Tanja Säily
Exercise, Veg211
Department of English
University of Helsinki
27 January 2000
The first thing to do is gather the necessary equipment near the sink you will be using: you will need some puppy or small animal shampoo, an old toothbrush for the tail, a towel and the rat. Be sure to wear a long-sleeved shirt to avoid scratches. Fill the sink with a few centimetres of lukewarm water. Then put the rat in the sink so that its hind legs touch the bottom and its forelegs are on your palm. If it seems nervous, speak to it soothingly. With your other hand, pour some water over the rat until it is wet, but avoid the ears and the eyes. Now it is time to apply the shampoo by gently massaging it into the rat's fur - use only a little and mix it with water. Many rats actually enjoy this part of the procedure. Do not forget the tail - if there are any persistent spots, brush cautiously with the toothbrush from the base of the tail to the tip. When the rat is thoroughly shampooed, refill the sink with clear water and rinse off the shampoo. You may have to do several rinsings. Finally, when there are no traces of shampoo left on the fur, take the rat out of the sink, towel it carefully and give it a nice treat.
A rose is a rose is a rose. Yet roses come in many kinds. The sweetest kind in my opinion is the Scotch rose, while the most arrogant and proud kind must be the yellow one, which resembles a narcissus. Yellow is a nice colour, though, but I must say I prefer the old-fashioned crimson rose. Old-fashioned or not, it is a never-fading symbol of passion. Apart from passion, roses have been said to symbolise many things: pink roses attachment, white ones innocence, etc. White roses can also symbolise death. However, death is by no means the first thing that comes to mind when looking at a rose, the queen of all flowers.