A new series of children's books by retired teacher Bridget Jardine proves that a guinea pigs life isn't all vegetable treats and snoozing.

Mrs. Jardine's books follow the adventures of Pinky the Guinea Pig as he contends with new friends, classrooms and monster lawn mowers, among other things.

She lives in Bermuda, but was born in Kent, England and trained as a teacher at Christ Church College, Canterbury.

"The first book, 'Pinky's New Friend', was part of a college assignment many years ago when I was training to become a teacher," said Mrs. Jardine who has been retired from teaching for about five years.

"I have always enjoyed creative writing, therefore found this particular assignment to be particularly enjoyable and satisfying. During my years as a teacher I often used story-telling as an instument to get a point across to the children - especially if it involved the treatment of other people."

In 'Pinky's New Friend' a boy called Jeremy spends the Christmas holiday with his grandfather and befriends a guinea pig. The old man is no longer able to pay the guinea pig much attention so Jeremy eventually goes home with him.

To those who know her, it should come as no surprise that she has chosen to write about animals. Mrs. Jardine has been a life-long animal lover. She currently has three cats adopted from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Many of her favourite pets have found the way onto the pages of her books.

"Pinky was the name of my own guinea pig for which I had sole responsibility as a child," she said. "I was approximately nine or ten years old when a classmate's guinea pig had babies.

"I went home and begged my parents to let me have one. Although we already owned other pets, my parents agreed on the conditon that the guinea pig was totally my responsibilty.

"My mother was not comfortable with having such animals as pets, because she associated them with rats and other rodents."

Pinky was so named because of his noticeably pink ears. She said that guinea pigs make great pets and are full of character.

"Pinky used to hear me arriving home from school and greet me with an almighty high-pitched squeak," said Mrs. Jardine.

The Pinky stories are meant to be adventurous and fun, but there is also a message.

"I want young children to realise that a pet is a companion and a friend and should be included as part of the family," she said.

Mrs. Jardine is a woman of many talents. Not only did she write the Pinky stories, but she also did all the water colours in it.

"In college, I chose to major in art, but my preference was for oil paints and my focus was predominantly landscapes.

"Therefore, it was quite challenging to embark on water colour illustrations for my Pinky stories which include a variety of animals and people."

In addition to writing and painting, she also plays the guitar and the piano. As a teacher she often incorporated music into the lesson plan.

She taught for 27 years, with breaks in between to raise her two children.

"Even though I have not taught for five years now, I have to say that at times I really miss the interaction with the students, although I can't say the same for the paper work, report writing and late night marking," she said.

Since retiring from teaching she has kept herself busy with volunteer work for Masterworks and more recently the SPCA.

"I find that very worthwhile and gratifying," she said.

She said she finds it hard to imagine a home without animals. Since she has lived in Bermuda, her house has been home to a dog, several guinea pigs, three birds, a gold fish and guppies, and six cats including the current three, Arthur, Harvey and Oliver.

'Pinky's new Friend', 'Pinky goes to School', 'Pinky gets Lost', and 'Pinky and the Runaway Lawnmower', are now available for purchase in local bookstores. She recommends that children start with Pinky's New Friend, just to get familiarised with the characters.

"So far there has been a positive reaction," said Mrs. Jardine. "Each child seems to have his or her favourite book, which is good. I can remember as a child reading 'The Discontented Pony' by Noel Barr, over and over again."

She said that in regards to writing for adults, she has thought about it.

"So far, it is not in the cards," she said.