Monday, May 28, 2007

Oh, Bunnies!

I hope that I never lose the sense of enjoyment in, or become bored with the quirkiness that makes up everyday life.

Yesterday afternoon as I waited on the platform at the newly refurbished Spencer Street Southern Cross station after the football, young Gabby became entranced with a fellow potential passenger. Not sure whether it was my poor eyesight or not, but the man appeared to be carrying a small, tan, furry bundle. It looked very similar to a recent scarf purchase, but as it moved I realised that the man wasn't holding a scarf, or a puppy, but a rabbit!

Rabbits must be the 'pet du jour' (no Fatal Attraction puns meant) as my friend's daughter has a smoky gray rabbit called (not surprisingly) Smoky.

Train rabbit was 8 months old, and as a seasoned train traveller (as informed by Mr Bunny once we boarded and he sat next to us) train rabbit sat contentedly on Mr Bunny's shoulder for the entire trip.

What a huge difference from our most memorable after footy train trip last season, when Mummy J, young Gabby and I were trapped, sardine like, between two groups of very loud and rude youths. The volume made their shouts difficult to ignore, but I had trouble keeping up with the topic of conversation, interspersed as they were with more swear words that I've heard on a union picket line.

It was clear that these young men had definitely NOT been to my father's school of appropriate language. My father was raised in a very strict methodist household, where liquor shall not pass thy lips, nor language not contained in the bible, or at least the Queen's Christmas message. Whenever my father wanted to express his anger or displeasure in front of his impressionable daughters, the worst word he used was 'bunnies'. When 'bunnies' came out, we knew there was trouble. He didn't need to say anything else, or even raise his voice. Dad never hit one of his 4 daughters during our upbringing. 'Bunnies' was enough for us to know to keep quiet and lay low.

Very different 'bunny' train trips indeed ... and I'm glad that my grandmother didn't survive to hear the Queen's annus horibilis.

3 comments:

delamare said...

Really - a bunny on the train?! I am not going to tell a certain daughter of mine about this sighting, as she already wants to get a collar for her beloved rabbit to take him for walk. If she gets the idea that public transport will accept rabbits as passengers, I'll never hear the end of it!

One question though - was it a seeing-eye-rabbit? I thought only guide dogs were allowed on trains.

Beth said...

Yes, a bunny! I knew you'd be interested.

Mr Bunny did tell us that he has taken young train bunny for a walk with a collar, but train bunny found it fairly easy to slip the collar and bound off. Something to so with size of neck vs head and collar.

We didn't even consider the no animals on the train rule - he was so well behaved!

roogirl said...

Pity you haven't updated to a new picture taking phone, we could have seen proof of Mr Bunny!