A kind friend in our village gave us some rhubarb.

Not a problem for most people - indeed it would be regarded as a wonderfully generous gesture. Here however it has caused panic.

Little Brown wants to get it cooked - not just stewed, but some fancy recipe he saw on the TV using it with smoked fish! Now much as we'd love to humour him, we just don't have the fish - so stewing it is. We'd also best get it done before the inevitable LB tantrum which will end up with the rhubarb being used as a weapon.

It's also a bit worrying to see Little Brown's reading coming along - OK we called up the web site, but it looks as though he can recognise the word "fish".

I see trouble ahead. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.








By the way here's the recipe
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hotsmokedsalmonwithr_91054

Trying to watch a film on TV can be a frustrating way to pass a few hours here.

Pigs, Bears and Rodneys seem totally incapable of sitting quietly whilst watching any film. They are either living every moment, in the case of action films they like, or finding other ways to create havoc in the case of films they don't.

Take yesterday for example - the film had clearly lost their interest (possibly as it had subtitles) - so all hell broke loose as Balloon Bear threw something at the Pig, who retaliated with a throw back which hit Rodney who thought it was Little Brown so he threw something at him, who in a fit of pique threw something back which hit Balloon Bear's "Doggy" which started the mother of all rucks (a free for all tusstle for none Rugby speakers).

Now you try concentrating on a film with this all going on around you on the sofa. We've tried the lot - threats to send them upstairs, burying them under cushions, no TV warnings - but nothing seems to get through. Guess watching TV in this household just has to be seen as an occupational hazard of being guardian to a Pig, Two Bears and a Rodney.

It's been a good couple of days for Bears.

First we celebrated balloon Bear's birthday. In fact we were a week or so late, but the beauty of dealing with Pigs, Bears and Rodneys is none of them have a clue about days of the week, let alone dates in the year. They only know it's their birthday when we walk in with the cake singing "Happy Birthday".

Balloon was delighted - though a little disappointed we hadn't got him the huge gun he wants as a present.

Then yesterday it was Little Brown's turn for a treat - Steven Seagal in "Under Siege" on the TV. We were about to head off to bed when a little channel hopping stumbled across his all time favourite film.

LB knows every line and enacts the film scene by scene as Steven Seagal slots bad guys left right and centre. His "bestest bit" is the line "I also cook" - class!

The only downside is The Pig and Rod now want something - every day is a challenge with animals as needy as these!

Well, the dirty (or rather undirty) deed has been done.

They've just had their annual (well almost) wash, and three days on they are just about talking to us. At least this time we have protected their modesty a little and have not posted pictures of them huddled up to a radiator drying out.

It's an exercise of almost military precision when they go in the washy-machine. First we grab Balloon as he's most likely to alert the others - off with his shirt and into a pillow case - then grab the Pig - ignore squeeling and wriggling , off with grubby shirt and into the bag, next Little Brown - he can't move as fast as the others (being a bit of a traditional Rugby Prop build if you know what I mean) , so it's an easy catch, shirt off and into the bag - then Rod, who is doing the happy dance because he thinks the wash is a flume ride at a fair ground, he jumps in the bag on his own once his shirt is taken off.

Then it's into the machine and time to turn the TV up so we can't hear the complaints from three and bubbly laughter from Rodney.

Once out it's time to face the music - they're not happy - even Rod looks rather glum as the fun seems to have worn off somewhat.

In the meantime it's new shirts for them all - this means a couple of hours sewing up shirts of different sizes and adding numbers and roses to them - finally we have four clean smeling and smart looking animals in England Rugby shirts again. It won't be long until they are in a state once more, but until then they are at least semi presentable.



Just as well the Pig hasn't figured out the clean up was all in preparation for going on holiday to Africa again................ May won't be his best month.

Serious trouble in the household this morning.

At some point in the night Little Brown has decided to make a deep incursion into the Pig's space between the pillows in bed - leading with his backside.

The Pig was squashed up against the bed head this morning and I can see the prospect of some major league pay-back some time later today.

The Pig was already in a bad mood before he even went to bed last night because Balloon Bear won another "Who done it" when we all sat and watched a Midsomer Murders. It's uncanny how one so dumb can get it right so often. To make matters worse the suspect the Pig chose ended up being the third victim - he was madder than a mad thing on mad day with a bag of mad to hand out to passers by.

Perhaps a trip to the shops might cheer him, up....

Happy Birthday Little Brown

(Just hope he doesn't find out we didn't bake the cake ourselves!)

Balloon Bear had a very nice surprise on Saturday - a hot air balloon nearly landed in the fields opposite the house.

What a flap though - we had to rush him upstairs to the window with the best view, and then there was no moving him for hours afterwards in case it came back (despite being obsessed with balloons he still hasn't figured out they don't choose where to go they get blown by the wind).

Later in the afternoon the Pig, Bears and Rodney sat down to watch the rugby on TV - England A playing Italy A in which a couple of their Leicester Tigers heroes were playing. You'd hope it would tire them out a little but no - they are as much trouble as ever, though at least the in fighting does get put on hold when they're all watching the same team play

We have Bear problems...........

There's a programme on TV at the moment in which Michele Roux takes a group of young people and trys to teach them how to serve in a restaurant. It's a bit like "The Apprentice" for waiters.

Little Brown was unbearable (see what I did then ...) last night wanting to sack various contestants, and being powerless to do so taking it out on Pigs, Rodneys and other Bears who happened to be sitting within striking distance.

Balloon in particular received a nasty boot accross the living room, so severe in fact we had to step in and issue a full public warning to Little Brown. He's now under double secret probation - one more cheffy outburst and it's no cooking TV of any sort.

Of course he'll play dumb and pretend he has forgetten when he next loses it - or blame it on one of the others for doing a "Pooing" mime whenever there's melted chocolate shown in a recipe on TV. But last night he went too far - and he won't get away with it again.

Until next time.....

It's early days yet, but the Pig and Bear have launched a web site (OK they don't actually do any of it themselves as the Pig's trotters and Bear's paws are way to chuncky for a keyboard and , of course niether of them can read or write anyway - so we have to do it for them).

As yet we haven't bought a short form address for them, but you can see what we're doing here http://balloon.giving.officelive.com/default.aspx

Happy Christmas
from Balloon Bear, The Pig, little brown and rodney. 

It's been a while since we posted anything, and now when we do it's not the best of news.

The boys had to go in the wash today. Balloon Bear had got quite smelly and it was clearly time for a dunk. The Bears and the Pig hate going in the washy machine. Rod on the other hand thinks it's great - something like the rhino version of white water rafting at the fair ground.

As you can see from the pic they are pretty down cast after their wash - though they do smell a good deal better.