Mummy took us to Devon for two weeks to look after the Bracken and the Fern and their house.

We had a very long journey and stopped two times.  The first was in Epping Forest where the ground was very dry and there wasnt much grass but it was nice to be still and on the ground for a bit.

The second stop was a long time after and I had been wanting to stop for a while but mummy said she was looking for somewhere and eventually said “This’ll have to do, boys” and we pulled into a little road by the big road we had been driving along on.  It was very noisy but there was a little grass and some dandelions under the trees, but Fred and I mostly tried to hide from everyone.  It was good to be out of our box for a bit though.

Eventually we arrived in our holiday home and I was very glad to get out as mummy had been doing some strange things in the car  a couple of times like going down a road then reversing backwards.  We were also going up steep hills, and down them again, so it was nice to be on nearly level ground.  We had a little while in the garden, and met Uncle John and Auntie Carol who were going on holiday, and then we rested in our holiday cages which mummy had got all nice for us.  It was really nice to be able to relax in our grassy hutches and eat hay quietly for a bit.

We stayed there for a whole piggy toe-night what mummy calls a fortnight.  I can count a week on the toes of one side of me, so this was the toes of the other side as well – a piggy toe-night.

The first week we went out on the grass everyday.  It was quite nice grass, but no dandelions or clover or anything else in it.  Mummy sometimes found us some dandelion leaves or sow thistles when she was in the garden and gave them to us, but apart from mint and oregano and an occasional broccoli leaf she said there wasnt much in the garden for us to eat.  It was nice though and sunny and warm.

Mummy had to cover the cage runs completely to make sure the Bracken and the Fern couldnt jump into play with us.   The Bracken was huge with long legs and long whiskers and long teeth, and he smiled at us, but mostly at Victor.  Hugo ran over and bopped him on the nose through the bars one day when he got too close, but mostly mummy stayed with us when we were in the garden and said “No, Bracken” a lot when he was near us and sometimes walked round behind him till he got bored and went away.

The Fern was smaller in height but very tubby behind.  Mummy said she had a hormone problem but I dont know what that is.  She didnt spend so much time close to us, but one time she was looking at Victor through the bars and Hugo ran right across the run and scared her away!  He was very brave, don’t you think?

The second week it was very wet and mummy let us run around on a blanket and some paper in the room we were staying in. 
That was nice too, although not as nice as sun and grass. 

 

Hugo took to leaning over the side of his cage to watch us. 

 

 

We didnt do that when he was in the run, we just ate hay and things and enjoyed our grassy hutches.  Mummy spent a lot of time on the computer when we were doing that and it was nice to be with her although I think she was a little fed up about the weather.  I was able to catch up with the Rodents With Attitude forum too.

 

 

Most days she went for a walk or for a drive though, and she showed us some of the pictures.

This is the place she went to on her morning walk:

This is the place she went and looked for interesting rocks on the beach:

And this is the view on the coast when she went to see her friend, she said she used to go on riding holidays there when she was little.  I dont quite know what that means, but she sounded like she enjoyed it.

At the end of the two weeks we came home again, this time on a much straighter road.  We took about the same time but mummy found a nice place for us to have our first break in the sunshine, round the back of what she called the service station. 

I dont know what sort of trains ‘services’ are, but she seemed quite happy with the grass, and so were we, especially when she put our fleece down for us.

The second stop was in Epping Forest again.  The grass was better, but the wind was cool, so we hid under tha blanket she’d put down to cover some thistles.  It didnt matter – we just nibbled the grass round the thistles which was quite nice, although Fred and I werent so keen on eating.

 

 

Our third stop was on nice grass that smelled friendly.  We were so surprised when mummy took us inside and we found we were home!

It was a nice holiday but I dont think mummy enjoyed it so much as she did our holiday in Mull.  She says we wont have another long trip till we go there next year.  That’s fine with me, I’m not the greatest fan of travelling, but I’d rather go travelling with mummy than stay home and have someone come in once a day to give us food and water, even if it is very kind of them to do so.