to hatch and how their wings are constructed. And about chemistry – the chemicals that the wasps have in their sting, and how it can paralyse small insects, the pheromones that damselflies release to attract their partners. And they have taught him so much about physics – how dragonflies can take off vertically, can fly backwards and why their wings can beat so fast per second. Dama just loves the insects, they are so small but so intelligent! He hopes to study science at the Winged Insect Institute for Extra Clever Mammals when he is older.

~ and all made for little children, though not tiny ones. Each hare is a reflection of the youngster it shall be living with.

Do you have a youngster or oldster in your family who needs their good points and unusual traits pointed out by a small lagomorph?

young Sam in need

Lily's young cat Sam is at the vets. Yesterday he had a massive impact and his hips and back legs are broken.


Lily is waiting to hear about Sam getting specialist surgery as I write.

Lily is a member of my efa team, Etsy For Animals. We have all been sending positive thoughts, love, wishes and hope her way and Sam's way.

She is also a member of the Canada Alberta Street Team on etsy.

Here is Lily and Sam. Sam is product testing a cat Lily has made. I love the way he is hugging the front of the cat!

One day during the past winter Sam turned up at Lily and her husband Gabe's house. He had found his forever home and met his best friend Koru. Koru was rescued as a scrawny, thirsty and starving oil covered kitten by Gabe last summer.

Sam and Koru completely at home.

Lily has a blog and an etsy shop both called Two Stray Cats named after these two precious little furries.

Koru will be thinking about Sam in this time of need.

Lily always donates money to her local animal rescues but with surgery costing between $1,000 to $1,500 she will need every penny from her etsy shop.

I purchased these 2 beautiful note books above. Love the colour!

and I got these 3 gorgeous pillows as well. Love the pattern with the small golden birds. My mum likes them too!

Lily is a very talented lady and she is one of the nicest people I have met on the efa team. She is so very caring and kind and the first to offer help, well wishes and support.

She has some very beautiful textiles in her etsy shop. Any purchases will be shipped next week as she is spending time with Sam at the vets now.

Lily has beautiful cushions like this one in red and creamy white. It's only $10 and is on sale at the moment.

and this pillow is also on sale at only $10! I love the flowery paw print fabric and the rich choclatey colours (yum!!).

Lily also makes notebooks like my two above and these 3 are in cream, grey or white and have a lovely tree on the front.

I'm always scribbling in books (usually the one I happen to be reading!) so using a notebook will be a new leaf for me!

Lily also makes cat plushs - soft sculpture ornaments - and these two are Cat Burglars!! What a beautiful play on words and the heart is such a nice touch.

I bet they are friendly cat burglars just like Halle Berry in CatWoman! (one of my favourite movies).

and these were the ones that Sam was product testing! They have held up well to cat love!

The red heart is striking!

These are great little soft sculpture blocks 'I Heart You' and I could see them being used as bunny toys!! I am sure Arabella would toss them around no problem! Wesley would probably lie ontop of one - he is very much like a cat when he reclines!

Lily and Gabe are in my thoughts, as deeply caring parents, and friends,

and like little Koru here I am thinking of Sam in my heart and sending love and positive thoughts of healing and strength to him.

thank you for reading,

please leave comments of support for Sam and keep him in your thoughts xxx

Breakfast is served

Arabella tucks into a plate of curly kale and organic carrots.

She eats in style off her Limoges porcelain plate. Meals always taste better when the service is delightful.
Her Allen and Page Natural Rabbit pellets are always served in her Wedgwood Peter Rabbit nibbling on a carrot porringer and her water is in the porringer with Peter running thru a vegetable patch.





Wesley tucks in too. He also loves breakfast time.

His service is an exquisite 3 leaf cabbage dish. The leaf at the front has filtered water in it. Every now and again Wesley will turn over a new leaf - well, hmmm, more accurately he will turn over one of these leaves - usually the one holding the water! (akin to rocking the boat!)

and shortly after breakfast two more real size baby hares came into the world - as yet no-names but after I spend some time with them their names and stories shall 'appear'. They are both happy to forgo the porcelain.

This young chap has deer on him in a meadow scene ~

and this youngster has the blue star white star fabric that my Arabella bag was made out of that I donated to the Buckeye House Rabbit Society.

This little one though does have a name - Baby Feline Button

Button loves to be outside in the garden relaxing amidst the blue coloured flowers. He likes to watch the bees, wasps and other winged insects coming to feed on the nectar and collect the pollen. Rather unusual for a baby feline – Button has no desire to chase any of them, rather he prefers to gently move the stalks lest a flower be partially hidden and refusing to give up it’s bounty to the collectors. The bees are ever so grateful for his intervention and they bring small presents of honey drops that they leave on the stems for him to lick. Sometimes the globules get stuck all over his whiskers.

Button is in my etsy shop and is the first feline in there. Just as well he likes insects and is very reserved - he will get on with all my hares and rabbits and swans there!

Arabella and Wesley are looking forward to dinner!

Persistence - never give up!

The greatest lessons in life come from nature and the rest come from books.

Porbably not enough people look to nature ... as they hurry on their lunch break ... shopping trip ...

and maybe not enough books are opened ... and perhaps those that are ... aren't finished ... or too easily forgotten ...

never-the-less the Herring Gull, larus argentatus, perhaps is not too widely read but he does know about nature's lessons and is unrelentingly determined

and that he is most likely not being employed as a Landscape Gardener Specialist or Outdoor Spaces Engineer.

He will probably be looking for a meal too ~ a tasty worm, a discarded sandwich, a beetle...

because

if he doesn't persevere he won't get lunch!

~

and the lesson? - never give up if you believe in something - no matter how many people walk past staring at you and how many ignore you as you struggle away

~

Love herring gulls? Here are more to look at in all their variations of plumage, sex and age. And if it wasn't for the resourceful and helpful herring gulls and pigeons eating our throw-away society waste then it would be the rats! (I love rats too!)

taken last April in St Andrews Square, Edinburgh, after they spent months ripping out mature trees to be replaced by grass squares, concrete landscaping and humans

Baby Hare Archie - Real Hare Size

The other day I made my first ever real size hare!

Please meet Baby Hare Archie ~


Archie is a very handsome and elegant young hare and has the grace of a thoroughbred horse. He usually spends his days relaxing with the ex-race horses in the far field and at dusk makes his way home with his best horse friend Harvey. Harvey knows that after a whole day chatting, asking endless questions beginning with why and playing that little Archie is always tired and he puts him up on his high, high back to take him home. Archie is always grateful for this special treat and when they reach the nest Harvey makes sure to tuck him in warmly and snugly. Archie always dreams of running in the wind with the horses with the countryside flashing past. Sometimes his legs move in his sleep!

Here is Archie with my usual size of babies - Baby Hare Pharlap -

His mama named him after the famous Australian racehorse. She chose well because he is a very fast hare, infact he is the fastest baby around. Although he is not very big and with moderate sized legs he still darts from place to place like lightening. Mama also made him a beautiful jumper with a racehorse on it and he wears it every day. When he grows up he wants to train the new baby hares to run very fast.

Archie has been made with the same horses upholstery material as Pharlap and he has turned out rather nice.

Archie was pleased to meet Pharlap and they did some exploring (of my flat) together. First they played hide and seek and invited Wesley and Arabella to join in -

Wesley was enjoying his daily afternoon nap but sleepily had a look around and couldn't see either of them anywhere! ... yawn!.....

After a couple of hours hiding little Pharlap had gone into a deep sleep and couldn't be mustered but Archie was still wide awake - peering thru the undergrowth (of my arm chair)

Arabella decided that Pharlap had the right idea and after a quick round of the premises she too decided to call it a day -

Rabbits and hares are just not daytime revellers! Well, not here anyway!

After a few more hours of patiently waiting to be found by a fellow lagomorph good-natured Baby Hare Archie glanced at the clock and couldn't believe the time! Goodness! was it really so late! it was by high time he started to make tracks - he had a forever home to go to!

Perhaps more Baby Hare real hare sizes will be in my shop sometime ~