Friday 29 February 2008

Pumpkins, hippos, new cameras and geriatric pets

Butternut pumpkin soup
The other day an old friend who I went to primary and high school with, but hadn't seen for quite some time, dropped by for a catch up and brought this! I was absolutely delighted! What a beautiful butternut pumpkin, fresh from her father's garden - it was almost a shame to cut it up. But I did, and turned it into a delicious roasted pumpkin soup. I roasted the pumpkin with onion and 2 cloves of garlic (not too much, because the garlic overpowers the delicate butternut flavour). Added a litre of stock, brought it to the boil and simmered for 15 mins. I blended it with a stab mixer until smooth and then ate it with toast. YUM!

Isn't this the most beautiful butternut?



Hippopotamus playmat
Gib and I have been a bit under the weather with a rotten cold, so the soup was delicious. Having a cold also means lots of inside activities, so it's forced my hand in making this hippopotamus playmat. She's due in <2 weeks (which means it'll come any time from now!), so I REALLY need to get my butt into gear. There are so many pieces! And they're either really big or really little pieces! I hope I get my fuzzy head around it. At least it's all cut out now.



My little furry friend
I was going to write a tutorial on how to make some winning rat toys, hammocks etc., but I don't think I can bring myself to do it now. I have a gertiatric pet rat, and I know pet rats aren't everyone's thing, but this one really is a dear. Even my mother, who was petrified of rats, completely went mushy over her when she met her! She's so affectionate and sits on my shoulder for cuddles and she has the sweetest little face. But she is getting on - >3 years old! - and finally her left hind leg has stopped working. She's usually an active, excitable rat, but ever since her hind leg stopped working altogether yesterday, she's gone downhill very quickly. So while I sew, she's snuggled on a little towel, and it means I can keep an eye on her progress. We'll see how she goes over the weekend, but like everyone, I hate having to make 'the decision' on old animals.



New camera today!!!
In more positive news, I pick up my new digital camera today! So no blue-tinged, poor resolution photos from my phone again.

3 comments:

sr said...

My little boy rat is nearing his first birthday so Im pretty excited, but he is slowing down alot faster than I had hoped. I know they don't live too long, but I hope he will be one of the rare ones that pushes the limits lol. Ive yet to make hammocks myself for him (im not too good with sewing) so I usually buy rediculously expensive ones that don't seem to be too comfy. I just got him a super large cage, which is nice but now Im going crazy trying to find fun stuff for him to fill it with lol. I do make him these cute ladders and climby bits made of twine and chew blocks with hidden treats all in them, he has a blast!
Hope your little one feels better soon!!
~shannon (R.I. US)

Beth said...

Yeah, boys are just really lazy... they just get older and like hanging out watching tv with you. Unfortunately my little girl had to be put down, but she definitely had an ace life. I now have two new little girls with boundless energy. I don't sew my own hammocks: all I do is get a piece of old towel, rip it into a rectangle (I literally rip up the towel), hack some holes in the corners, put string in each corner and tie it to the roof of their cage. They love their hammocks! A great resource for cheap rat toy ideas is here: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

Medical Blog said...

I have a gertiatric pet rat, and I know pet rats aren't
everyone's thing, but this one really is a dear.