Tag: grass time

Change of routine

On By geordieroscoeIn garden2 Comments

Waye-aye, Roscoe here again. I suppose I don’t need to say that now, as you’re going to expect me all the time. Oh well, it’s part of my routine, so I’ll stick with it for now.

I don’t like to change my routine. I prefer things to have a nice regular pattern. But things are changing here. Only a bit, but just enough to notice.

First up, Mam wakes up then spends a while doing something in her room before she comes to sort us out. Well, she goes to the room at the other end of the hall, and usually calls in to say ‘good morning’, but then she goes back to her bed. She says it’s not time to get up yet, but the sun’s been up for ages, so why aren’t we?

The sun keeps changing. Not light and dark, and cloud and stuff, but it’s shining in on our runs in the morning. It was shining on Biggles first, but now it shines on us a bit too. Good thing Mam usually remembers to draw the fine curtain across before bedtime, so it’s light without being glaring. When the sun has gone round so it’s not shining on us any more, she usually pushes it back, but that’s not till after run time.

That’s another change: run time. Biggles is always a fuss-pot about being picked up before he’s had a proper wee, and now he’s being extra fussy, so Mam picks up Neville instead. Nev was right surprised at first, but he’s got used to it. Then Mam usually takes Biggles, then me. Then of course, she used to have her breakfast, come back and do Bertie and put Biggles back when she put Bertie down. Now that doesn’t happen, and we’re getting longer and longer runs in the morning. They’re not as much fun without Bertie to explore with. I have no idea what Mam’s doing all this time. But she says we’re finishing very much earlier than we used to, so I suppose she’s just filling in the time, like.

Bertie and me having fun before the runs were built.

The other thing that’s changed is our garden run. This week we’ve had the big panels up with the shades on them. Mam cut the grass with the big orange machine and I thought, uh-oh, no grass. But she left patches surrounded by wooden things, and she put our fence around those. We ate all the grass in one of them, so she put us in the one next to it yesterday. The grass was even longer in that one. I thought these wooden rails were marking out the new vegetable patch. I wonder if she expects us to dig it over as well? But she seems happy enough that we’re mowing it nice and level with the rest of the grass.

The three of us in the space where the veggies are going.

So, that’s what’s happening here. No sign of anyone coming to move into the empty run yet. Apparently nothing will happen till this avirus thing has gone away. And Mam wants it to go away soon so the man can come and decorate the wall behind the shelves, and then she can finish unpacking the boxes in our room.

Life’s so complicated. I hope it settles down again soon.

See you next week

Roscoe xxx

PS Mam said it was George’s anniversary yesterday. Nine years since he went over the Rainbow Bridge. That’s a long time.

W is for White, Wet, and Weather

On 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 By geordieroscoeIn a to z challenge, garden1 Comment

2019 A to Z badge

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.

Mowing the grass
More mowing
Under the tree
On the grassy part

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

 

Roscoe

Eat, sleep, work

On 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.

roscoe

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 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?

Percy looks after Biggles and Bertie
What’s over there?
Roscoe in the garden

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

Roscoe

Grass at last!

On 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.

April grass

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.

Kevin likes his cakeSee 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.