Memories

Plumblossom by DragonSnake

 Back here in Japan spring has arrived, and DragonSnake captures the ultimate fragile and ethereal plum blossom in this photo...Clearing out some of Mum's stuff, I carried Tanya back to Japan with me: the picture below painted for my mother by her sister after dachshund Tanya passed.
 I remember going to choose Tanya with Vati, responding to an advertisement selling puppies in the paper. I lay down on the floor to let the tiny puppies run all over me and see which was the sweetest, gentlest and most inquisitive. We ended up driving home with the runt. I used to enjoy holding her soft calf bones and cartilage to chew for strong paws, teeth and bones herself. I started off training her to sleep in our old wicker cat basket (now the dog's toy basket, still in use after all these years!) next to my bed. That soon failed, and she would cuddle up under the covers at night, first with me and then with Mum when I left for university, right through till her demise. It feels good to have her home with me now, hanging above Claire's favorite armchair bringing good memories of family.

In among the mountains of stuff to be rummaged through and sorted, I found this postcard sent to me by my Dad when I was four: it must have imprinted on my brain subliminally and be the reason why I so love setters!

 English setters rule!