As I’ve mentioned before, each time I get through a full day without a ‘ticcing fit’ my slightly unusual reward is a rubber piggy dog toy that oinks when squeezed.

Traditions are funny things and it’s hard to remember exactly how or why they get started. But I’ve come to love my slowly expanding mob of pigs. In fact it’s fair to say I’ve become an avid collector and I’ve started to set my sights on new and exciting additions to the litter.

For my next fit-free day I’m aiming for a neon yellow pig and I’m determined to get it. This isn’t as easy as it sounds though, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my fit-free days are very rare – I’ve only had five in the last two years – and secondly, neon piggies don’t actually exist. But I’m not going to let this stop me. Rather unsurprisingly the colour range for grunting dog toys is rather limited, so several of my pigs have custom paint jobs already. Take Blue Piggy and Mystery Piggy for example:

So I know it’s just a matter of time before Neon Piggy will be taking his or her rightful place at the castle.

And it really is a matter of time. There have been a couple of days recently when I’ve come painfully close to earning my prize. A week or so ago I was just two hours short of the magical 24 hours, and last night I was a tantalising 12 minutes away from victory. I sent Leftwing Idiot a text sharing my disappointment:

“OMG, these pigs are hard to win. I just had a fit 12 mins short of midnight. Bloody elusive yellow piggy!”

It may sound like an odd obsession, and though I know I have no control over when I have a fit, it does feel good to have a reward to focus on. By turning it into a game it takes some of the sadness out of a difficult experience.

It’s not pushing it too far to say I can’t wait to share a picture of Neon Piggy with you some time very soon. Wish me luck.