Mostly we’ve been talking about real guinea pigs that Kevin and I know, or know about through family history or our underground network.  A lot of the time they are also characters in our Mummy’s books.  She’s Jemima Pett, and the books are the Princelings of the East series.  And, surprisingly since there are so many names beginning with J, including Jemima, there doesn’t seem to be a character with a name starting with J.

Oh yes there is, says Mummy, there’s Jupiter of Jupiter’s bar, the famous hostelry at Castle Buckmore, who moves to Castle Marsh and becomes an important person there.

Oh.  Sorry, Mummy, I didn’t realise.  And Jupiter is based on one of Auntie Doris and Uncle Bob’s piggies.  Although he’s a he, not a she.  Jupiter is a God in Greek mythology.  Why would Jupiter be a female piggy in the stories?

Why would Nimrod be a female? asks Mummy, but she’s named after Uncle Bob and Auntie Doris’ female piggy…

Oh, this is all very complicated.

Well, Jasmine is a character who hasn’t got a guinea pig named for her… yet.  She will appear in a big role in the last book, although she’s already been mentioned in Bravo Victor because she’s King Fred and Queen Kira’s daughter!

And the only other J I want to mention is Jersey, because that’s where I was born.  It’s an island in the English Channel, and it’s very nice with sandy beaches and rolling hills and a castle the Princelings would like.  And I was very grateful to Auntie Kate for rescuing me and introducing me to Colman.  But now my mummy is Jemima, and that begins with a J.