W is for White, Wet, and Weather

On September 2, 2019August 25, 2019 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge2 Comments

2019 A to Z badge — Blogging from A to Z

White! That’s me, Roscoe, except for my ginger eyepatch.

I’m blogging from A to Z with the letter W today!

White

I’m the first all-white piggy Mam had, although Kevin had lots of white all over him but lots of ginger patches too. Victor’s back end was white and agouti, Oscar’s back and side was white, and Dougall had about the same amount of white on him as Neville does. Humphrey had a big white face and white feet. And Hugo had a half-white tummy and a Zorro stripe.

Roscoe making a hay nest

Neville doing the edges

Oscar meets Roscoe

Kevin with patches

Dougall’s third birthday

Victor ready for cuddles

Humphrey the Brave

Hugo wants to play

Hugo with zorro stripe

Ice, the baby, with his ears nicely down

And the baby, Ice, who isn’t going to be a baby for much longer, because he’s growing fast and his funny ears have dropped over like a pig’s should be, he’s all white. Very white indeed.

Wet Weather

There are three types of weather. Hot and wet, hot and dry, and weather we can go out on the grass in. When it’s cold we don’t go out anyway. We’ve had several weeks this summer where Mam’s said it’s too hot to go out. It was hot inside as well, but Mam said outside was worse. When we had some rain, it was hot but the ground was too wet, and she didn’t want to risk us all getting pneumonia like Bertie did. Bertie didn’t go outside when he was ill, even when we did.

Last week it was hot, but we went out when it was all shady and there was only an hour or so before dark. The grass is damp till lunchtime, which I think would be nice if it’s hot. Mummy says we have to wait though.

Wait is another W word. I don’t like it at all. But then next time Bertie has X, which is puzzling us all. Then I get Y and he has Z, and then we’ll be on holiday again! I can’t wait for our holiday!

See you next time,

Roscoe xxx

O is for Outdoors and Other things

On July 8, 2019July 7, 2019 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge, garden1 Comment

Outdoors is definitely my favourite thing.

I’m Roscoe, and we’re working our way from A to Z through the alphabet. My mate Bertie does alternate weeks with me.

We spend most of our time indoors, in our runs, up next to Mam’s working space. But summertime, we go outdoors into the garden, if the weather’s not too hot, not too wet, not too cold, and not too dry. Or too dark.

Most days Mam sets up our run around or between the vegetable patches, with their own little fences surrounding them. She says it ‘maximises the use of the panels.’ I know we get bigger runs when she does that. I don’t know if that’s what ‘maximises’ means. Bertie generally gets his own run, because he fights with Biggles if they are left together. We get on with both of them.

Summer snoozing

Yummy leaves

Social setting

Between the veg beds

Bertie’s run always joins onto ours. We have a sort of meet and greet area. We’ve got that indoors as well, so it’s not vital. Biggles likes running around with us, though, and we like him. He’s a nice chap, keeps himself to himself while still being sociable, like.

Over the weekend she decided we’d better get to work on the grass elsewhere in the garden and we had one under the tree and the other next to it, spreading out onto the grassy area, which is still a bit sparse. It’s recovering from drying up last summer.

On the grassy part

Under the tree

Mowing the grass

More mowing

Saturday we were with Biggles in the very shady patch. Sunday we were in the other one (which is bigger) with Bertie. We got to work on the grass on both places, but clearly Bertie needs more help to mow his than Biggles does. But then, he doesnt pay much attention to the grass. He spends a lot of time bothering me. He’s a right pain in the grease gland at times. Later in the afternoon Mam put me back with Biggles, which was nice. Biggles appreciated my company too.

(Sigh) Outdoors. I like it a lot. I sometimes stand at the door when Mam’s out picking our breakfast, thinking how nice it would be to go out straight away. But I don’t. Not till Mam says the time is right.

Then I can go and get the feel of grass underneath my feet, the wind in my ears, and the sun on my back. I laze around listening to the birds singing, and the little rustling noises of things in the borders, like frogs, and toads, and insects.

Yes, I love outdoors. Although I’m not so keen when it rains.

Next week, Bertie’s back with something beginning with P. I’ve no idea what.

Have a good week.

love

Roscoe xxx

Eat, sleep, work

On June 25, 2018July 29, 2018 By geordieroscoeIn garden1 Comment

Mornin’g all, Roscoe here.

I remembered to put the ‘g’ on up there, did you see that? What, no ‘ thing? Okay.

It’s a hard life being a guinea pig y’know. Eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work. I guess we work at what you call ‘play’, but it’s serious business, you know.

Take morning floor time. That’s hard work. It’s called exercise, and as ye may know, some exercise is really hard work. I get down onto the hay box, and before I have time to explore it, it’s off onto the floor, checking up on everyone and everything.

Everyone = Neville plus whoever’s been there with him. It’s either Bertie or Biggles. I have to check up on their scents, make sure they’re okay, not leaving any messages they shouldn’t.

Everything = all the nooks and crannies in the kitchen, making sure they are still there, nobody’s overwritten my messages that shouldn’t be there, looking to see whether Mam’s swept under the table, that sort of thing. Inspection is an important part of work. Quality control, it’s called.

We have pretty good quality here, even if Mam has gone overboard recently with the cleaning up bit.

The only rest I get is out in the garden. A bit of grass, then a good sleep, in the sun or the shade depending on what takes my fancy. We’ve been getting out on the grass most days, unless Mam hasn’t got home till really late. She did that three days in a row last week, but I let her off because we spent most of Saturday and Sunday in the garden. There’s not much grass there, though. It’s all dry. Except the wee bits in the shade of the boards around the veggie patches, or up against the wall. Those are still worth nibbling.

Trouble is, Neville’s nibbled them all now. Okay, I might have helped a bit.

Mam says we need rain. She’s even started throwing water on the grass. It needs more than that, I think, Mam.

Ah, well, hope it’s nice and sunny where you are. I’m off for some rest.

Why is Mummy out so much?

On May 21, 2018July 29, 2018 By bertie bootsIn garden3 Comments

Hello, Bertie here.

Today I will ask a question I’ve been thinking about for ages.

Why does mummy spend so much time away from home?

What’s over there?

Roscoe in the garden

Percy looks after Biggles and Bertie

We only spend a little time each day out of our houses, and then sometimes a nice long time in the garden, like we did on Sunday.

But last week, Mummy spent most of every day out of the house, and sometimes she didn’t come home until it was dark, as well.

Percy says that sometimes she wears golf uniform, and sometimes just ordinary golf clothes. If she’s in uniform it means she’ll probably be out longer. He doesn’t know why but thinks it’s a more formal occasion.

Well, if that’s true there are far too many of them. She should stop, immediately.

I bet she won’t take any notice of me, though.

SaveSave

Grass at last!

On May 7, 2018July 29, 2018 By geordieroscoeIn garden2 Comments

Way-aye, Roscoe here.

We’ve had some lovely days of weather, and some lovely grass time too. Mam brought us in last night when we’d only been out a wee while, but then she came back after bein’ out at golf all day. She did that Friday too. But she’s been givin’ us an hour or two in the garden each day, and that’s nice. She’s also been givin’ us some nice fresh leaves from the garden each morn’n – yum!

Mostly we’ve been runnin’ in a nice large area between the veggie patches and the patio thing. I think we’ve done a grand job of mowin’ that, so I hope we go out to a new patch today.

Bertie has had his own little stretch of grass that goes around the corner to meet up with Biggles and Percy, then their bit comes back alongside the veggie patch to meet us. I like bein’ able to speak to all of them. I spend a fair few minutes each day standin’ at the bars, whifflin’ at them to come across and chat. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Depends how busy they are with the mowin’, I’d say.

I reckon Bertie isn’t eatin’ anywhere near enough of his grass. It’s easy to say well, he’s only one person, but he’s done less than half what Biggles and Percy have eaten. Then again, Neville and I have a patch that’s more than twice Bertie’s, and we’ve been ‘very diligent’, as Mam would say.

I don’t think Mam’s taken any photos, though, so you’ll have to make do with old ones.

Did you notice that young Bertie blogged again last week? Percy says he’s right grown-up since Midge died. Aye, it’s an experience to be with a pig near the end of his life. Makes you think.

Apart from Percy’s lump, we’re all fine here. Percy says sometimes he’s fine, sometimes he’s not. He gets by though. He’s a bonny lad.

See you next time.

PS Percy reminded me that it’s Kevin’s anniversary on Wednesday so we might be a bit sad that day. But I never knew Kevin, so Neville and I will just be respectful, like.

Percy’s still sad and his lump’s back

On April 30, 2018July 29, 2018 By bertie bootsIn garden, Health4 Comments

Hello everybody, it’s Bertie here. I’m back!

Percy didn’t feel like blogging today. He’s okay, he’s eating, which he wasn’t at the start of last week. Mummy is much happier about him. He’s on morning and evening meds because his lump has come back. It’s moved though. It’s now behind his jaw. I can’t tell the difference but Percy says he can. Mummy can feel it too.

We miss Midge. He was fun to live next door to, because I could tease him. Percy’s not so easy to tease. Mummy says I shouldn’t tease anyway because he’s not well. But Percy’s missing Midge, even though they did a lot of bickering recently. Percy says Midge probably wasn’t well and we didn’t realise. Okay.

First day out

Third day out

First day out

Bertie sits with Biggles

We haven’t been out in the garden this week. Mummy says it’s been cold and wet. But it was sunny one day when we had visitors. Mummy was pleased because it helped the house and garden look nice. Mummy’s been clearing all the boxes from our room, and tidying up her desk and our things. It looks pretty good now, I can tell you.

Apart from that, I’m looking forward to going outside again, because I like the feel of real grass on my feet. The birds all sing at us too, and tell us off if there’s something they want in our run. A squirrel came and swung on the tube that hangs on a post nearby. She was nearly as big as us, but had a long bushy tail. I thought it was very clever the way she used her hands to take the pellets from the tube. I just eat mine with my mouth, which she did too, but she also put her hand in the hole and pulled out some to put in her mouth. Maybe I should try that. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Apparently today’s the anniversary of the Great Escape from Jersey. Percy says Kevin used to talk about it. He came with Colman to live here and a lot of other piggies went all over the place. I think someone still lives with Auntie Doris and Uncle Bob. Here’s a photo of Kevin and Colman when Col was getting old.

And here they are on the day they arrived here. Percy has that white and red thing in his cage with him at present. It’s to keep him company.

George's Guinea Pig World

Tag: grass time