Valentine card

The girls and I cleaned little Ratatouille out this afternoon. It's a job I don't exactly relish but he is a very clean little boy and keep his number 1's in one area and his number 2's in another and his main living area is always pretty immaculate (bless!) so he's not that difficult to clean. He does however have a space age cage and it's the dismantling it and putting it back together again week after week that kind of gets my goat! I don't think I actually have a proper pic of his cage but here is one off a shop website to give you an idea.























So in real life the blue bit is the same size as the big orange/white bit on the right hand pic. The blue bit is joined on the left of the orange bit (where the green/white thing is on the right hand pic and the green/white bit sticks out the front of where the small orange circle is. Little Ratti keeps all his toilet business in certain area of the blue bit and keeps the rest clean. He sleeps in the top blue bit in the middle. It is such a fab living quarters for him and it is great to watch him shimmy up and down the tubes (hehehe). Apparently it is a very similar design to how they live in the wild. They have different living areas joined by tunnels.

When we clean him out he goes in his little hamster exercise ball and when we are done we have a little hold and stroke session and hand feed him sunflower seeds (his absolute favourite thing in the whole world). When he's had enough he goes back in the cage and we watch him fill his pouches up with food to take up to his little food store by his bed.The girls did great impressions of him with full cheeks and I managed to catch a couple of pics!
Abbi hamsterMaddie hamsterRatti with his pouches semi-filled (and being manhandled stroked by Mads)A stunningly gorgeous shot of my boy!

I think we have almost come to terms with the fact that Georgie probably won't come back. I hate the not knowing what has happened. It's a bit like being in a limbo state. Charlie misses his sister not one jot! He is Lord of the Manor just now and very happy with his lot. He has been very spoiled and I got a shock when I picked him up the other day - he feels like he has doubled in weight! He has always been really skinny so we are thinking that Georgie has been pinching his food all these years! He is almost getting a little pot belly so I think we're going to have to watch him!


Anyway I digress......after cleaning out Ratti, I made a card for the Penny Black Saturday challenge (see post below) and then as I was in a crafty frame of mind I made a (gasp!) valentine card! I downloaded the new gorgeous papers from Pink Petticoat called just an old fashioned girl and they are fab. Right up my street. I printed some out late yesterday aftenoon but didn't get chance to play so today was ideal. It's a very simple card but I loiks it!
Everything is from the download except the ribbon, brad and flower which are from my stash :o)