Bye Cuddles

We've had a loss here, one that's left us very upset. One of our dwarf hamsters, Cuddles, passed away. We found his body last night.

When we first got the hamsters Stephen took the afternoon off from work. We set up the cage and walked out to pick them up. What to call them was the big question. The names came about when I said 'If it was up to you we'd call them Cuddles and Kisses' and he said 'yes!'

Cuddles early on became the dominant hamster. He was always a lot more relaxed. To start with he was the first to explore, the first to check everything out. Later on he settled down always the second one to check out what food I'd put in. And why not? All he needed to do was stand there for Kisses to back off. He was the boss.

When it came to me Cuddles started off as the brave one. He'd see my hand in the cage and come for a sniff, a nibble perhaps. But never more than that. Although he wasn't scared of me he had no desire to be affectionate. Running, eating, sitting on his log - that was more his thing.

At the end he wound down. We noticed sometimes last week he was being sluggish, not eating as much, not being seen around the cage. Once when I came to check up on him I had to remove all the bedding to find him, sleepy and looking so much smaller, curled up. It was the only time I managed to hold him in my hand and it was precious.

He may have been small but he was very loved, a big part of our lives and we will miss him.

Goodnight Cuddles.

Spurple Pouting Broccoli

This post is very close to becoming a rant about the weather. I'll try and suppress it. But here appears on my plate something I've usually seen a lot of by now only this year it's been gone. The harsh winter is again to blame.

Purple sprouted broccoli is a gem. It's delicious, it's wonderful, it's lovely. And it always goes down well in our house. No I haven't got Stephen to try it but the hamsters and I both love it. Of course they have much smaller quantities.

So this is the first time it's appeared on my plate. Simplicity then. Oil was heated in the frying pan, a crushed garlic clove added, then the PSB. About quarter of a cup of water was added and boiled off until that wonderful vivid green of steamed vegetables appeared. Then, in the dry pan, I let the leaves crisp and caramelize around the edges to add a touch of sweetness. I cooked a good three quarters of the packet like this (much more than is pictured) and gobbled it up.

As an amusing side dish I had the Asian marinated tofu from Vegan with a Vengeance. As directed I boiled the leftover marinade with a tablespoon of corn flour to make a delicious gravy.

Hamsters

This week's Wild Wednesday isn't really wild, but tame. These are our new Roborovski dwarf hamsters, Cuddles and Kisses.