I suspect that many people thought like me that the Olympics was over for 2012 with the closing ceremony of the Paralympics. Well it seems we were wrong from my observations today.
As many of you know I have a routine in the morning when I get up.
I collect Oscar’s dishes and take them through to the kitchen.
I give the girls a chocolate drop each, except the degu’s who because of diabetes risks get yoghurt drops
I feed the fish, fill the kettle, grab a handful of cornflakes to feed the girls before going back to scald Oscar’s dishes and refill them with fresh food and water. Then I go on to take my meds and make drinks for myself and Ju.
This morning I didn’t get as far as the girls treats before panic set in. Amy came for hers, Penny was there and so was Priya but why wasn’t Bernie coming for hers? I could see she wasn’t in their favourite tube at the top of the cage. They’ve eaten so much of it there’s no place to hide. I couldn’t see her on the mid-level anywhere which only left the ground floor. There are two long flexi- tubes there which they occasionally nap in. Calling her name constantly I prodded the tubes through the bars to try and wake her. I confess that Bernie is my favourite ( though Priya is a very close second) and I was scared by now that something was wrong with her. That is until I turned round. There on the settee, looking up at me as though saying “I’m here daddy, you called me”? I was overjoyed though a little puzzled and worried when she didn’t seem to want her chocolate drop, I can see why now however.
Bernie had found a flaw in the catch at the top of the cage and after applying a little pressure had forced her way out. None of the others had managed this. The 1st Rat Olympiad was to have just one competitor. so…
Manipulation through a small space goes to…..Bernie
Rappelling down two stories to a convenient surface goes to…..Bernie.
The Long Jump to the coffee Table goes to……Bernie
The Marathon from coffee table via floor to settee goes to…..Bernie.
Then came the event I didn’t ever expect to see become an Olympic event because of health issues. Number One because it could make you fat and Number 2 because My wife could chop off your tail when she finds out.
Bernie had found Julia’s stash. She’d obviously enjoyed the mint chocolate aero since she’d made quite a dent in it. The coffee biscuit wrapper didn’t stand in her way for long and that was left a pile of crumbs but the most dangerous of all…… the lollipops….ah what an error, 4 of those she bit into and one of the sticks was chewed through, not even I could cover that one up. So, I did the only thing I could, made Julia a cup of tea and got her up telling her all about Bernie as I did so. When she came through she was almost forgiving.
The girls are got out two at a time in the mornings to play for half an hour so as Bernie was already out Priya was allowed out to join her. I noticed a strange reluctance on Julia’s part to allow Bernie into her robe or to kiss her, and she didn’t seem to regret putting the Olympic Star back in the cage after half an hour. Personally I don’t bear grudges ( well, they weren’t my sweets) so I’ll quietly celebrate her achievements. Penny and Amy have had their break now and it’s the turn of the degus, mother and daughters rolling around in three separate balls. I wonder if that will be part of the competition in four years time.
Bernie and the crumbs in evidence
barsetshirediaries 
