I apologise for the long time between posts on this blog. There has been much happening in our lives and blogging has had to come second to other things. One of these things has been time spent at meetings to do with the Stroke Charter mentioned in an earlier post (Cross Party Groups) – we hope to launch this Charter in the autumn – watch this space (again).
And then, of course, there was the loss of our dear Hamish.
When his ashes were returned to us, the invoice for his cremation bore the inscription “Let us never forget them, but learn from their silent wisdom.” Of course, we will never forget Hamish, but I’m not so sure about the “silent wisdom” bit. There were times when, like all of us – dog and human – he could be far from silent, and far from wise. But one certainty he always offered was unconditional love. Readers of this blog will know that I moved from being “dog sceptic” to “dog besotted” during Hamish’s fourteen happy years. In fact, fourteen years ago, if anyone had told me I would weep for the passing of a dog, I would have told them to get a grip on reality. A friend remarked on this blog that to lose a dog is a bit like losing a quietly eccentric family member. One mark of the eccentric is that you are never quite sure what they will do next. That was certainly true of Hamish and the richness of his character is one reason why it was easy to write regularly on this blog about life from his point of view. His memorable character and gentle nature lie at the heart of why we feel his loss so keenly now.
As I look out on his final resting place beside a beautiful rosa glauca in a sheltered corner of our garden, I am grateful for a faithful friend, who brought love and companionship to our family through times of joy and sorrow.
