We buried our friend today

Yesterday, his last with us, was Brisbane autumn at its most glorious.

In the early morning I sat beside him, he on his fat feather cushion, me curled up on the carpet. Later as the sun rose higher I carried him outside (his legs were so wobbly he kept falling down) and found a warm sunny spot by the pool for him to rest. He spent the whole day there; lapping water from the edge, listening to the fountain, watching the shadows.

Late in the afternoon when the warmth of the sun was gone I carried him back upstairs to his cushion and the heater and I told him how much I loved him.

He died a little after 6pm, so quietly, so peacefully and I held him close feeling his warmth, loving him.

Wilbur was with us for 18 years, the girls do not know life without him.

I can't find the words to tell you how much my heart aches, so I leave you with these from Nanushka:

'My best friend

died last summer -

that lovable little character 

who wore her own fur coat -

She was my confidante,

my comfort

and my clown -

she was my warmth,

my welcome home -

We buried her near wild mint and thyme -

I wept for her all winter,

then in early spring

white daisies

made a garland for her grave

where passing birds and butterflies

call in to visit natures shrine -

Who knows

what happens to us when we die -

I like to think

her spirit is running free,

perhaps to grace a person

in some other life -

what a wonderful human being

that would be ...