U is for Uncles and Underneath things

On August 19, 2019August 16, 2019 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge, Happenings, Health2 Comments

Way-aye, Roscoe here again.

2019 A to Z badge — Blogging from A to Z

We’ve got to the letter U in our A to Z Challenge. It is very challenging. Mam says most of these last ones are, but Bertie’s doing V next week and he’s just been to see his V, so he’s dictating his post to me today. Mam has shown me how to schedule it, which is to post it on a certain day. Bertie has NU-MOAN-I-A which we don’t know how he got it but makes his lungs ache and he makes a crackly noise when he breathes. His medicine upsets his tummy. Upsets – that’s a U word.

UNCLES – is the man thing for Auntie. We don’t have many Uncles. Uncle Bob came to see us last week. I think he came to see us, with Auntie Doris, although they went for a walk with Mam before they sat and cuddled us. It was a very long walk, they were out for hours. Anyhow, Mam and Auntie and Uncle took photos of us on their laps. Bob has a lovely hairy chin. It’s fun to play with. Mam doesn’t have a hairy chin, neither does Auntie Doris. I think that’s what makes Bob an Uncle.

Neville with Auntie Doris

Biggles made Uncle Bob fall asleep

Roscoe with Auntie Doris

Bertie with Auntie Doris

Bertie with Uncle Bob

Us with Uncle Phill and Auntie Cathy

Midge with Uncle Barry and Kevin with Auntie Shirley

We also like being UNDERNEATH things. Nev and I have an underneath Biggles’ run, which is a nice secure hideyhole. We all enjoy being Underneath Mam’s table in the kitchen, and also the other piece of furniture which is like a cupboard on legs. Mam says she doesn’t do anything underneath anywhere these days, but she understands why we like it. Mam’s good at Understanding us!

See you next time. I’ll be doing W.

Roscoe xxx

PS We celebrated two years with Mam yesterday. I like it here. It feels like we’ve been here forever. I try not to think about those things we talked about for R.

T is for Thunder, mostly at night

On August 12, 2019August 10, 2019 By bertie bootsIn a to z challenge2 Comments

Hello, Bertie here. We’re getting towards the end of our weekly Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Today is T for Thunder.

We get two main types of thunder.

The first is only occasional, and can be in the day as well as the night. It’s like a grumbling noise rolling around in the sky. Then it sometimes goes CRASH or CRACKLE, and that’s often after there’s been a flash of light in the sky. Mummy says the flash is called lightning, and it’s due to an electrical discharge. Mummy knows many long words like that and I expect she understands them.

Night storm thunder lightning wind rain — This is a picture that Mummy took of a thunderstorm one night last summer

The second happens most weeks from spring to autumn, and sometimes two or three times in the same week, always quite late in the evening, around the time Mummy goes to bed, and sometimes later. Then there’s a month when it can happen any time from teatime onwards, and that is often louder than the summer thunder.

These often start with a rhythmic Boom, boom, boom, which goes on all the time. It’s very upsetting, much more than grumbling and crashing thunder. Then there are other irregular bangs, and funny noises, and pop-pop-pop-pop-pop, and sometimes lights and shooting white or coloured flames. These are very scary.

Mummy often comes to us and tells us not to worry. She doesn’t seem worried, although she often seems cross. She says there’s a new survey place where she can report the second kind of thunder. Firework log and survey. It’s for UK people. She doesn’t need to report the first kind of thunder because the weather people usually said it might turn up. But sometimes it doesn’t so she doesn’t tell us, so we don’t worry unnecessarily.

Actually we’re getting better at ignoring it. It’s not come into the room yet, so I don’t think we’re in danger.

Next week, Roscoe has to find something to say about U. That’s tricky!

see you

love

Bertie xxx

S is for Summer, and Sadness

On August 5, 2019August 4, 2019 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge3 Comments

Way-aye, Roscoe here again.

It was hard finding inspiration to talk about the letter S this week. Mam had some good suggestions, and Summer is certainly one I feel qualified to talk about.

But I also feel Sad, and that’s because I felt completely misrepresented last week. Joshua and Auntie Noelle both thought I wasn’t very talkative. I answered Bertie’s questions when he came and interrupted me, and he wrote down the answers. He got all the rest of our background from Neville the other week, what would have been the point of repeating that? You’d have said ‘Oh, we know all that.’

Also, I don’t think you understand how hard it is being a rescue pig with no wish to relive the horrible time when you were just left. We were lucky, some aren’t. It’s traumatic, being moved about and worrying whether anyone will keep you, however nice people try to be. Even these days, when Mam puts me in the carrier, there’s a little part of me that wonders ‘will I be coming back here?’

Anyway, it’s still Summer, and we’ve been out on the grass most days. The grass is a wee bit short, and the other grass is a bit dry, but Mam says we aren’t getting enough rain. Sometimes it’s been too hot to go out till really late, when the sun is going down. But we’ve been fine. Some people’s piggies haven’t been, and the reports of piggies dying in the heat are horrible. And Sad.

Look, littlies!

Biggles meets Fire

Bertie loves lavender

Roscoe with Fire and Ice

Yummy leaves

Summer snoozing

More mowing

The new kids on the block went out on the grass on Saturday and we had a chat with them. I talked to the ginger one and the white one. The black one took a dislike to me for some reason. He had a real rumblestrut at me. Cheeky little… Biggles had a nice chat to them too.

Nev likes his new haircut and Mam says he looks better with his hair short. She said his face reminds her of Victor with his cut as it is. So I think that’s three pigs he reminds her of now. As for me – well, she’s called me Colman a few times recently, and I don’t know why. I could understand her calling me Kevin. Mam says there’s a word beginning with S to describe her brain at present – Senile. I think she’s just been working too hard on her new book. Perhaps she needs a Siesta.

That’s it for this week. Bertie will be back next week, to talk about T.

love

Roscoe xxx

PS Here’s a picture of Mam’s wildflower garden with lots of butterflies in it. We’re not allowed in there because there are some poisonous plants in among the yummy ones.

R is for Rescue, and also Roscoe’s interview

On July 29, 2019August 4, 2019 By bertie bootsIn a to z challenge, Happenings4 Comments

Hello everybody, Bertie here, taking you further on our journey from A to Z. I thought that sounded a bit posh, and I hope you agree.

Today I’ve thought of two things: rescue pigs and Roscoe. Mummy persuaded me that interviewing him was a good idea after I did one for Neville. I don’t really know why, because you know what he thinks about things anyway. But first the exciting news.

Rescue pigs

We are fostering some guinea pigs from East Anglian Guinea Pig Rescue. Auntie Sophie has rescued sixty baby pigs from a breeder who’s given up. You can find out more at their Facebook Page.

Most of us here have been rescue pigs.

Fred & George came from the first Norwich GP Rescue.
Hugo & Victor came from Auntie Vikkie at the Norfolk one
Humphrey & Hector came from Auntie Sophie when it was still the Norfolk one.
Kevin and Colman were rescued but not from a rescue. They’d been rescued by Auntie Pigpog and then she had to rehome them, so they were sort of double-rescued.
Dylan & Dougall would have gone to Auntie Vikki to be rescued but Mummy took them straight away, so they were sort of pre-rescued.
Percy was turned into a Rescue and shown in the Pets at Home Adoption Centre, so he counts, Mummy says.
Roscoe & Neville came from the NorthEast Guinea Pig rescue, which they’ve talked about before.

Biggles and I weren’t rescued. We were rehomed as babies from Auntie Sophie’s lovely piggies. She sort of rescued them, though, but to be with her as forever pigs. And Oscar and Midge were Auntie Vikki’s special rex pigs and they needed a new home, but weren’t rescued.

It sounds complicated to me.

Anyway, Mummy says codenames Ice, Fire and Eclipse are staying for about six weeks. Ice is white, an Aby with pink eyes, and he’s the youngest. Fire is the ginger and white one, who’s very laid back and friendly, and probably the oldest. Eclipse is a bit scatty, but likes being cuddled, and sometimes stops and stares at Mummy when she’s watching them. Sounds like he’s got Mummy taped.

Roscoe’s interview

Neville, Roscoe and Bertie pile in to the cake

First of all, who are your companions and what are their favourite things?

My companion is Neville. He’s a nice chap. We get on just fine mostly. His favourite thing is sleeping, closely followed by grass, pellets, and then cucumber.

Nev loves comfy things, like the tunnel or the hay box

Why did Mummy decide to get you?

I think she saw Neville and he reminded her of Dylan. Then she saw me and fell in love with me.

Where were you before you came here?

Up north in a place near Newcastle.

What’s your favourite thing Mummy does?

Gives me nice nibbles, especially cucumber and special hay. Grass time’s good, too

What are your favourite memories of your companions

I don’t remember any companions other than Nev till we met you.

Tell us a secret that we promise not share with anyone except readers of the blog

I’m not telling you any secrets, you won’t keep them..

Well, thanks a lot for that, Roscoe. I expect everybody learned a lot about you.

He wasn’t very helpful, was he? Huh. Well, anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my post for R today. Till next time

Bertie xxx

Q is for Quarrelling, which we do sometimes

On July 22, 2019July 21, 2019 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge4 Comments

Way-aye, Roscoe here again, racking our brains over what to do for Q in our journey from A to Z. Topics our predecessors chose were Quiet (Percy), Quiz Questions (Dylan) and Quince (Victor). Well, I reckon quarrelling is a sight more interesting to read about than any of them.

Mam also asks us whether our Cuddle Quotient has reached ‘full’ in the mornings. I’m not sure whether that’s even a thing, but Quotient starts with Q. She asks when I decide I’m ready to go to the kitchen, and then decide to snuggle in her arms a bit longer.

Quarrelling. Well, Mam tells me and Nev to stop quarrelling sometimes, but really, it’s Neville’s fault because he doesnt want to do what I want him to. We just grumble at each other, and maybe we waggle bottoms to tell each other we mean it. But Neville usually understand I’m right without any more fuss.

Bertie and Biggles are something else. They just don’t get on. Bertie tries to quarrel with me, but I’m very patient, and usually persuade him to be sensible and see it my way. We talk about these things through the bars, and then we really do bum-waggle to emphasise our points. Sometimes we get as far as rumblestrutting, which is the next stage after bum-waggling.

Bertie has stolen Biggles’ cucumber

Bertie and Neville

Bertie wants to talk to me

Biggles and Bertie, sperated by a fence

But Bertie and Biggles quarrel if Bertie gets half a chance. The other day Mam thought Biggles was down with us, but he wasn’t; he was up under the table at the top of the kitchen. She put Bertie down after his cuddle on the mat up there, and Bertie went straight for Biggles. I really don’t know what Biggles does that makes Bertie so mad at him. I think he’s a nice chap. Very amiable. Anyway, Mam got the tent to Biggles in time before too much harm was done. I noticed she put him up on the weighing centre and checked him all over, though. I reckon she spotted the bit of hair on the mat up there, that Bertie had pulled out on his first rush.

He’s a nutcase, Bertie, I reckon. Don’t pick a quarrel with him, is my advice. He’s too ready to pick one with you.

We’ve got something Really special for you next week. I wish I was doing it, but I’ll leave it to Bertie and think about Something Super Special for the following week.

Bye for now

Roscoe

P is for Percy, also known as Mr Percy Pig

On July 15, 2019July 12, 2019 By bertie bootsIn a to z challenge, Memorials5 Comments

Percy was my uncle. He looked after me and Biggles when we first left our birth mum and aunties and sister and cousins and came to live here. He had led a fairly quiet life up till then, but we soon changed all that.

Percy was a mystery pig, because nobody knew how old he was, or where he’d come from. Except Mummy saw him in a shop advertised as being 5 years old, and she thought he would fit in well with the pigs here then. Also she didn’t think many people would want a five year-old black pig five weeks before Christmas.

In the shop (through glass)

Mr Percy settles in

Mr Percy at the party

Santa Percy

Percy tries his present out

Percy relaxes

Percy in the daffodils

Percy and Oscar

Kevin and Percy

Well, she was wrong, wasn’t she, because she did! She went back to get him two or three days later. He lived in the grey cage opposite the others who were here then, Dylan and Dougall, and Oscar on his own. And Kevin was upstairs with Midge. I think that was how it worked, anyway. Then it wasn’t long before Dougall died, and Dylan went upstairs to live with Kevin and Midge, and Percy moved into the blue cage here we found him a year and a bit later.

It turned out he wasn’t five at all, though. Mummy and her friends worked out he couldn’t have been much more than eighteen months old when she brought him home. He grew quickly when he was here and developed what Mummy calls a ‘classic boar shape’.

Percy all soapy and trying to swim

Percy 6.10.16

Percy in his new cagewear

Percy in camouflage

Percy on the step

Percy finds the lavender

Percy with Biggles

Percy and Bertie love zebras

When we arrived, Percy was astonished. He was also worn out with us rushing around and jumping on him. He soon sorted us out and explained how pigs should behave. I’m afraid I didn’t listen to his teachings much, although I liked the stories he told us.

Percy managed the blog for a long time, and did the A to Z in April with Kevin. He’d gone upstairs to live with Midge and Kevin then, and we’d taken over the blue cage. And maybe Biggles had moved next door to me. I get confused.

Then Percy got a lump on his cheek, which was called a sarcoma, and Dr Sally and the other doctor he saw couldn’t do anything about it, so eventually he died. That was very sad. I still miss him a little, but I’m usually too busy with Roscoe and Neville to miss him much. I remember snuggling him, and him reassuring us when there were scary things like thunderstorms, though.

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

Percy’s lump (left cheek)

Percy, 2 year anniversary

Percy at B&B’s 1st birthday party

Selfie with Auntie Vikki

Percy looks after Biggles and Bertie

Percy and Midge relax

He was a very amiable person, and got on with everyone. I think he was very clever, as well. He had little tricks and signals he did with Mummy. Like patting her shoulder was a signal. I’ve learned to do it too, but sometimes I forget to do it at the right time.

So that’s P for Percy. Next week, Roscoe’s got the letter Q. We’re all trying to give him ideas on what it might stand for, but nobody’s come up with anything yet.

Tomorrow is Guinea Pig Appreciation Day, and Mummy says ten lucky people can get the first 3 ebooks in the Princelings series FREE at Smashwords until midnight tomorrow night, Pacific time, which means about 8 am on Wednesday if you’re in the UK. You need to add the code RL68R at the checkout. Be lucky – and I hope you enjoy it!

Bye for now

Bertie xxx