AWOL

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS HAMSTER?

Oh no!  Mintoe has escaped!  I know I've talked about Flump, our younger hamster, but I don't think I have mentioned our other elder statesman whom we've had for nearly two years.

Unfortunately last night his cage was fastened but as the catch is not very tight, a peg is needed as well, and Starfish got distracted and didn't put the peg back on after feeding him.

Now, we've had hamsters escape before.  In most cases, I sit up for hours in the night and catch them again.  Unfortunately we never found one, but I must admit I was almost glad about that because I didn't know how I was going to catch her without getting bitten.  Notice the 'her'.  We have a lot more trouble with the ladies I'm afraid.  All the ladies we have had have been quite vicious!  We have had loads of boys and all but one have been really friendly.

Earlier on I thought I'd done him a mischief.  I was in the kitchen and so cold, I thought I would put the oven on.  I've had this habit lately of putting the oven on and leaving the door open a little bit because our house is truly freezing without any proper heating at the moment.  I went to answer the phone (maybe ten or fifteen minutes) and came back to a burning smell.  Oh hell!  I must have left the oven door open and he's crawled in and now I've cooked him!  I was envisaging the conversation with Starfish: "The good news is I've found your hamster ...... the bad news ......"  I opened the oven door and found The Runner had left a croissant in there!!!

So think of me tonight in our cold, cold house, sitting up waiting for the hamster to appear .........



PS Just thought you'd like to know that the cider is bubbling away nicely in the corner of the kitchen, making lovely farting noises every few seconds!