Are girls more bossy than the boys? Of course our 2 sons would say so, and are always telling us that Mabel's a typical bossy girl when she noses them hard out of the way.

But Dijon made it very clear to me on Christmas Eve that I had no right to be messing with HIS cage, I had already picked all his droppings off the carpet, changed the towel in the cage for a clean one, cleared out the litter tray, wiped all his spray from the corrugated plastic sheets which surround the cage, but clipping the horribly CLEAN, and unsprayed plastic back to the front of the cage was most certainly NOT allowed, and he lunged and bit my right index finger to tell me so.

And to make sure that I wouldn't stop thinking of him on Christmas day when we dared to leave the house, he made it an extra hard bite, so that it drew blood and was throbbing with pain for the next 2 days, hampering everything I did!

Ten years is a long time when you look forward, but 10 years is so short when you look backwards.

Today is a little sad. Ten years ago we drove to Heston Services on the M1 to collect Nelly. It was a clear, frosty morning, the roads were free-flowing, and time dragged on; the journey seemingly took forever.

It wasn't hard to find Nelly... it's not difficult to see someone sitting in the driver's seat, cradling a bunny in their arms.

And so, on the 23rd December 2001, Nelly came to live with us, and became a much loved member of the family. Christmas won't be quite the same without her. There will be no bunny helping to open the presents, though I'm sure Dijon and Mabel will give it a try (especially Dijon).

The children are a little sad, too. We've found a letter to father Christmas asking him to bring Nelly back, and there have been arguments as to who will have which bunny when she does come back. Let's home the presents he does bring will detract for long enough for the children not to remember that Nelly isn't here.

So, how are the bunnies...? There personalities are shining through now, and there is no doubt now who is the brains and who is the brawn. It should be no surprise that Mabel is the brains, and Dijon is the drawn.

For weeks Dijon has been desperate to be groomed by Mabel, and has grown terribly frustrated when she pays him no attention. He has taken to throwing himself under her forelimbs at every opportunity, only to have her wither step nonchalantly over him, and completely ignore his advances, or start to hump his head, depending on her mood.

Earlier this week she began to acquiesce to his demands, and he seems a little more content. He has also finally realised that he can come to us at any time for a stroke, and he is beginning to do so. However, Mabel really does not like him having this attention. She has a variety of means by which to disrupt his cuddles...

First, she will hop over and attack that hand that is stroking her brother. It's a growl and a lunge. Once the hand has recoiled, she often settles nose-to-nose with Dijon and joins in the cuddles. Other times she will start racing around the room which is guaranteed to cause Dijon to stand up and dimly wonder what on earth is going on. Sometimes she will jump noisily into their cage which results in Dijon following her.

Mabel is not quite the cuddle-monster that her brother is. She tries to avoid being touched as there are too many other things to do, Mabel is scheming...

She has worked out how the barrier works. A couple of weeks ago she decoded it, and found a way to consistently escape. Dijon's face was one of utter bemusement when he saw her on one side of the barrier, and couldn't join her. Anyway, she knows every weakness in the barrier, and does everything she can to sneak through.

The daily routine goes something like this...

• First person down in the morning must give the bunnies a smattering of Burgess.
• At breakfast, they eat in their cage, with the door open, and are allowed out for about 40 minutes.
• After the children have been dropped off at school, the bunnies come out for between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
• At lunch they are allowed out for another 30 minutes.
• They eat tea in their cage, and are occasionally allowed out for 20 minutes or so in the early evening.
• At night they will come out for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• At bedtime they must be given a little snack. the moment anyone stands up in the living room after about 10pm, the bunnies will come running to the front of the cage, standing on their hind legs, looking expectantly at whoever is standing.

The bunnies go back home with no problems. We just have to ring the bells in the cage, and back they go. A smattering of food in the bowl also works, but the bells mean it's time for the door to be closed.

Sorting through photos today, so they will be uploaded very shortly.

I'm really sorry for the dearth of posts recently. The blog has been neglected, the Gallery is in serious need of updating, and there's not hint of a new video... Life has been very hectic here, and there hasn't been the time to keep bunnymad fresh. Rest assured that this well be rectified very shortly.

Once this week is out the way, then there will be a flurry of activity that will sweep away the cobwebs from the site, and usher in a fresh new set of photos and blog entries.

For now, please remain patient...

At the very moment, Dijon is pursuing Mabel around the living room, honking as he goes, and doing his best to do what rabbits are renowned for doing. Despite his marbles having been removed.

This year we have decided to put up a real Christmas tree. For the past 11 years we've only had a plastic tree on account of our bunnies being attracted to the needles of real trees, and general being a nuisance in their endeavours to eat/climb/fell the festive spruce. But Dijon and Mabel are still confined to a designated area of the living room, affording us the opportunity to decorate the real macoy.

We bought the tree this morning. Yes, it is too early to start decorating the house for Christmas, but there is, apparently, a shortage of Christmas trees this year, so we thought it better to buy early and suffer the ridicule. Besides, it cost only £10. The smell is divine, but Mabel is already eyeing up the festive arboreal monument. I can see her calculating.

Keep an eye out for the future updates...