It's truly amazing.

Normally they fight like Pig and Bear, but once they reach the Bush Balloon Bear really does take looking after the Pig seriously.

The Bear fears nothing but the Pig is afraid of everything in the African Bush as he believes it is all out to eat him.

There are clearly hidden depths to Balloon.


No doubt he will take it out on the Pig when we get back to the UK.

Balloon Bear loves Safari holidays (unfortunately he forgets he isn't supposed to wave to monkeys as they will steal him and pull his arms and legs off).

This one got off to a flying start with the hotel we stayed at in Jo'burg having a balloon in the back garden.

Followers of the Pig and Bear will be aware that Safari holidays are the Pigs idea of Hell on Earth.

This time we fooled him by having an overnight stop in Jo'burg before heading out into the Bush. The Pig loved it - hotel room with TV, casino nearby (no we didn't let him bet anything!) and manicured gardens.

Sadly it was all to go bad the next day when we flew up to our first camp.

We've all just spent a delightful weekend with friends down in Oxfordshire. Of course Pig and Bear came along, and enjoyed it as much as we did. In particular they liked playing with the toys of our friends little boy.

Spig found a pair of glasses, but threw them away when he realised that a) they were not tinted and b) he looked a walley in them.

Balloon was far happier with a fireman's helmet - this had to be prised off his head.

Balloon Bear went to Dubai at the end of last year accompanying me on business.

What he loved most (in fact the only thing he liked) was looking out of the window on the 33 floor onto what he is convinced was a model city with moving cars and everything. It seems the concept of scale eludes small bears.