The Year of the Hare

As volunteer Business Development Manager for the Hare Preservation Trust I have been concentrating on increasing the products available in their online shop.

Arabella is wondering whether that includes treats and toys perhaps? - for her that is!

Well, at the moment it doesn't as it is only hare related items on there. That's not to say that hares don't appreciate treats or toys too!

I have just finished reading a book by Arto Paasilinna called The Year of the Hare published by Peter Owen in the UK and whilst Vatanen's hare does not have toys to play with he does have treats -

'For the hare, he felled several aspens from a pondside and hauled them into the yard. The simple creature busied itself with them all day, as if it too had it's building work to get on with. At any rate, the aspens turned white as the hare ate the bark.'

It was a good read, but there was a chapter added out of character, which I felt was unnecessary. None the less, any house rabbit owner will immediately relate to the book and the hare's nuances throughout. My two little hares could hear me laughing out loud rather a bit!

A few weeks ago I listed Baby Hare Jurgen on the Hare Preservation Trust's online shop and he is now off to his new home!

though little Forest is in the shop now and like Jurgen, 20% of the sale will be donated to the Trust.

Forest has fluffy felt eye patches with rather a bit of tuftiness at the bottom of them.

Baby Hare Forest – Soft Sculpture

Little Forest just loves to clamber about the shrubs and bushes on the edge of the field. Some of the other babies are not too sure if they should be doing the same thing because Forest always seems to have so much fun but it’s rather dark and spiky in there!
However she does come home with lots of burrs and thorns and small twigs caught in her fur that her mother spends ages pulling out. The ones that she can’t tug out have to be snipped off with the fur attached so Forest has a few bare patches here and there.
She has made friends with a couple of the birds who frequent the bushes and has been busy helping them gather nesting materials. Using her front paws and sharp teeth she is able to pull the prized sheeps wool off the outer thorny branches.
Forest is chuffed to be helping in such an important task and even more proud that she has been asked to be a Godmother to the coming babies!

Baby Hare Jurgen – Soft Sculpture

Jurgen loves to play amongst the leaves and since he was born in autumn he has had plenty to roll around in.

He is not fussy about what kinds of leaves there are, as long as he can scamper about them.

He even enjoys the evergreen pine needles which will never fall off the trees, mind you they are a bit spiky at times! though he has a penchant for collecting the cones in the forest.

Jurgen has been thinking hard what he can do about his leaf passion and has started to write down all the uses a leaf has in it’s life, what with insects being born on it (in eggs), being food for youngsters, cover for small mammals and play objects for others.

He knows every leaf has a purpose!

Jurgen has been sold and is off to investigate leaves further afield.

Arabella is now dreaming about some treats and toys!

Little does she know that I brought home a new toy for her and Wesley today. When she wakes up we'll see whether it passes the good toy test or not.