Audrey wanted to learn about other parts of the world, so she sent her clone out. After a stay in Washington State (near Seattle) with A Houseful of Rabbits she came up to visit me in Cultus Lake, BC. Audrey arrived just as I was heading out the door yesterday to go hiking, so she came too. She travelled first class with Air (mail) Canada and seemed bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was a bit worried as I didn't have a harness to fit her, but she behaved very well!
"We have to go up ALL those stairs??" Audrey asked with a wide-eyed look.
"Don't worry, you'll like stairs!" I told her. She didn't look too convinced, but being the polite English-bun she is, she didn't argue with me.
"We're all done with steps right?? Those are taller than me! That's a lot of hopping!"
"Absolutely, I promise, we're done with those stairs.." Well, until we have to come back down, but let's not mention that part yet, right?
"That really is a long way up!" Audrey said, somewhat impressed, "And you do this EVERY day?" asked the little bunny.
"Well, not every day." I confessed. "I try to do the steps every second day, I do the walk along the river on the days in-between. You'll see the river tomorrow!"
"There's no sharks in it, is there? Mr Flapper Duck warned me about the Pacific Northwest and Sharks!"
"Nope! No sharks! They're all down in Anaheim!"
"Well, that's good then." Audrey agreed, and having caught her breath after the ten million steps we carried on.
"This would make a wonderful rabbit home!" Audrey says of the old tree. It probably was a home for something small with ever growing teeth at one point.
"But there's no timothy hay, no litter and no one to pet your nose!" I point out.
"Ooooh. Nose pets are very important!" Audrey declares and agrees we should carry on.
"This is the resting stump!" I tell Audrey. "I'm not sure if Jakie named it that, but he discovered it as the perfect place to rest tired little legs."
"I do have little legs! And they are getting pretty tired!" Audrey said.
"I always end up using it. Today especially since I normally don't hike in combat boots. I don't know how soldiers do it, but I guess they have to be extra tough to protect us all from bad things."
"I don't know any soldiers, but I'm glad someone is protecting us from bad things!" Audrey said. Obviously too well brought up to be making political statements.
"One day I'm gonna be fit like Angela and Deb and not have to use the resting stump," I inform my hiking partner.
"But it's a very pretty place to sit and rest!" Audrey says, looking around and nibbling on the stump. She decides it's a bit flavourless, being old and all. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of bunny food around here.." she observes sadly.
"Lots of birdies and squirrels though." I'm not about to tell her about the coyotes, poor thing would probably have a heart attack!
Audrey wasn't terribly impressed that it started to rain! "It's all very pretty, but my fur is getting wet!" she gave a little thump of protest. She's much too nice to give a full blown out bunny fit .. yet.
"You said we were done with the stairs!" A louder thump accompanied this from inside the tent she'd built herself to keep the rain off her ears. An English bunny she may be, but rain is supposed to be OUTSIDE the warren!
"Er, well, I said we were done with *those* stairs.." I mumble.
"Pedantics!" The little bunny protests and presents her tail in my general direction.
"Well, I am awfully tired, these boots are very heavy. We could go back down now. I'll even carry you so your paws don't get muddy!"
"Oh, well, that's better then!" Audrey says, periscoping to be picked up. I carefully pack up her 'tent' too. One should only take memories and leave footprints, after all.
Audrey is a good hiker and makes sure to get good and hydrated after all that exercise! One doesn't want to fall over on one's nose for lack of hydration, after all. It would certainly look very silly if you were to keel over into the wet mud because you didn't have enough water!
"Are you sure you're on the right side of the road?" Explorer Audrey asks, somewhat concerned.
"I am on the right!" I tell the silly rabbit.
"Nono, shouldn't you be on the *left*??" She corrects.
"OH! No, we drive on the right just like they do in America. It would be awfully confusing if you had to switch sides at the border. That's a lot of border crossings to make signs for!"
"I thought Canada was more like England than America," Audrey says.
"Well, it is in a lot of ways, but we still drive on the right side of the road."
"Hmph. It's the wrong side if you ask *me*" Audrey says.
It's probably a good thing she isn't driving.
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