SueSpace: Four Years Now

Skippy – also known as The Brak or Brakkie – has been with us for four years now. That is because that his previous owner, June, died 4yrs ago last week. There has always been an unspoken understanding that if she died before him, that I would have him. He has been with me ever since, and people often remark on how he has changed in personality. As is usual with Anniversaries, we have been thinking back. He was much younger when he came to live with us, and had a lot more energy. He is slowing down, sleeping more, doesn't see or hear as well as he used to. At some point, he will go to join June in the Ever After, and I'm not looking forward to that at all.

June used to bring him with her whenever she came to see us, and I think she got him when he was two, so if my memory serves me correctly, we have known him for at least seven years. He used to run in the kitchen to steal the cats food, and they used to sit in the doorway glaring at him and wouldn't let him out. He would begin to cry and someone would rescue him. He used to follow Michelle up the passage to the loo and wait outside the door to nip her ankles when she came out. One of the cats, Madam Spikkeldy seemed to regard us as retarded kittens, and she used to take special care of Michelle, so she used to go to the toilet with her and attack Brakkie when he tried to go for Michelle's ankles. He is still careful not to upset that cat.

Here are the 3 animal friends together :

Eventually, he came to love the cats, and they taught him his manners. He had an especially close bond with Fat Jack, who died on 6 March at the grand old age of 19yrs. He has accepted watching over Wendy and Teresa Jayne as his role in life, and he sticks close by my side. He gets terribly anxious when he can't see me, and if I go away and can't take him, he goes into a decline and sighs, looks miserable and eventually howls. Holding the happiness of a foolish blonde Brak is a grave responsibility to bear. At times I get irritated with him, but when we are apart, it feels very wrong. When he was at the Vets for the day, it didn't feel right being on the scooter without him.

Here, he is offering a newborn Wendy the comfort of his favourite toy, a fluffy frog.