The Guinea Pig That Waited - A Reunion

This is H, our second son. We moved three and a half years ago to find better school provision for him, and to afford a bigger house for our growing family. It was a really positive move all round, and after initial upset he soon settled.

Last weekend we visited our old village and his old school, as the preschool/after school club he attended invited us to their 40th Birthday celebrations. As former "webmaster" I was invited, and H was a regular at both their after school club and holiday play scheme.

It was a very wet and windy afternoon on the whole, but lovely to see so many familiar faces. H found it a little odd and was extremely restless, searching for a couple of old friends -  and something else.

This was the something else.

The photo above was taken in almost the same position, four years ago, when a much younger H was at Woodland Corner after school one day. It has sat on his windowsill in a special frame since the day we moved here. I love it, he's so blissfully happy in it, and had only just started to appreciate animals. Having been either utterly oblivious to our cat for the first five years of his life - unless he was chasing or tormenting him - he became extremely fond of his russian dwarf hamster around this time. And this was the other animal love of his life - one of Woodland Corner's guinea pigs!

He didn't really communicate his feelings about moving much, as is so common with those on the Autism Spectrum. But he certainly doesn't forget anything, ever! So I shouldn't really have been surprised that he made a bee-line for the guinea pig cage when we visited last weekend, and that he was hugely relieved to discover his favourite one was still alive so many years on.

He was really, really gentle - which is evident from the photo, and this video.

As we were leaving I asked if he had had a nice time t which he replied-

"It was a bit boring, I wish C and W had been there. But I'm so pleased my Guinea Pig waited for me."

We called our new home after Woodland Corner. It is in a corner. With a (mini) wood. But actually, it was H who suggested it in the first place - and after Saturday I don't think it had much to do with our location, or the trees.

"The Guinea Pig that Waited" #DrWhoFan