Shades of cool
20 March 2012
Clarissa brought a big pile of films from the library for us to watch. As we watched them, we noticed how many rabbits were wearing shades to make them look cool.
First we watched "Reservoir Rabbits": A film by Quentin Rabbitino. I didn't like this one: there was a nasty bit when a poor rabbit got his ear cut off.
Then we watched "The Blues Bunnies". This was much more fun, and we sang along to all the songs.
Finally we watched Audrey Hepbunny in "Breakfast at Tiffbunny's". I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have carrots for breakfast, but it was quite nice all the same.
First we watched "Reservoir Rabbits": A film by Quentin Rabbitino. I didn't like this one: there was a nasty bit when a poor rabbit got his ear cut off.
Cool.
Then we watched "The Blues Bunnies". This was much more fun, and we sang along to all the songs.
Cooler.
Finally we watched Audrey Hepbunny in "Breakfast at Tiffbunny's". I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have carrots for breakfast, but it was quite nice all the same.
Coolest.
Holiday time
7 March 2012
"Have you done anything for this week's Illustration Friday challenge yet?" asked Clarissa.
"No," I said. "The theme's intention. It's too difficult, and I'm too tired to think of anything."
"You need a holiday," said Clarissa.
I agreed. Actually, we both need a holiday. Trouble is, we like different holidays. I started to draw our favourite holidays.
Clarissa likes to go camping...
...the other hand, prefer five star luxury.
"Oh look," said Clarissa. "You've done it: in-tent-I-on!"
"No," I said. "The theme's intention. It's too difficult, and I'm too tired to think of anything."
"You need a holiday," said Clarissa.
I agreed. Actually, we both need a holiday. Trouble is, we like different holidays. I started to draw our favourite holidays.
Clarissa likes to go camping...
...in tent. I, on...
...the other hand, prefer five star luxury.
"Oh look," said Clarissa. "You've done it: in-tent-I-on!"
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!
1 March 2012
Bore da! Cousin Myfanawy Rabbit came all the way from Llantwllcwningen to see us to celebrate St David's Day. So I drew this picture of her in her traditional Welsh costume: a red cape, and one of those hats that are nearly as tall as her ears.
When Welsh rabbits go mining, they don't dig for coal; they dig for carrots. Here's a picture that I drew of Cousin Llewellyn Rabbit in his mining gear, with one of the tasty carrots that he found.
And here's the Welsh Dragon.
Sydd yn ei ofni y ddraig goch fawr? Who's afraid of the big red dragon? Not us, when he's got such a big friendly smile.
When Welsh rabbits go mining, they don't dig for coal; they dig for carrots. Here's a picture that I drew of Cousin Llewellyn Rabbit in his mining gear, with one of the tasty carrots that he found.
And here's the Welsh Dragon.
Sydd yn ei ofni y ddraig goch fawr? Who's afraid of the big red dragon? Not us, when he's got such a big friendly smile.
Emergency at the carrot field
29 February 2012
"Come quickly!" Clarissa burst into my studio. "There's an emergency down at the carrot field!"
I hopped after Clarissa as fast as I could, out of the burrow, and down to the field.
All the other rabbits were already there, looking up in horror. Oh, bless my ears and whiskers! In front of us was the biggest, tallest, hugest fence you ever did see.
"Whatever are we going to do?" wailed Clarissa. "How are we going to get our carrots?"
"Don't panic," said Nigel Floppyears. "We'll find a way! Us rabbits aren't put off this easily."
"If only we rabbits were capable of flying!" I said.
"Why, Bob Tail Rabbit," said Nigel, "I think you've got it! Wait here, everyone." Nigel rushed to his workshop. Bang! Saw! Ow! Huff! Puff! A few moments later, he reappeared. "Look, this is what we need!"
"It's a cap, and it's able to fly! I'll be over the fence in seconds. Winston: the scissors!"
We watched Nigel rise into the air.
We waited.
After a while, Clarissa said, "Of course, Nigel has found a way to get up... but how is he going to get down again...?"
I hopped after Clarissa as fast as I could, out of the burrow, and down to the field.
All the other rabbits were already there, looking up in horror. Oh, bless my ears and whiskers! In front of us was the biggest, tallest, hugest fence you ever did see.
"Whatever are we going to do?" wailed Clarissa. "How are we going to get our carrots?"
"Don't panic," said Nigel Floppyears. "We'll find a way! Us rabbits aren't put off this easily."
"If only we rabbits were capable of flying!" I said.
"Why, Bob Tail Rabbit," said Nigel, "I think you've got it! Wait here, everyone." Nigel rushed to his workshop. Bang! Saw! Ow! Huff! Puff! A few moments later, he reappeared. "Look, this is what we need!"
"It's a cap, and it's able to fly! I'll be over the fence in seconds. Winston: the scissors!"
We watched Nigel rise into the air.
Up...
Up...
Up, until he was just a speck in the sky...
...and then not even that.
We waited.
After a while, Clarissa said, "Of course, Nigel has found a way to get up... but how is he going to get down again...?"
How to increase your popularity
14 February 2012
To make yourself popular, make cake...
...for all your friends!
(Just make sure that you keep a slice for yourself.)
...for all your friends!
(Just make sure that you keep a slice for yourself.)
Forward into the cave
1 February 2012
New readers might like to start with the previous chapters in this story:
Part 1: Drifting
Part 2: What happened next
Part 3: Under the sea
"So what happened next?" I asked Great Aunt Dahlia. "Grandma Lily swam through the cave, and found the golden carrots. What did she do?"
"Well, young Bob Tail, she did what any rabbit would do. She took off her hat, and filled it with carrots."
"But as she was struggling to put her hat back on her head, she heard a noise behind her. Just a single pebble falling; but then another and another. She turned around: rocks were falling everywhere!"
"In a trice, the entrance was blocked. She looked all round the cave for another way out, but there was none."
"There was no going back the way she came. So she did the only thing she could do: go forward."
"But you said there wasn't another way out!"
"She did what any rabbit would do: she burrowed."
"She dug and dug and dug. Kept going until her paws were worn down to the bone. Just as she thought she couldn't dig another pawful, the earth in front of her fell away, and she tumbled through the hole."
"Was she out of the cave?" I asked.
"For a moment, she didn't know where she was. Then she heard a voice, more of a growl, and then a wicked laugh. Terrified, she opened one eye, and then the other. And then she screamed!"
"What was it?"
"A pirate! The biggest, baddest, bunny pirate ever to sail the seas."
"Captain Jack Rabbit!"
Prepare to make carrot cake!
13 January 2012
I ran down to the field where all the other rabbits were. We were going to collect carrots to make carrot cake -- everybunny's favourite!
I found everyone sitting on the grass, looking at Nigel Floppyears. He stood at the front, pointing at a map of the carrot field.
"What's going on?" I asked Clarissa.
"Don't ask!" she said. "Nigel's decided that we need a more efficient carrot-collecting strategy."
"No talking at the back!" shouted Nigel. "Concentrate; this is important."
I looked round. Several rabbits were trying to suppress a yawn, and even Winston, Nigel's little dog, was curled up asleep.
"Now," Nigel continued. "Every rabbit needs to learn that the carrot is our enemy! It is our mission to catch that carrot, but the carrot does not want to be caught. So what must we do? What must we do to defeat the carrot?"
I put up my hand. "We pull it out of the ground?"
"Good heavens, if only it were that simple! This is a serious, complicated manoeuvre. First, we have to prepare! We have to find our carrot. We have to disarm our carrot. We have to catch our carrot. Then, and only then, can we make carrot cake. Fortunately, technology is on our side." He held up a small screen.
"CarrotNav: Uses GPS to locate and identify the nearest carrot."
And just gone three o'clock, I noted. Nearly tea-time.
"Next, we have to prepare for every situation that might arise. Heavy boots to cross the muddy field; goggles to protect your eyes against that carotene glare; a net to catch the carrot, and a box to make sure he doesn't escape. And a hard hat in case the little devil tries to fight back."
"Is that it?" asked Clarissa. "Can we go and get the carrots now?"
"One more thing," said Nigel. "We have to make sure that carrot does not see us coming, or he'll run. What do we to make sure the carrot doesn't see us coming, eh?" Nigel asked.
"We go at night?" I suggested.
"Don't be silly, everyone knows that carrots can see well in the dark. No -- we go in disguise! Wait, I'll show you." Nigel went behind the tree. A moment later --
"Ta-da! Now, everyone follow me!"
He ran towards the carrot field.
"Come on," said Clarissa. "Everyone just pull a carrot as usual, and we'll go back to the burrow and make cake. Bob Tail, you put the kettle on."
And jolly nice cake it was too.
I found everyone sitting on the grass, looking at Nigel Floppyears. He stood at the front, pointing at a map of the carrot field.
"What's going on?" I asked Clarissa.
"Don't ask!" she said. "Nigel's decided that we need a more efficient carrot-collecting strategy."
"No talking at the back!" shouted Nigel. "Concentrate; this is important."
I looked round. Several rabbits were trying to suppress a yawn, and even Winston, Nigel's little dog, was curled up asleep.
"Now," Nigel continued. "Every rabbit needs to learn that the carrot is our enemy! It is our mission to catch that carrot, but the carrot does not want to be caught. So what must we do? What must we do to defeat the carrot?"
I put up my hand. "We pull it out of the ground?"
"Good heavens, if only it were that simple! This is a serious, complicated manoeuvre. First, we have to prepare! We have to find our carrot. We have to disarm our carrot. We have to catch our carrot. Then, and only then, can we make carrot cake. Fortunately, technology is on our side." He held up a small screen.
"CarrotNav: Uses GPS to locate and identify the nearest carrot."
And just gone three o'clock, I noted. Nearly tea-time.
"Next, we have to prepare for every situation that might arise. Heavy boots to cross the muddy field; goggles to protect your eyes against that carotene glare; a net to catch the carrot, and a box to make sure he doesn't escape. And a hard hat in case the little devil tries to fight back."
"Is that it?" asked Clarissa. "Can we go and get the carrots now?"
"One more thing," said Nigel. "We have to make sure that carrot does not see us coming, or he'll run. What do we to make sure the carrot doesn't see us coming, eh?" Nigel asked.
"We go at night?" I suggested.
"Don't be silly, everyone knows that carrots can see well in the dark. No -- we go in disguise! Wait, I'll show you." Nigel went behind the tree. A moment later --
"Ta-da! Now, everyone follow me!"
He ran towards the carrot field.
"Come on," said Clarissa. "Everyone just pull a carrot as usual, and we'll go back to the burrow and make cake. Bob Tail, you put the kettle on."
And jolly nice cake it was too.
Grounded
12 January 2012
"But I want to go and chase the carrots in the field!", I cried.
"No, Bob Tail Rabbit," said Big Boss Bunny. "You've not being doing your work. Look at that blog of yours: not a single drawing on there for months and months and months. You're not going out until you've done something. Consider yourself grounded."
I sulked off to my studio. Through the window, I could see some of the other rabbits chasing the carrots.
I cleared away a patch of dust, and sat next to my easel.
I stared at my paintbrushes, and they stared at me. "We haven't seen you in a long time," they seem to say.
Then I looked at a blank piece of paper for quite a long time.
It stayed blank.
Suddenly, I had an idea! I wound up the computer, and logged onto Rabbitbook.
Four hours later, I still couldn't think of anything to draw.
I went back to Big Boss Bunny. "It's no good, I can't think of anything to draw. The muse is not with me. I have no inspiration."
"Bah," said Big Boss Bunny. "Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work."*
I went back to the studio, picked up a pencil, and started to draw. Anything. I drew a carrot and a cat and a tree and a bird and a rabbit.
But I still couldn't think of anything I wanted to draw. I squeezed some paint onto my palette and stood in front of the easel.
I did a quick sketch of Clarissa with her enigmatic smile.
But I still couldn't think of anything I wanted to draw.
"I'm telling you, I can't think of anything to draw!" I almost shouted at Big Boss Bunny.
"Oh, you silly rabbit," said Big Boss Bunny. "Look: you've drawn everything you've done! The inspiration was around you all the time. Now you can go out, and chase the carrots. Good rabbit."
* Big Boss Bunny has been reading Mr Chuck Close.
"No, Bob Tail Rabbit," said Big Boss Bunny. "You've not being doing your work. Look at that blog of yours: not a single drawing on there for months and months and months. You're not going out until you've done something. Consider yourself grounded."
I sulked off to my studio. Through the window, I could see some of the other rabbits chasing the carrots.
I cleared away a patch of dust, and sat next to my easel.
I stared at my paintbrushes, and they stared at me. "We haven't seen you in a long time," they seem to say.
Then I looked at a blank piece of paper for quite a long time.
It stayed blank.
Suddenly, I had an idea! I wound up the computer, and logged onto Rabbitbook.
Four hours later, I still couldn't think of anything to draw.
I went back to Big Boss Bunny. "It's no good, I can't think of anything to draw. The muse is not with me. I have no inspiration."
"Bah," said Big Boss Bunny. "Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work."*
I went back to the studio, picked up a pencil, and started to draw. Anything. I drew a carrot and a cat and a tree and a bird and a rabbit.
But I still couldn't think of anything I wanted to draw. I squeezed some paint onto my palette and stood in front of the easel.
I did a quick sketch of Clarissa with her enigmatic smile.
But I still couldn't think of anything I wanted to draw.
"I'm telling you, I can't think of anything to draw!" I almost shouted at Big Boss Bunny.
"Oh, you silly rabbit," said Big Boss Bunny. "Look: you've drawn everything you've done! The inspiration was around you all the time. Now you can go out, and chase the carrots. Good rabbit."
* Big Boss Bunny has been reading Mr Chuck Close.
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