“Generally by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been rubbed off, and your eyes drop out, and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you’re real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” I just love this excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit, because that’s how you feel about your Bunny. He was given to you by Oma Erika in Germany and even though you got numerous soft toys when you were born and for your first birthday, Bunny was “the one”. One day you were asked what his name was and you replied “Bunny!”, then came the follow-up question, “not Peter or Rabbit?” and you looked up and said very slowly and clearly “No, just bunny!” As you can see from these photos he was very much an integral part of your life. I don’t have a photo of the night you tossed Bunny into the bath water after you’d finished bathing. I shouted “Noooo!” but it was too late. He was soaked and bedtime was fast approaching so I did the only thing I could, tossed him in the tumble dryer. You sat in front of the dryer sobbing as you watched him go around and around, he was still very damp when you were re-united. He finished the drying cycle after you had fallen asleep and I had managed to pry him out of your grip. Bunny is still in your room (hidden from view), he’s lost his pants through the years, but he will always be special because he was your favourite childhood toy.
