‘Do you also have to write the Piglet Journal?’, Truus’s daughter asked her mother, jokingly. Truus is Paul’s sister. She and her husband Dick looked after our house and the animals, because we went on vacation. They were already used to the dogs, the chickens and the cat from previous babysitting sessions, now they got Bear and Zussie. That took some getting used to, we read in the report – with a surprising outcome – that Truus wrote for us. ‘Passing a pig, no, we’d never done that before. Let alone hug a pig. It feels a bit crazy at first, such a hairy, firm neck. And also a bit scary, with that long curious nose. They stick them in everything and immediately start nibbling. Also barefoot in flip flops…’