Bunny Rabbit Hare

1. Lop-Eared Rabbit
2. Bugs Bunny
3. Flemish Giant Rabbit
4. Arctic Hare
5. Lionhead Rabbit
6. Rabbit Balloon
7. Tortoise & Hare
8. Cute Bunnies
9. Chocolate Bunnies
10. Eastern Cottontail

  This Easter weekend we thought it would be a good time to take a look at our top 10 bunny encounters.  Here they are in no particular order.

1 ) Lop-Eared Rabbit

A friend of ours used to care for a very cute lop-eared bunny.  A lop-eared bunny is a bunny whose long ears hang (we guess you could say lop) down.  You will notice all of the other bunnies in this blog post have ears that stand straight up or sit back on top of their heads. 

2)  Bugs Bunny

One of the all-time favourite bunnies is Bugs Bunny from the Looney Tunes cartoons.  He is among a short list of animated characters to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The outline drawing of Bugs Bunny (above) was in the Warner Brothers Studio's Museum.

3)  Flemish Giant Rabbit

From Bugs Bunny we go to Big Bunny.  A Flemish giant rabbit can weigh up to 10 kg and grow to about 30 inches long.  It is one of the largest domesticated rabbits.  The bunny above was at the Toronto Zoo for a short time and shared an enclosure with the wombats and wallabies.  Perhaps it had outgrown its previous living space.

4)  Arctic Hare

While we were in Churchill, Manitoba we spotted this hare just across the road from our lodge.  While it may not be the smartest thing to do in polar bear territory at night, we headed outside to try and get a closer look.  Luckily, he stood still long enough for us to get the picture above.  It took us some time to determine if this was an arctic hare or a snowshoe hare as both inhabit Churchill. We read about one having bigger feet or ears than the other.  Some reports said that one has bigger eyes or fluffier fur.  We made our determination by the black on the ears.  As far as we can tell arctic hares (like this one) have black just on the top tip of their ears while snowshoe hares have a black edge that may cover the tip, but runs further along the ear as well.

5)  Lionhead Rabbit

A lionhead rabbit is bred to have a mane around its face like a lion.  They end up looking like little balls of fur with ears. We wondered how they can even see where they are hopping.  When taking pictures, the bunny below did flash us a look from beneath all that fur just to let us know he was in there. The lionhead above is from Prickly Ball Farm and the lionhead below is from Far Enough Farm.

6)  Rabbit Balloon

Artist Jeff Koons had a piece of his art appear in Toronto's Nuit Blanche 2009.  It was simply named Rabbit Balloon.  It featured a giant shiny silver bunny that was floating inside the Eaton Centre.  This bunny also once floated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2007.

7)  Tortoise & Hare

In Boston's Copley Square is a sculpture of a tortoise and a hare.  It was installed as a tribute to runner's of the famous Boston Marathon. It is based on the popular fable of The Tortoise & the Hare. The fable tells the story of a rabbit who was so confident in his ability to outrun the tortoise that during a race he ran ahead and took a nap.  While he napped the tortoise passed by heading for the finish line.  The hare finally awoke and tried to catch up, but it was too late.

8)  Cute Bunnies

We think that all rabbits are cute.  There is something special about a tiny bunny that you can pick up and hold in your hands while it sits quietly twitching its little nose.  These cuties are from the Toronto Zoo kid's section and from Jungle Cat World.

9)  Chocolate Bunnies

Chocolate shaped like eggs is good.  Chocolate shaped like bunnies is good.  This bunny above is a box from Teuscher Chocolates and hides a chocolate truffle in its belly.  We like chocolate.

10) Eastern Cottontail

The one rabbit that we have encountered the most is the eastern cottontail.  Actually we have eaten more chocolate bunnies and watched more Bugs Bunny cartoons than we have had encounters with eastern cottontails.  Let's try that again.  The eastern cottontail is the wild rabbit that we have encountered the most.  Sometimes when you least expect it you look out into the yard and there is one munching away on something.  Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail!

---

Map of Our World
Toronto Zoo (Australasia Pavilion) , Toronto Zoo (Kids Zoo) , Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park , Prickly Ball Farm , Lazy Bear Lodge , Far Enough Farm
Teuscher Toronto
Tortoise & Hare , Eaton Centre
Hollywood Walk of Fame

---

Post # 171

Kew Gardens Mystery Door

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  2075 Queen St E
Date: March 2017

  Kew Gardens in Toronto is named after the famous botanical gardens in London, England.  It is much smaller and is a portion of Beaches Park which runs from Queen Street East down to the beach in front of Lake Ontario.   Before we entered the park we enjoyed a nice brunch at the Green Eggplant.  The highlight was their Sky High French Toast which is made with challah bread.

  After brunch we crossed the street to the Beaches Library.  Out front stood a statue of a mother owl with her owlets gathered around her feet.  We took the pathway next to the library and headed into the park.  We walked deeper into the park and then as we passed the baseball diamond we noticed a little tiny door at the base of a tree.

  Facing the third base side of the diamond was a little tiny home like you might see in a fairytale.  We wondered who would live there?

  A squirrel was watching us from the tree next door.  We asked him if this was his house.  He just sat there.  We asked him if he knew who lived there?  He sat very still.  We asked him if he minded if we took a look behind the door.  He ran off behind the tree.  It seems he did not want any part of a B&E on this tiny home.

  We knocked at the door and there was no response.  We decided to gently swing the door open.  We half expected an angry squirrel or chipmunk to lunge at us so we were pleasantly surprised to find that no one was home.  Inside the door were various rocks and twigs that had been placed there perhaps as gifts from other curious visitors like ourselves.  We closed the door behind us and left everything undisturbed.
  Upon further investigation we discovered a Toronto Star article that stated that this door was placed there by the author of a series of children's books.  In the books it was the home of Henley the Hedgehog.  Henley is a real pet hedgehog and does not actually live inside the tree.  Who does actually live there now?  When you visit the park maybe you can solve this mystery.

---

Map of Our World
Beaches Library , Henley The Hedgehog's House
Green Eggplant

---

Post # 170

Ministry Of Silly Walks

Location: London, England
Address: 49 Charing Cross
Date: Sept 2015
Website: www.rbs.com

 Drummonds Bank has been located across from Trafalgar Square since 1760.  It is located at the top end of Whitehall which is a street in London that contains many government buildings.  Those government buildings house many different departments and ministries.  If an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus is to be believed, there is one ministry that many people have never heard of.

 

   In the skit, John Cleese portrays a minister who is shown walking up Whitehall.  In the background you can clearly see the London icon Big Ben as well as the Old War Office.  The minister has a very unusual walk which is hard to describe.

    In Toronto, Canada there is a Firkin pub on Bloor Street East which has this silly walk painted on the wall beside its staircase.

  John Cleese continues walking his walk along Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square.  When he finally arrives at his destination he will have to apologize that his walk has become rather sillier recently and as a result it takes him longer to get to work.

  We are now only a few silly steps from the offices of a ministry that is supposed to receive the same government spending as Defence, Social Security, Health, Housing and Education.  Last year the British Government spent more money on National Defence than on the ministry in question.

  John continues on past the railing above until the camera zooms in on a sign that reveals the name of the ministry.

  We are now almost back at the entrance to Drummonds Bank and on the fence (above) between the ATM and the window with flowers is a sign which states, "Ministry Of Silly Walks".  This skit has been an all time favourite amongst Monty Python fans.  Monty Python's appeal lies in the fact that they combine both intelligence and silliness.  We suggest that when you visit Trafalgar Square you should also take a walk along Whitehall Road to visit this filming location.  Your walk may not be as silly as a member of this legendary comedy troupe, but like Michael Palin's character we think that with Government backing you could make it very silly.

---

Map of Our World
Ministry of Silly Walks
Firkin On Bloor

---

Post # 169