Message from Igor after his lunch

Hi All,

Okay, so where was I? Ah yes, I just finished my carrot cake with Tjerk and Algernon.
When we were making our way to the railway station, we met one of Tjerk's colleagues. He came up to us and started telling us how much he loved animals, especially guinea pigs. Algernon really liked him so he asked him if it was okay to take a picture with him.

Then it was time to go home; I promised Yaya I wouldn't stay away too long, and you guys know how she is.. *shudders*. The nice security man helped us to buy a train ticket (those train ticket machines are kinda high) and then we climbed into the train to Haarlem.

Tjerk decided to travel with us, his shift was finished and he needed to go home anyway. Algernon pressed his nose against the train window; he never saw a countryside that was so flat.

Tjerk explained that there used to be a large lake instead of a polder (the land on which Schiphol Airport is located). Since the lake was very shallow, it claimed many ships during storms (Schiphol translates to 'Ship hole'). So in 1852 the Dutch decided to reclaim the land. In 1916 the Dutch opened a military airbase and that was the beginning of Schiphol Airport.

When we arrived home I entered first to see what temper Yaya was in (I still haven't figured out where she hides that cane) and she did give me the evil eye, but once she saw Algernon she started fussing over him and trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Algernon was happy to see her again, but he was very tired, so he excused himself and I showed him the hammock. I'm happy to say that our little pirate immediately felt at home. He did take out his little seashell netbook and his Buckingham Palace magnet, but soon afterwards me and Yaya heard soft snoring coming out of the hammock.

The poor rat fell asleep with his seashell in his lap..

Sweet dreams Algernon!

Grtz
Igor (and Yaya)

A message from Igor

Hi All!

You'll never guess what happened! Me and Yaya got a textmessage from Algernon;

"Hey Igor buddy, Can you pick me up at Schiphol Airport? Grtz Algernon Rat"

So I grabbed my camera and rushed down there. One of my mates works in security at Schiphol Airport and he happened to be standing outside when I arrived and offered to help me find Algernon.

Thanks to Tjerk, it was not that hard to spot where the London passengers from PigAir would be arriving and we rushed to the gate and waited anxiously for Algernon.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous that we missed him, his text was a bit vague. But tadaaaaa!! Look who came strutting through the sliding doors :-D

It was so good to see him again! We were jumping up and down from excitement. Algernon asked Tjerk if it was possible to wave the lovely crew from PigAir goodbye, so we rushed to the Panorama deck.

The view up there was absolutely amazing! Algernon had to use the binocular thingy to spot the Pigair plane, but soon he was able to point out the plane to us (we all waved.. *giggle*.. ah.. the memories..).

It was a really sunny and warm that day so we hung out for a while. It was good to hear that the Piggyfriends and the Surrey Squeakers were all well and sent us their love. Algernon brought a really cool little seashell netbook and a little painting of Buckingham Palace (AR told me that humans stick that to their Fridge; silly slaves! Fridges are for storing our veggies! Not for decorative purposes)

Talking about the Fridge made us very hungry (obviously). So we went back into the Airport building to grab a bite.

Algernon had a Blueberry Cheesecake and me and Tjerk shared a piece of Carrot Cake*. And now I've gotta stop typing because Tjerk is munching down that cake at a speed that would have made auntie Lotje jealous! Talk to you soon!

Igor

*do not feed this to real animals, it is not healthy for them.

Igor is up to something

Hi All,

I bet you are all wondering where Algernon Rat is right now. Well.. I was wondering that too and I was keeping a close watch on the Guinea Pig Daily Digest for any signs of him.

Yeah well.. Igor was acting a bit strange the last few days; but that is not unusual for my Igor. That silly pig is always up to something with his buddy Fugly. Turns out I should have been paying better attention to my own herd. Look what the mailman delivered this morning...

I wonder what my pigs are up to now.. Maybe Algernon is leaving the UK?

Grtz
Janneke

Last message from the Surrey Squeakers

Hi Fugly,
Orinoco here again. Algernon loved seeing London last week when he ran the marathon but he said he'd like to see a bit more, so my energetic daughters (Noodle and Truffle, who at nearly four are probably the youngest Surrey Squeakers) took him on a sightseeing tour.When they got there, Algernon waited to use a phone box by Big Ben so that he could let me know they'd had a safe journey. He's a very considerate chap.
They then went through Horseguards Parade where Algernon loved seeing the guards. One was actually on a horse!They made their way through the busy streets towards Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square and Algernon posed for a photo between the paws of one of the lions.

He then had a near miss whilst standing at the edge of a fountain in Trafalgar Square. The wind suddenly blew and he nearly ended up in the water!Next they walked along The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. This was where the finish of The London Marathon was, and Algernon enjoyed seeing it again without feeling so tired! He admired the beautiful flowers outside the palace, and thought the palace building was amazing.He bought himself a little fridge magnet of the palace to remind him of his visit.At the end of the day, Algernon thanked Noodle and Truffle and all The Surrey Squeakers for such great hospitality, but said it was time to move on. He remained as mysterious as ever, and wouldn't say where he was going. He got into a black cab, and waved from the window as it drove off. We hope we hear from him again, and that we can follow his adventures.

Algernon visits London

Hi Fugly,

Orinoco here again. The Surrey Squeakers are enjoying having Algernon as a guest, but we are still mystified as to why he keeps doing exercises.

Yesterday we found him packing a bag to go out and so we decided to send Agent Frothy with a camera to follow him.

Algernon caught the train to Waterloo Station in London and thought about taking the underground but instead he studied a map and walked towards the River Thames.

He took a good look at The London Eye and then sat on the embankment enjoying the sunshine, with The Houses of Parliament behind him.

A London pigeon even came to say hello to him.

He then went to stand on Westminster Bridge and Agent Frothy took a couple of pictures of him there, but it was very windy and she was extremely worried that Algernon might end up in the river!

Then a surprising thing happened. Algernon put on a running vest with a number pinned on it and dashed off to Greenwich.

He was entered in The London Marathon!! There were far too many people for Agent Frothy to follow him (and he was too fast), but she caught up with him at the end and took a photo of him wearing his medal. Well done Algernon! What a star! We are very proud of him.

We hope this keeps you updated, Fugly.

Orinoco and The Surrey Squeakers

Algernon enjoys a meal at Tyson's diner

Hi Fugly

Orinoco here with an update on Algernon's visit to The Surrey Squeakers. He seems to be enjoying his stay, although he's a bit mysterious. We can't understand why he keeps doing limbering up exercises and studying maps of London.

Long before my time, two rats used to live here. Our junior slave used to look after them. One was named Tyson (after the boxer who bit another boxer's ear) because he bit the junior slave when he first arrived. This turned out to be totally unjustified because he never bit anyone again, and was (so I hear) absolutely delightful.

The other one was called Scabbers, after the rat in Harry Potter. He wasn't anywhere near so delightful, but everyone adored him because he was so naughty! When the rats became very old and had to leave, they each decided to set up their own business. Scabbers opened a night club for us, and Tyson opened a bar/grill. Algernon didn't really enjoy the grass as much as us, so we gave him the choice of going to the nightclub or the diner. He chose to eat at Tyson's diner, and had a lovely plate of cheese and a goblet of wine, once Agent Frothy had left!

I will keep you informed of Algernon's activities, and if he goes to London one of us will follow him to see what he's up to!

Orinoco and The Surrey Squeakers

Orinoco sends an e-mail to Fugly

Hi Fugly

The Surrey Squeakers heard the sound of crunching gravel on the lane that leads to our house. A very smart red car pulled up at the far end of the drive, and guess what! Algernon got out!

We are so pleased that he has come to see us. We invited him into our shed and I had a good chat with him and asked him about his journey so far.

He was quite hungry after the long drive from the south coast and so we told him he was more than welcome to share our lovely dried grass. He did eat some, along with Mocha and Pippin, but he didn't look like he was thoroughly enjoying it.

He kept muttering "Where's the meat? Where's the cheese?". We told him that we know somewhere where he'll really enjoy eating, but that's for later in his visit.

Algernon was clutching a seashell when he arrived. He'd brought it from his visit to The Piggyfriends.

We thought it was a lovely shell, but we didn't know just how special it was. It opens up into an Asus EeePC Seashell netbook! We watched him send an e-mail home to say he'd arrived safely. (You can see the seashell on the home page).

We hope Algernon stays with us for a few days. He's making plans to visit London. I wonder what for?

Orinoco and The Surrey Squeakers