The Three Musketeers

[Chrisdoc]

All of mine just love that little basket, thinks it´s one of the cheapest and best things I´ve ever bought for them. I caught Snowy during the night with his head buried in the hay trying to get the strands right from the bottom. As usual, I wasn´t quick enough with the camera. On the downside, it is a bit messy as a lot of it ends up on the floor but it´s worth it just to see them eating so much hay.

I just love Bandy´s feet as they suddenly pop out of all that fur and he does have really big feet under all that. He definitely loves the chairs under the table and if I can´t find him in the house, I always know he´ll be up there. He is a fluff ball, you wouldn´t believe how soft it is and how much comes off onto clothes, reminds me I must groom him tomorrow again, he is molting so much at the moment and he doesn´t like being groomed one bit. Wonder if I could knit a sweater from all his stray fur.

Morgan, I was thinking of you today when I was cleaning as I was in an apartment in the old town in Marbella and I had all the windows wide open; it was so nice and warm and I could hear everyone´s conversations and the church bells ringing every hour and it was so nice although I hate the sunlight when it shows up all the dust and dirt.

And the house sitting idea is not as daft as it sounds. I will need to get away at some time and who better to look after my boys and my house than someone I could trust with them. I don´t think at the moment I know anybody over here who I would trust to look after them as they know absolutely nothing about rabbits or how they should live. I think most people find it amazing that they live in the house and roam in the living room. What´s so strange about that ??:sweep Yes, I put that icon there as Houdini has suddenly decided to start marking in the living room again, he´s driving me nuts, probably something to do with his little difference with Snowy but it has to stop.

 

[holtzchick]

Yes, his messmaking probably does have to do with his disagreement with Snowy! Phoenix makes HUGE messes in her cage sometimes and will just shred cardboard ALL over the floor which I don't mind but she's normally not a chewer !

 

[agnesthelion]

We are going out of town in march and I'm already stressing about a bunny sitter. We had our neighbor girl who watches my son watch Agnes the last time. It went *okay* but now since I have two of them i worry about her handling both.

Everyone I know thinks it's crazy I have free roaming litter trained bunnies too! Rabbits just don't get enough credit sometimes I sure wish I had a bunny savvy sitter too Chris.

 

[Chrisdoc]

I know, they all thinks it´s weird to have rabbits like you have cats and dogs. They can´t believe you can little train them and that they are so friendly and loving with people. Over here, I get all the jokes about putting them in the pot, after a while it gets a bit annoying...I did used to really like rabbit but have stopped eating it now...well, I couldn´t look them in the face again so it´s off the menu.

Finding someone to look after your little angels, I´m sure is a challenge. As I said, i couldn´t leave mine with anyone I know over here, I´d be terrified of coming back and finding that something had happened. I will keep looking.

 

[whitelop]

Ughh. I totally forgot we're going out of town for almost a week in April! I don't know who I'm going to get to watch my animals. I have more than just rabbits though! I think I'll try to get my mom to stay at our house while we're gone, since we have the dog and the chickens. I really hate leaving them, but its my husbands grandfathers 80th birthday. To tell you the truth, I probably won't go. But anyway, I know how hard it is to find a pet sitter, who isn't scared of my rooster and who can feed my rabbit right!

 

[JBun]

My older brother just did that, joked about rabbit tasting good after his wife posted on my facebook about me turning their little girl into a rabbit fanatic(she's about 6 and trying to save up her pennies for a bunny some day ). I get a bit annoyed, but just try and dish it back to him with some sort of jibe. I learned when I worked at the fire dept. that you never let guys know that they've found a way to annoy you or it won't stop. It's like guys are born with this annoying inherent teasing nature, and it only gets worse if they realize that it works with you. So I found the best thing to do was play along and tease right back. NEVER let them know something really bugs you, unless by chance you encounter one of those few men in this world that is actually mature and not just a big child until his dying day. Then you may actually be able to say that you don't appreciate them doing something, and they will actually listen and stop.

I doubt I could ever eat rabbit myself, even if I was starving to death. I would keep seeing all my sweet bunnies faces.

 

[agnesthelion]

Omg it's so true guys will find something that annoys you and keep at it! My BIL is like that with me. We kinda don't *like* each other but we hang out and are civil to each other. He is SO annoying. But anyway he doesn't even know I have Archie because I know he will be relentless about how weird I am about getting another rabbit. I never bring up Agnes at all around him because I am so sick of hearing negative about my buns

And I've never eaten rabbit either. But listen to is story. (viewer discretion, lol) I was watch an old Oprah and she had Wanda Garzy (sp?) kids on. She was the lady who married that Brian David Mitchell who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart. Anyway, Wanda's kids were exposing her for the horrible person she was before the kidnapping. One night, early in Wanda and brian davids marriage, they sat down to dinner of chicken and salad (or so they were told). They ate the dinner, went to bed. The next morning, the 14 year old daughter got up to feed Peaches and her cage was empty so she asked her mom where was Peaches? Her mom laughed and said, "you ate her for dinner last night" UHg!!!! Can you believe a mother would do that to her child and her pet? I was horrified.......

But yes, the pet sitter thing is stressful and Morgan you have lots of other animals too! I mint ask my mom too. She understands my love for Agnes and Archie and I know she would take good care of them.

 

[agnesthelion]

Darn I can't edit but Peaches was her pet rabbit!

 

[whitelop]

I've never eaten rabbit either. From what I've heard though, its pretty good. I got this old french fondue book from someone and there were A LOT of rarebit(rabbit) fondue recipes. I threw the book out. haha. I looked at Foo, then looked at the book and said...'uhhh, I'll just stick to strawberries and cheese!'
As terrible as this is, my husband used to make jokes A LOT about eating Foo. She would hop around the kitchen and he would say things about her looking good enough to eat. Or we would be talking about the zombie apocalypse and he would say that she would be the first to go. He STILL talks about eating my chickens. He says that they would be so good to eat. I told him no, they're almost 2 years old and the rooster weighs 15 lbs and he would be tough! haha.
I kind of just take it with a grain of salt. He hasn't said anything about eating Ellie though, probably because she's tiny! haha.
I just laugh and think about the times he unknowingly ate deer meat! hahaha. He would not be happy if he knew about those times, so lets just keep it to ourselves! :roflmao:

 

[JBun]

Yeah, cook one of your chickens and see just how much your husband likes it. I don't think he'll joke about it anymore after that, as he won't even be remotely interested in eating THAT kind of chicken. My brother's family ate some of their chickens, and my sister in law said that it didn't taste good at all. Store bought chicken is completely different.

Lisa, I think I remember hearing that story, and I can totally believe it of those two. They're total wack jobs!

 

[whitelop]

The chickens we eat from the store are totally different birds than mine. My chickens ARE the original meat birds of mass production chicken farming, but it takes too long for them to mature and grow out. They grow bone mass first then start to fill out with meat. Technically, they don't stop growing until their two. My rooster is still getting taller, my hen has put on probably 5 lbs in the last few months AND its winter time.
But the chickens you get from the supermarket were selectively bred to max out weight at 8-11 weeks. They don't survive on their own much longer than that, they bodies aren't made to handle such weight gain in such a small amount of time. I don't know how much "growth hormone" they actually have to put in their feed, because as long as chickens are offered free feed then they're going to continue to eat. They just pump them full of antibiotics to make sure the flock doesn't get sick.
I would assume that chickens of different breeds probably taste different. So maybe on top of your brother's chickens being homegrown, they weren't the same breed we usually eat? haha. Who knows.
And I feel like if I ever went out to try to kill my rooster to eat, he would attack me and peck me to death.
Yep, just went on a total chicken farming tangent.

 

[JBun]

Haha, you sound like such a farmer. I don't think I would dare to try and have a go at your rooster, lol. Doesn't sound like you need a guard dog when you've got him!

 

[Chrisdoc]

Well, it´s amazing how habits change when you start to care for these little buggers. I used to love rabbit, it is much nice than chicken and better for you, it always reminds me of dad as it was his favourite. Now, I can´t even bear to look at them in the meat department and my friend now never asks as she understands. I just wish her son would zip it sometimes as the joke is getting very thin. Yes, you´re right, men just can´t let it go. Sometimes, I wish I could kick like Jackie Chan and I´d floor them all. Wouldn´t that impress them. However, I think I´m now too old to get expert in that. I was cleaning yesterday for nearly six hours, that´s part of what I do and it was after the builders had been in there. I can tell you, I still ache today, is that hard work, my poor knees can´t take it any more. I wish I was still 30 or even 40 haha.

Your story about cooking the rabbit reminds me of a girl who I used to work with and her dad cooked her pet duck, when she went to look for it, he told her. I couldn´t believe someone could be so awful and yes, it is true. I don´t think I could have forgiven him for doing that. Having said that, they see things differently here in Spain regarding animals. They are quite easily able to separate the emotions even when they´ve had them as pets. I don´t think I could rear animals to eat. I´d end up giving them all names and keeping them all.

Still getting used to my new phone, I had to buy one as my other one has a problem and it´s in the shop getting fixed but it could take up to two weeks. I´ve got an old one but it´s a really small screen and it hasn´t got android and I used it for a day and it´s a pain in the neck. I got a similar one to the one I had, they are so expensive over here, but I´m having trouble downloading photos via bluetooth so I´m having to email them to myself at the moment. I cooked my samphire today with the prawns and the clams and leek and garlic with a white wine sauce. It was absolutely lovely and I love the taste of this plant. It really reminds me of something but I can´t put my finger on it but they do have a taste of aparagus as well, look like really thin ones. I´d buy it again, well I will when I´m next in Gibraltar. Here´s the photo

Well, it´s two hours since I started this as I´ve had a couple of phone calls and, as usual, have had some fun with photobucket. I am now having a lovely cup of tea and some Cadbury´s Biscbits honeycomb crunch with it and they are soooooo good, just have to try not to eat the whole bag as it has 50% extra free.

Had to add a cutie fix as well, took this one last night when I´d put them in for bed.

 

[Chrisdoc]

PS, yes their litter tray needs a clean...it´s Sunday tomorrow and general rabbit cleaning day so it will look a lot tidier :thumbup

 

[holtzchick]

They are soo soo freaking cute when they are relaxing together!! Your soup looks absolutely delicious and looks similar to something my boyfriend made me last week, I'd love to show him the picture though, he's so into food ahahha.

All this talk of commercially raised chickens is really putting me off meat. Bleh and to think, I'm not much of a meat fan in general. When I was a kid, I used to only eat meat, I would skip all vegetables/carbs and go straight for the meat... Funny how people change.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Here we go again, just lost that post as the computer freaked out.

Yes, I love watching them when they´re resting together. Bandy must be like a little electric blanket with all that fur. Houdini is doing his Binky 500s in his enclosure and knocking everything about.

I love cooking and the samphire I bought was lovely with the seafood. I like trying new things. I don´t eat loads of meat now as fish and seafood is readily available and reasonably priced here so it´s a good option. I didn´t used to eat many veggies when I was younger but have tried so many more since I came to Spain and I really love most veggies so am happy to just eat those and of course, in the summer, salads are a must.

 

[agnesthelion]

Om goodness Chris that looks so delicious! I'm a fish, seafood FReAK! I think I could live off of stuff from the water, but my husband and son don't like any fish or seafood so I never by it or cook it. I only get it when I go out to eat. Sushi is probably my favorite food. I crave it all the time.

As far as chicken meat, there was a documentary released here in the States a few years ago called Food, Inc (I think) anyway it was truly eye opening about how our meat quality has changed over the years. They showed the chickens who grow so fast and can't stand because of how unnaturally fast they grow. It was gross. I still eat meat and chicken but I have to NOT think about that, that's for sure.

Bandys fluffy bunny butt is SO cute. His fur looks so soft I wish I could feel it. I'm not sure of it's his white fur vs black fur on Agnes but his fur just looks more fluffy than hers or something.......

I still remember you saying they were suppose to be for a magic show and how much happier they probably are there than in a hat (figuratively speaking, lol)

 

[Chrisdoc]

Lisa, I love seafood and we´re so lucky to be able to get a good variety over here quite cheaply. I was in the supermarket this morning and their were prawns of all sizes, squid, hake, cod, bream, sardines, salmon and tuna plus clams and mussels and oysters and then you can gets loads of frozen as well. My friend doesn´t eat fish, poor thing, she´s missing so much. And the samphire, that´s the green stuff in it was gorgeous. Can only get that in Gibraltar so will have to wait until I go again.

Bandy´s fur is so soft and silky, it´s a pain sometimes trying to keep it smooth and unknotted. I took a photo here of the hair I combed out the other day, I could probably get more than that each day if I could keep him still long enough. Not sure whether Í should cut it either as it´s getting long around his face but doesn´t bother him. What do you do with Agnes or is it not a problem ??

I also took this photo of Snowy yesterday when I was cleaning their enclosure. He jumped into Houdini´s litter tray to investigate.

Houdini at large in the living room, his butt disappearing under the TV unit, I´ll download more as I caught a few good ones of him yesterday.

Yes, this is little grumpy face...I love the way his mouth turns down, he always looks as though he´s sulking lol.

And Bandy and Snowy tucking into their salad...nommy nommy.

And yes, they were supposed to be stars but they prefer their retirement I´m sure. I know that they wouldn´t have had any kind of life like this with my ex, I dread to think what it would have been like.

 

[holtzchick]

LOL not fair !! You stole my picture update idea.... I groomed Phoenix today and took a picture of how much hair came out! I can tell you it was pretty close if not more!

I think I am in love with your Bandy!! Which bun has got the most spunk in your opinion?

 

[whitelop]

After looking at that picture of Snowy's face, i think he is a netherland dwarf. His grump face, short ears and light weight all point to a Nethie to me!

Your prawns look SO good! My mouth watered looking at your meal!