The Prairie Pigs Light a Candle

                     

This year it was me, Pavarotti, representing the Prairie Pigs for our Peter Gurney Memorial Candle Lighting ceremony.  (Pig Mum said it was safe as long as I didn't come too close, but I had to have a good look at the candle myself before tucking into the cilantro bribe....)

We have many guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and mice to remember on March 9, and this year we had a special moment of silence for the lovely Daddy Slave of the Piggyfriends, husband to our Auntie Penny.  Guinea pigs do not like to travel too far from our own hay boxes and refrigerators, so we never met him but the Piggyfriends speak so fondly of him when we have our secret midnight international piggy Zoom chats that we feel as if we knew him too.  We feel as if he might have heard about us from Auntie Penny, and that he might be watching over us too from the Rainbow Bridge.

Of course, we are also remembering Peter Gurney, and we are so very thankful for all of the knowledge he spread on the proper care of guinea pigs, and how much he did to show the world how rich and entertaining life with piggies can be! 

Candle Lighting Memorial 2021

Every year at 8pm. on March 9th. we light candles in memory of all of our friends and pets gone before us.

Since this was started in memory of guinea pig expert, Peter Gurney, we need to have a piggy in the photo so you can see our Carter Piggyfriend in the photo below.

It is not always easy to get a piggy to sit still for very long, especialy when there are candles burning nearby but Carter is a star and the bribery was probably not necessary......

........but he did enjoy it.

We are remembering a host of Piggyfriends past together with the many pets that have lived with our Slave over very many years but particularly our lost Daddy Slave, who is at the Rainbow Bridge watching over us all. He used to carry big bales of hay for Slave and cut boxes of grass for us all and he is sadly missed. Our pigsitter helps with the hay now when he visits us and he cuts grass too but, during the lockdown in England, which lasted from March until July last year, he was not allowed to visit and Slave had to do it all herself, for which we are very grateful. Thanks for the grass Slave.

If you lit a candle and would like to share your pigture, we would love to see it. You can post it on our blog and we will publish it for you. See where it says "new post" on the top of our page or you can send it to us at piggyfriends@talktalk.net.

We hope that lots of piggy people joined in our ceremony this year,

Remembering Peter Gurney March 9th

Hello from Scottie and Nugget! We're making sure our candle is ready for the Peter Gurney Candlelight Memorial, an annual event that began on the Guinea Pigs' Daily Digest in 2006.

This event is a tribute to the late Mr. Gurney, celebrating his great contributions to the health, care, and knowledge of guinea pigs.

Please join us by lighting a candle on March 9th, Peter's birthday, at 8 p.m. in your time zone and keeping it lit for an hour, if possible. In this way we remember Mr. Gurney as well as other friends (human, furred, feathered, and finned) who have passed on.

As candles are lit in each subsequent time zone, our light travels around the world.

Afterwards, a list of locations is posted at the GPDD, so we hope you'll e-mail pg_memorial@gpdd.org to let us know where you lit your candle. (No names or e-mail addresses are posted, just your location.)

We're looking forward to the big day, and we hope you can participate, too!

New Babies!!!

Our dear friend, Dee, from the GPDD, sent us these lovely photos.

She adopted a piggy called Lucy to be a companion for her Lily and this is what has happened.

 Everybody say " Aaah!"

Everybody say " Oooh!" Five piggies for the price of one. How good is that?

A Valentine's Day Story (with Guinea Pigs!)

 

 

(We have received a story from some of our stellar reporters in the field, the Piggyville Girls.  While it is appearing --- through no fault of the reporters themselves --- a tiny bit late for Valentine's Day, we felt that this sweet story deserves to be read any day of the year.)

The Piggyville Girls have a secret to share with you... Their Mommy and Daddy met on Valentine's Day!

This story has been passed down from generation to generation of Piggyville guinea pigs.  It was a cold and blustery night in Tampa, Florida, and Mommy was driving home from the feed store with a bale of hay.  She decided to take up an offer for a cup of tea.  The invitation had come from a British physicist named Paul who lived aboard his sailboat.  She drove to Dunedin Marina and there, waiting under a light on the dock, was this handsome sailor.

He was the perfect gentleman.  He made her several cups of tea while they swapped sailing stories.  She told him that she had lived aboard her sailboat for three years with a trio of guinea pigs.  The piggies had sailed with her from Miami to Venezuela.  She told him that she now had 17 guinea pigs who were the loves of her life.  He asked if he could meet the piggies.

Well, one day not too long after this, he appeared at her front door with bunches of cilantro and baby carrots.  It was love at first sight between Paul and the piggies.  We think Mommy was pretty impressed too!  He always arrived with gifts for us; even to this day, Daddy always makes sure we have plenty of treats.  He starts each morning by giving us treats and bringing Mommy coffee in bed.  Before he goes to sleep, he always gives us a treat and a tickle.  He has shown us that Love is a commitment to care for us and Mommy for life.

Are you all keeping warm?

In the Netherlands is has been snowing, and we suspect in the countries around it there was snow as well. It has been so could that the snow hasn't really melted yet after a week! That is very unusual for the Netherlands ...

Anyways, Cookie and Linn wanted to demonstrate how they stay warm!

Cookie loves her hammock!

Linn is cuddled up in a piggie pod.

Unfortunately Binky is no longer among us 😢 he loved keeping warm and snuggling as well. He had troubles with his teeth, then got mites and an ear filled with blood? Like an ear hematoma we've seen in dogs at dr pol's show, but never heard of it in guinea pigs. He also had a lot of pus in his inner ear... 

Slaves tried to keep him going with critical care as he had troubles eating, but he didn't make it 😟

He is missed by us all!

 Wheeks,

Guinygirlz Cookie and Linn

P.s. does anyone know why Linn's eyes are turning white?

A message from Fionn Piggyfriend

 

Hello readers,

Fionn Piggyfriend here. I like to sit on one of the wine boxes in our pen so that I can watch the sows and also be on the lookout for any veggies arriving. Slave says that I am a noisy pig but that is because our pen is nearest the door and I can alert the other piggies to the possibility of meal time.

Since I came here with my brother, Oisin, it is surprising how much these boxes have shrunk. There used to be room on top for us to sit side by side but now there is only room for me. The top of this box is also collapsing and Slave needs to find us some more.

She used to pick them up from the supermarket, where the staff would leave them in a crate by the door but now we are having our veggies delivered, she cannot get any replacements. She hopes that it will not be too long before this horrible pandemic has been conquered and that it will be safe for her to go to the shops again.

Hoping every pig and their slaves are all keeping safe and well.