Bertie at home

Where does Mummy go?

On By bertie bossybootsIn Happenings1 Comment

Hello.  Bertie here.

I was told when I came upstairs that I’d see Mummy more often.

It isn’t true.  She’s here sometimes in the morning.  Then she goes somewhere and a long time later she comes back.  She often asks if we missed her.  I never reply, because I don’t know how.  I mean, no I didn’t miss her.  But she wasn’t here.  It would be nice if she was here more.  They told me I’d see more of her if I came upstairs.  But I don’t.

It’s been very warm the last few days.  We go out on the grass in the evening for an hour or two. It mostly starts out even warmer out there, but gets nice and comfortable.  Then we come back in.  Sometimes it feels warmer inside.  Sometimes it feels cooler.  Last night it was hot and sticky.  We had to remind Mummy it was cucumber time.  Then she went and got it and that cooled us down.

Percy sleeps

Even though it’s hot Percy still snoozes inside his snugglesac.  I sleep on the hay in the loft.  Midge sleeps on the hay or on top of the snuggletunnel.  It’s okay when it’s hot, but Mummy complains.

Anyway, if you know where Mummy goes, please tell me.

love,

Bertie.

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Percy

Update on my lump – I’m fine

On By PercyIn Health6 Comments

You remember I went to the vet doctor and had a snooze so that Dr Sally could check out my lump?  I told you about that here…

Percy

Well, I went back to be checked up on Wednesday last week.  Dr Sally told Mummy what the lab had said, which was it probably wasn’t an abscess, although it might be, and it didn’t seem to be anything else from what she’d sent them.  So after a long discussion (they took a-g-e-s) they agreed to do nothing.

I’m really glad.  I don’t need any medicine, and I’m fine with it.  It doesn’t hurt or get in the way and although Mummy feels it from the outside with her fingers, I reckon it’s just the same.  It appeared.  It might disappear.  Who knows?

While I was there Mummy put me on the floor so I could show Dr Sally I wasn’t moving properly.  It was fun down there, although there was a shiny box which seemed to have a black guinea pig on the other side of it.  I couldn’t smell or hear him, so I went away, and he did too.  I think they decided I was walking okay, because Dr Sally bent down to pick me up, so I ran away, and Mummy put my snugglesac down and I went into it.  Dr Sally laughed but I don’t know why.

Oscar went to be checked up as well.  He has a heart that skips a beat every now and then.  They had a long talk about whether this was what was making him lose weight.  Finally they decided to check out his poos to see if they had something odd in them.  They don’t have to send him to sleep to get those, Mummy just filled the little bottle with them the next morning.

So we’re both fine, and Mummy is just being Mummy.  She’s fine too.

We’ve been going out for a while most evenings this week, after Mummy gets back from golf.  She does a lot of that at the moment.

A Tribute to Fred and George – Guest Post by Jemima Pett…

On By PercyIn Happenings1 Comment

Mummy’s written a tribute to Fred and George for the Story Reading Ape and his friends. You might like it too.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

If it were not for Fred and George, I would probably not be here.

It’s a reasonable assumption. I had no real ambition to be a published (or blogging) author beyond that vague feeling that ‘there must be a book inside me’. As far as I knew I had the ‘wrong sort of brain’ for writing fiction. Yes, I knew I loved writing, but I had been told that my only attempt at fiction was rubbish, and I believed that.

Then Fred and George came into my life.

I was looking for a pet, since I had changed job and location, and felt I wouldn’t be travelling much, so I could give a good home to an animal. Whether I was a suitable person to take responsibility for an animal troubled me a little. What if after a couple of years I felt it wasn’t working? What if my infamous…

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Bertie and Percy

Hello, I’m Bertie!

On By bertie bossybootsIn Happenings5 Comments

Hello.  This is my first post.  Percy is going through it to make it look good.  He says my spelling is atro… bad.  I’m only four months old.  I haven’t even been to school yet.

Percy says this IS school.

Oh.  Well, it’s a lot of fun.

Percy says it’s not fun for him.  I keep interrupting him.

Midge in the run

I like teasing Uncle Percy.  And Uncle Midge, but he’s more serious. He’s more likely to bop me on the nose.  I bopped him back once and he and Mummy told me off.

Uncle Percy just complains loudly.  Then Mummy turns round from this machine and asks him what’s wrong.  Then she tells me to behave.  I put on my angelic face and she turns away.

I like my uncles.  I like my Mummy too.  I don’t like my brother Biggles any more because he kept trying to attack me.  Now if I see him I try to get in first.  Mummy tries to make sure we don’t get in the same room together.

And then there’s Oscar.  Oscar’s funny.  I don’t know what to make of him.  Sometimes he seems really nice and then he growls at you and starts to snap.  I keep away from him.  I think that’s best.

I think it’s time for cucumber now, so I’ll go and get some.

Bye bye.

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No fuss needed!

On By PercyIn Health2 Comments

You may have seen on our Facebook page that I’ve got a lump on my cheek, and I’ve been to the vet a couple of times.

Percy's cheek
You can see Percy’s lump on his left cheek here

Last time I stayed with Dr Sally a while and had a snooze.  When I woke up Mummy came to fetch me. I felt a little funny but I’m back to normal now.  Apparently I had an xRay which showed nothing much, although my tooth roots might be starting to grow the wrong way.  Dr Sally also took a sample of my lump.  Mummy relayed the message she left on Mummy’s phone to me, and she said: It’s a lump, not an abscess, and it might be pre-diagnostic.  Mummy says that means they can’t quite tell what it is yet.

So I’m having to keep taking the horrible medicine that Mummy gives me twice a day.  She tries to disguise the taste with apple juice, so it could be worse.  She puts the pro-biotic in with the apple juice too.  Then when I’ve had my two tubes of that, Mummy usually give me cucumber, which takes the taste away completely.  And, don’t tell Midge, in the evening she gives me my meds and cucumber downstairs, then hands out the evening cucumber and gives me another slice at the same time she gives Midge his.

Midge and I are having a special diet food on top of our normal pellets, and Mummy’s pleased because Midge has lost weight and I’ve settled at the mid 1500s instead of the mid 1600s which was too much.  We still get our diet food though.  It’s quite tasty.

But really, Mummy shouldn’t make such a fuss about me, because I’m perfectly okay.  I like the extra cuddles, though!

The Last of the Jubilee Seven

On By PercyIn Happenings3 Comments

Percy here.  Sorry I didn’t arrive last week.  It was all very busy and I forgot.  Not having Kevin around to keep an eye on things has unsettled us all a bit.

Mummy’s been sad because he was the last of the Jubilee Seven, as she called them: Hector, Humphrey, Victor, Dylan, Dougall, Colman and Kevin.

The Jubilee Seven

Before them there was the Fabulous Four: Fred, George, Hugo and Victor.

Victor was in both groups.  He joined Mummy in 2008 and was only about eight months old then, and lived till he was six years and four months. His anniversary is next Monday, although Mummy says we don’t have to do a memory post for that.  We mostly remember birthdays.  Although some people don’t have birthdays, so we find a special day for them somehow.  Mummy knows how, I don’t.  I have a ‘Gotcha’ Day, which was the day Mummy got me from the Adoption place.

Colman and Kevin had birthdays which were estimated, according to Mummy, because Auntie Kate had an idea of when they were born.  That’s how Colman got to have a seventh birthday cake, and he’s our oldest piggy so far.

I asked Mummy if all the Jubilee Seven have gone, what are we now, and she said “The Famous Five.”

That sounds good to me.

By the way, I have a lump on my chin and I’m having medicine for it every day.  Mummy says I might have to have tests done on it tomorrow.  But I’ll be in Dr Sally’s good hands.  She’s the best.  So I’ll be okay.

PS Do you like the dark colour scheme? It’s because were in mourning for Kevin, and will be for seven weeks. That takes us to the 27th June, which is the day before Mummy’s birthday.

Reflections on our Favourite Things A to Z

On By PercyIn a to z challenge3 Comments

Percy: We’re supposed to say what we thought about the A to Z Challenge today.  Mummy helped me record this conversation with Kevin last week.  What did you think about it, Kevin?

Kevin: I thought it was a lot of hard work.  It was okay setting the posts up ahead of time, but it was hard going to see people.  I could say something to the people who visited us, but I didn’t know what to say to anyone else.

Percy: Did you remember to go to the A to Z post and link us up?

Kevin: No, although Mummy did it for me sometimes.  I think when she did that early in the morning we got new visitors. I stopped noticing when I wasn’t feeling well.

Percy: I know, but I did that for you.  You did a lot of the posts.  I had a nice time chatting to people, especially to Kristin, Noelle, and Hilary.  And Nick came sometimes, he was nice.

Kevin: yes, we got to know our Aunties and new Uncle well.  I’m sure when Dylan and I did it last time we had far more visitors.

Percy: I think Mummy’s saying the same on her blog.  Would you do it again?

Kevin: No, but then, I feel too old to bother with it, really.

Percy: It does take a lot of time.  Then again, if the weather is cold like it was last week, we haven’t got much else to do.

Kevin: That’s true.  Well, I’ll leave it in your capable hands, Percy.  I expect young Bertie will soon get the hang of it.  I’ll be here if he needs any advice.

Percy: He’s not much of one for asking advice, Kev.  He reminds me of Dylan, even though I didn’t know him very long.

Kevin: I think Mummy thinks so too.  Good luck if you do it again.

Percy: Thank you.  And thank you for blogging for all this time, too.  Happy retirement!

dylan-kevin
Kevin with Dylan, Feb 2016

Introducing our new Apprentice

On By PercyIn Happenings2 Comments

Hello, Percy here.  I hope you’re not too tired after the A to Z Challenge.  Apparently we have to say what we thought of it next week, so I’ll be doing that too.

The big news here is that Kevin has decided to take a back seat from the blog and the Facebook page.  He says it’s time he retired and made way for a younger chap.  But he’ll be here for advice and counselling, and to help me mentor our new apprentice – Bertie!

As you can see, Bertie is much bigger than he was in the photo yesterday of him and me and the snuggle sack.  He’s nearly three months old now, and learning fast.

He’ll probably turn up on Facebook soon, and the blog occasionally.

Z for Zebra stripes #AtoZChallenge

On By KevinIn a to z challenge5 Comments

Hello! I’m Kevin.  I’m a ginger and white guinea pig and I look after both George’s Guinea Pig World and our Facebook page.  Percy and I have been sharing the workload for our A to Z Challenge this year, and I’ll be doing this last week.

Our theme is “Our Favourite Things” – and I hope you’re not tired out from all this blog-visiting (I am)!

Zebra striped snuggle sack

Our zebra snuggle sack is everyone’s favourite.  It’s quite old, but it’s worn really well, especially when you consider it gets sat on, sat in, and washed quite often too.  It’s got cotton fabric outside and thick fleece in with an extra bottom layer to make it even comfier.

Mummy got it originally for Hugo, who was black and white with a Zorro stripe on his side, just like Auntie Dawn’s Mariusz.  They were pretty hard to tell apart, which is why, when Mummy wrote her books, Hugo and Mariusz were the same person!

Hugo’s birthday present
Percy and Bertie love zebras
Percy in camouflage
Hector hides
Humphrey in the zebra sack
Bertie bides his time

As far as I know, Mariusz never hid in the zebra snuggle sack, which Mummy calls the camouflage sack.  All our black and white pigs use it to hide in plain sight.  Humphrey’s and Hector’s white noses disappear very well into the general stripeyness.  The grey and white piggies have used it too, and at the start of the A to Z it was Percy’s, although Bertie & Biggles put in a strong bid for it.  Mummy eventually gave it to Percy and Midge, and they’re very pleased.

This is the end of our A to Z 2017 and I hope you enjoyed learning about Our Favourite Things.

Did you see the interview we did on Mummy’s blog?

Apparently we have to do something called Reflections on Monday week.  Come back and see us then – and every Monday.  We’ll be here, probably with a new apprentice!