Pinnie Gigs

A couple of weeks ago one of our hens, Fortunata, was on her last legs, so we brought her into the house (caged of course) to nurse her back to health. Within a week it was well and we returned her to her mates in the coop. But M said that left a lonely void in the house - she had got used to talking to her.

Well to cut it short, M decided she would like some Guinea Pigs. We originally planned to buy a couple from a breeder (about £15 each) but then a couple of 18 month olds were offered on freecycle because the owner was no longer able to care for them properly as circumstances did not allow. We asked, they accepted, and now we have 2 Guinea Pigs. We have named them Algernon and Ernest (Algy and Ernie) from "The Importance of Being...".

We also got them checked by a vet, but they are in good health.

M did some Googling to become an expert in their care, and also found good examples of how to cage them for maximum comfort (apparently 2 GPs need a minimum of 7.5 sqr ft on one level). We have devised our own cage based on Ikea IVAR shelving which we have plenty of - giving them a luxurious penthouse with just under 10 sqr feet on the ground floor and about 5 sqr feet on the top floor.

We knew they were happy with their new home because they immediately began making their "happy noises" and "popcorning" (which is when they kind of jump up with their hind legs - the Guinea Pig equivalent of "cutting a caper").

Young E is of course constantly wanting to see them and feed them and stroke them and hug them and squeeze them - but he is not allowed to do anything except feed them and then only under supervision - they still need to become accustomed to us and their environment - and E needs to develop his understanding a bit too.

But enough waffle, allow me to introduce the new arrivals with this time lapse film:

(For those technical among us who care about such things: 1 frame taken every 15 seconds, compiled into a 25 fps AVI using the free MakeAVI software, then converted to WMV with Windows Media Encoder).

Bounce!

Well we finally did it. M has been hanging on to a pot of money to buy a trampoline for the boys and we finally got round to buying one (8ft, with enclosure, and folds away by winding a handle).

Anyway, more importantly, it's great fun, and just watching Lije's face and hearing his giggles is well worth the money.

Sunny Hunstanton

"Oh we do like to be beside the seaside..." and in typical English style that means in all weathers. The stake trip to Hunstanton yesterday was great, even though it was cold, rained a bit, then a lot, then blew us all dry again at the end.

Determined not to miss out just because of some poxy weather, J and I, (after sheltering in Tesco and the Coach during the worst weather) decided to get some Fish & Chips, then walk along the top of the cliff.

Other family members will remember the pointy roofed cafe on the clifftop that sold Italian Ice Cream. Well it is still there, so in spite of the weather, and with a nod to tradition, we bought some.

After that we went down below the cliff and walked back to the "new end" along the beach. The best way to get blown dry after all the rain.

Some photos to follow in next post.