Otter Bath Time
Today I want to tell you about bath time. The reason for this is that baths are fantastic! Not all people have baths (some have showers), so I should quickly explain what a bath is. Me and Teddy find a good way to understand baths is to think of them like a small swimming pool, or a large sink. If you need any more help you could go to your local DIY store and ask them to explain how baths work (Otter Keeper had to ask about different types of paint for the shed the other week and the man was very helpful – we liked him)
Bath times are not an everyday thing (like dinnertime or brushing your teeth) – but you do often have more than one a week. Sometimes if you get dirty you HAVE to have a bath (even if you’ve only just had one). Me and Teddy get dirty quite a bit… but as I point out to Otter Keeper, me and Teddy are much closer to the ground than he is… so staying clean is much more of a challenge for us.
Like most fun things, baths do have rules. Like don’t get soap in your eyes or don’t splash too much water out of the bath (bath water should stay in the bath where it belongs and not be splashed over the side – Otter Keeper is very strict on this rule)
One of the most annoying rules is bubble bath limits. Yes that’s right, Otter Keeper actually puts a limit on the amount of bubble bath allowed in any one bath and unfortunately this has a direct impact on mine and Teddy’s bubble making efforts. We used to play a particularly good game called ‘bubble factory’ where me and Teddy would produce bubbles .. but with Otter Keeper actively cutting our supply chain, this game now has its limitations.
But anyway, this isn’t as bad as it sounds, as there are so many other things to do in the bath, like play with bath toys. Bath toys are a special type of toy that you’re only really are meant to play with whilst in the bath (Otter Keeper’s mobile phone is NOT a bath toy .. but that’s another story – it was Teddy’s fault and we don’t talk about it)
Bath toys are great and help maximise bath time fun. Me and Teddy have been trying to work out the best ratio of bath toys to have in the bath at any one time – it’s possible to have too many you see. If anyone wants to know, the facts are that for every 1 Otter in a bath there should be exactly 34.5 bath toys. You can use this as a starting point to improve your own bath space to toy ratio, we hope it helps
I had better go now. yesterday me and Teddy noticed the ‘bath butter’.. we have an important toast experiment we need to try.
Lovely to hear from you again. otter Keeper is right to have Bath rules. However, you and Teddy seem to still have lots of fun. Thank you Otter Keeper for the gorgeous stories x
Toast experiment?! Looking forward to it 😉
Oh,that Teddy–always doing naughty things. Oh, and please keep that toast away from the bath. It won’t be as good if it falls in!
Lovely story and that drawing is just brilliant!
This helps out tremendously! Ty lil otter!
That bath looks like such fun! The water never stays in when my little otters have their baths – how ever much I moan. Baths in our house are full of cars, lego, gogos and moshling figures! Not sure what bath butter is but it may not taste good on toast!!!!!!!!!!!
Always love your stories and pictures. XXX
Matey Bubble Bath Ahoy!!! 🙂
YaY! for Otter updates! The toy-to-otter ratio sounds just about what my daughter insists on for her baths.
So glad to see an Otter Story! Looks like you have a wonderful time in the bath.
About “bath butter”… it is not tasty on toast. It’s sneaky, like cocoa butter, which sounds like it would be delicious but really isn’t.
Hi Otter,
Your bath experience was a great stimulation to me because I was highly interested in the problem of bathing liquid and its qualities. It probably snowed in Britain like in France this week and I noticed that I left my pawprints in the snow but, when I tried to do the same with the bathfoam, I was very frustrated that it didn’t work !!!! AGGGHH ! It makes you appear being such an important person because your prints are so much bigger than your paws and, of course leaving tracks is so important for an otter although Béatrice disagrees. She says I need not leaving tracks on the floor, on the carpet or even on her bed : TT would follow me even without them and she’d hear me squeaking and would find me wherever I’d hide. GRRRR !!! It’s very annoying when keeper doesn’t support your otter needs !
Let’s track back to my experience ! I have to conclude that one ( I assume otters are universal beings, of course) can’t let pawprints on bathfoam and I can even prove that it’s totally independent from the volume of bathliquid you decided to shed into the water. Béatrice got almost mad when I informed her of this part of my experience when she wanted to take a bath and guessed there wasn’t any drop of liquid in the bottle she bought at the beginning of the week. I always try to argue that hosting an otter like me is mere luxury but she is receptive very seldom to this argument and especially about the bathliquid, everything I told her made the things worse. Researchers always had a hard life they dedicated to science!
So, that’s my experience: I tried to make prints with my fore paws and my hind paws. With my fore paws, I came to the conclusion that foam in fact doesn’t exist for real: as I put them on it like on the snow, I made the experience that in fact I fell through directly into the water ! He !He ! Fortunately, I have been taught to swim and I just dived to the bottom of the tub. It was not as cool as you may imagine : you probably already know that foam is not suitable for otter eyes and I immediately asked Béatrice to put otter goggles on the list of urgently needed things for my otter wellness. You’re right to protect Teddy with an inflatable swimming ring because Teddy eyes are far less adapted to water and foam than ours !
With my hind paws I must conclude that foam is really unstable as I sank very quickly and found myself on my butt at the bottom of the tub again inspiring some foam whilst I tried to breath and get back to the surface ! It wasn’t waste time though as I discovered a chain which was stuck to the bottom by something looking like an anchor I could tie all my toys and TT at. I don’t know exactly what I did : suddenly, I lost my balance whilst I heard an impressive roar and I hardly avoided a whirl which made all my toys dance together till they gathered all around a small hole water escaped through ! And what happened to me ??? I landed on my butt again next wet TT and among foam icebergs making little noises – exactly the same as snow does when you walk on it … but still no print or, to be quite exact, he! He !, the print was not on the foam, it was on my whitened butt ! Where it doesn’t last either ! So, I was really upset with foam and I’m still wondering why it can’t save any print whilst snow does : both are white, bubbly or flaky and noisy ! I even could sleep so puzzled I was and squeaked into Béatrice’s ears till she shut my snout with her hand.
At the end, I decide to make the counter experience with snow, gathering some with my paws I then dropped into the bathing water. I was very surprised that Béatrice agreed and just said : “If you want to refresh your bathing water, why not ? She must have known in advance (That’s the problem with keepers ! : they always pretend to know things better and what’s so upsetting is that they’re right most of the time !) how vain my experience would be. The snow transformed into water immediately when it got in contact with the foam. I tried again with more snow I filled into my bucket but it melted as quickly as before and the water was colder indeed. So, I decided to put some foam into my bucket and take it outside to spread it onto the snow. There must be a process to combine the qualities in artificial otter patented stuff I’d call snowfoam ! Did you know what happened though ? Foam still didn’t save my pawprints and it just melted, melting away even the pawprints I had made in the snow before : It’s upsetting and it makes me so sad to see that my beautiful pawprints don’t last anywhere because foam and snow are made of water.
The only solution I found then was to bath my feet in mud because when snow melts, it leaves mud and mud is like ink for keepers ! I wandered up the staircase back to our flat. I was very proud that I made lovely black prints on the white stone and then on the rug and, at last, at the bottom of the white tub. Béatrice wiped it away, being a bit grumpy and then, she waited till my prints on the rug became dust and she could clean it with the hoover ! AGGGGHHH ! Plus, she said my pawprints were dirt ! DIRT ???? !!! and that only uneducated people leave tracks !!! I’m not people ! I am (an) Otter and OTTERS DO LEAVE TRACKS, teddies not and humans have no paws, they wear ugly muddy or wet shoes !
So, tell me, where does the difference between snow and bathfoam come from and how can we avoid that they melt ! They’re so sweet both and I like to roll on myself and get snowy or foamy : it’s like having a second fur and I feel much fluffier and smoother. The problem remains the same though! It doesn’t last and Béatrice doesn’t find me lovelier with it : she says I’m just wet and she’s not very keen on hugging a wet otter or get hugged by one. It’s hard to be an otter and trying to let lasting signs of our existence. It must have something to do with water : it melts, it dries , it freezes and finally, I’m wondering if it really exists. I just explained this to Béatrice, asking for advice as I enjoy learning things and I always fear to remain stupid. She only smiled as usual when she refuses to give an answer : she said that this is a perfect example how to glide from a physical to a metaphysical problem and I know that metaphysical problems can’t be answered either by otters or by humans ! Except perhaps Mr. Darwin ! Could you send me his email address or invite him to assist us in our researches about bath liquid. Béatrice said we’d better ask a certain Archimedes. Do you know him ?
XXX Lots of love from me and TT : Take care of Teddy as he can’t swim !!!
°Lou°lou°te°°°°°°°°°° bubble°°°°°°°bubble°°°°°°°°°° bubble°°°°°°°°bubble°°°°°°°°°°bubble°°°°°°°°°°°°°°bubble°°°°°°° bubble °°°°°°°°° bubble°°°°°°°°
Hello Otter! and of course a nice warm hug for Teddy, too! What a wonderful story for me to read–this was so much fun! I am happy to know
that you enjoy bath time so much! I think that’s great you have so much fun in the tub! and I am VERY much looking forward to hearing about
“Bath Butter” in perhaps your next story you share with us!
Thanks so much again Otter! and Teddy too! what a shame Keeper keeps
imposing all these rules….baths can be such Great Fun after all!
What awesome artwork and good advice:) Soap in the eyes hurts and so does shampoo, I got toothpaste in my eye once (don’t ask how) now that really stung!
You know otter, those drawings remind me of my childhood books and it’s awesome. You’re funny and cute, I love you ! The best otter ever !
i LOVE LOVE this illustration! Possibly my favourite so far!
YAY .. otter as I keep saying you are amazing!
Otter, nice to meet you…
thanks for share you wise points of view,
I will love, to make some contributions in you next
researches.
Greetings form Mexico City.
Here some of my art work,
http://www.elquesoyloscigarrillos.blogspot.com
Yours
Alex F.G.
Hi otter, Your bath looks like the most fun bath ever!!
Hello Otter,
We have really enjoyed reading your stories. You are a amazing creature. We loved your “Bath Time” story. We will be reading you often. Thank you for sharing your stories.
YAY Otter bath time!