So after the trials and tribulations of Christmas day it was fair to say that I was very close to being peopled out. Normally I'm a fan of stillness and calm. Of sitting in my chair listening to the radio, watching TV or reading a good book. So it had been a bit of a challenge having people around me all the time. What made things worse was the near-constant miasma of noise that was going on. JRGF's grandmother especially seemed to think it her responsibility to fill every moment of silence with some form of verbal activity... lot's of comments on the weather then! What was worse still was when we were allegedly watching something (by mutual consent rather than me being antisocial) to the tune of conversation over the top. I struggle following conversations at the best of time so having people natter over whatever is being watched drives me slightly insane.
It was therefore with no small degree of trepidation that I embarked on a journey to JRGF's aunt's place on boxing day. Family tradition dictated that JRGF and her parents descended on her aunt along with her cousins, the cousin in law and the two kids. As I was in the area with my family, we were invited too.
Now before I sound too misanthropic I should state that I get on famously with all the in-laws (they took pity on me after some mass introductions) so ordinarily such an occasion would sound appealing. But as I mentioned, my sociability levels were beginning to flag. Not only that but I was aware dad gets even more tired of people than I do. JRGF's cousins kids are generally lovely kids but if they were in a bad mood I could see dad and I finally going over the edge.
Fortunately the kids were on form. We were treated to a rousing rendition of 'Gangnam Style' from them along with the traditional Christmas Carols. JRGF's aunt also put on a stunning show with the catering... We were stuffed. The beer was flowing pleasantly quickly too.
There was just one fly in the ointment. The conversation. It was the same one that had been had at least three times over the last two days. How's work? What is it you're doing again? How was your trip down? Did you enjoy Christmas dinner? etc ad infinitum. Dull. Boring. Tedious. Banal. Rubbish. I know it's the polite thing to do. A necessary evil. A dance to which we all know the steps but that day I did not feel like dancing them.
Normally I regard myself as 'clubable' for want a better term. Very amiable and able to make polite chatter. This means I generally enjoy the company of *ahem* older people. However, like I say, that day I was finding it all a bit much so I did something rather out of character. I retired to the kitchen with the "young ones" - JRGF's cousin and his three cousins (two girls and a guy all under 25). We chatted shit, got leathered and had a riotously good time. What really amused me was the five year old lad feeling all grown up because we'd given him apple juice in a pint glass and put a splash of lemonade in to make it look like beer telling JRGF's mother to, "Go away, we're having man talk!"
Over all, despite the poor beginnings it turned into a rather good day. And apparently I snored like a trooper all the way home. I blamed it on the dog!
JR
Hello JR :-). I thought I'd leave a comment here as not blogging much at the moment so just in case you didn't see my reply about the house rabbit situation, I thought I'd leave a comment here.
ReplyDeleteRight, here goes!
When I moved in to a rented place I already had my rabbit so I went in to the letting agency and spoke to them and they in turn spoke to the landlord. If the letting agency say an outright 'no' to pets, push to speak to the landlord or landlady as it is not the agents decision to make.
I offered to pay an extra deposit, a friend of mine paid an extra £50 for her rabbit when she got her place but I had to pay an extra £100 so it depends on the landlord. Some may not even want an extra deposit but I offered to show willing that I'd look after the place.
Explain how and where the rabbit will be kept. As soon as I said 'house rabbit' my landlord thought I meant I wanted a rabbit running free all over the property until I explained that she'd be kept in a puppy crate. I also stated that she'd be kept in the hall (the place with the smallest carpeted area so if damage was done to the carpet, it would have been easy to replace) and that she would never be left unsupervised whilst running about.
I suppose it's just a case of being reasonable. I just jotted up a bulletpoint list of where my rabbit would be kept etc etc.
Now for the bad news....
My rabbit did do some damage to the carpet unfortunately by attempting to burrow. She was shockingly quick at it too, I turned my back for a couple of minutes and she'd pulled out a chunk of carpet from the corner. Mine is an absolute horror for chewing stuff she shouldn't, she's a lot better now she is older but still a terror with it so really keep an eye when you let yours out. If you're lucky enough to have one that doesn't chew then you won't have a problem, if you have one that does chew then you'll need your wits about you! My friend's two rabbits can be let in the garden and house and not chew. Mine can be let out and will chew whatever takes her fancy, including telephone wires and pot plants.... As I say though, she's a lot better now so it's just trial and error but one thing is for sure, there's many positives to outweigh the negatives :-).
As for a puppy crate, make sure you get one big enough to accomodate the rabbit's litter tray and there still be enough room for the rabbit to lay out flat with hindlegs behind him/her. You can get the large ones from Pets At Home for about £50 or look on Ebay, you can often get a large one for £20 or so. Also when you let the rabbit out for the first few times, bring the litter tray out for them or leave the cage door open. Once they know what the litter tray is for they tend to train themselves but it's a good habit to have as it saves on you having to clear up after them and also saves any cleaning of carpets!
I hope that helps and doesn't come across as patronising :-).
Good luck with the bunny, they're an awful lot of fun and far bigger characters than anyone gives them credit for :-) xx.
HI GND, thanks for the info (not at all patronising I promise). I like your idea about offering some additional deposit to the landlord. That might just sway him a wee bit. I will add that to the file I'm preparing (I've kicked into lawyer mode so have a folder on the coffee table with reams of documents in an attempt to predict any arguemnts he has against and come up with a premptive argument - sad I know!) Fortunately in terms of damage limitation, we have an open plan kitchen/dining room which takes up the whole of the down stairs area and is totally tiled so if we keep the rabbit down there, damage should be limited even in the event of escape.
DeleteFingers crossed all this is successful. We made the mistake of nosying round the rabbit section of the animal sanctuary we volunteered at and completely fell for one of the residents there.
Will keep you posted.
JR