Page 12 - HGS Suburb News 137 - Winter 2019

Some Suburb Open Gardens New Year’s Eve firework party PHOTOS: CESAR RODRIGUEZ-DURAN

Gardens open to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme (top left clockwise): Christopher Matthews of 43 Addison Way,
David Weinberg of 74 Willifield Way, Mike and Heather Collins of 121 Erskine Hill and Gerald Weinbrenn of 102 Willifield Way.

Free Church Advent Candlelight choir service held on December 2nd MICHAEL ELEFTHERIADES

Pets Corner: Sausage – a special pet

Sausage, a blue-grey miniature she was allowed to have was a she could take on the duties of Oxford University, where she furnished with all mod cons. parsley. Rabbit owners have to
lop-eared rabbit with dark brown goldfish, a creature which cannot cleaning out the hutch. kept two rabbits called Sookie This D-shaped arrangement be quite careful what they put
eyes is the first rabbit to have really show much affection to Clare then had a succession and Alioli, who made friends with makes an ideal ‘hutch’ as a gate in the enclosure as rabbits will
been interviewed for this series humans. After this, Clare was of rabbits. She spent a year in the college cats. When leaving forms the straight side of the often chew through wire or bite
and she certainly won’t be the last. given a hamster, and then a Heidelberg, where she had a grey Oxford, Clare gave the bunnies letter D and the curved area off paint.
She belongs to Clare and slightly larger animal – a guinea mini lop-eared rabbit called to the vicar and his family, under the window is lined with In the summer, Sausage is
Steven, but it is Clare who, from pig! When she was about 15, her Winston, who was not very ironically with their family vertical sticks, which enable taken into the garden on a lead
a very early age, wanted to have parents finally acquiesced and affectionate and her flatmate name as ‘The Butchers’. Sausage to easily sharpen her and loves walking on the grass.
a pet rabbit, but her parents let her have a rabbit, called Rocky. conveniently continued to look After university, Clare’s parents permanently growing teeth. But she is kept well away from
were not so keen. So the first pet Maybe by this age, they felt that after it once she left. Then to finally bought her a pet from a Within this area is a small the two vegetable patches. As
rabbit breeder. This was Sausage, wooden house where she hides, soon as she’s outside, she starts
so named as, when she lies a table hung with toys, a small cleaning herself. In fact, she
down, she looks like a sausage! bed on which she sleeps, and spends a lot of time licking herself.
Clare was then living in a flat in at the other end is her food In winter, rabbits grow an extra
West Hampstead with wooden bowl, a trough where grass is layer of fur, which they shed in
floors, which Sausage did not growing and a litter-tray. late spring, with some help
much like as she kept slipping. Carrots are her favourite from their owners who have to
When Clare married and food but she is only allowed a de-fluff them. They don’t actually
moved to a house on the Suburb, small amount as they have a moult. In winter, if she’s cold,
Sausage was about five years old high sugar content. She also she sensibly sits by a radiator.
and she now lives in a down- eats special pellets, dried and Rabbits are most active in
stairs room with a bay window, fresh hay and loves basil and the mornings and evenings and
sleep the rest of the time – about
16 hours. They are not noisy
animals and don’t mew or bark
to attract attention. Instead, when
hungry, they buzz like a bumble
bee and when afraid, thump
their feet.
Visits to the vet are quite
frequent as her nails have to be
clipped regularly and she has to
be vaccinated against myxomatosis.
Rabbits have a scent gland under
their chins, so they rub their
chins against anything they
want to claim as their territory.
I very much enjoyed meeting
Sausage, who makes an ideal
family pet.
JUDITH SAMSON

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EDITOR: Terry Brooks, rapublications@hgs.org.uk
WHAT’S ON EDITOR: David Littaur, dvdlttr@gmail.com.
Views expressed in Suburb News are not necessarily those of the publishers
the Hampstead Garden Suburb Residents Association.
Deadline for the Spring issue is April 6, for publication on May 4

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