inspired by family pets

This was a present from my son Andrew when he was still at school. Haggis, the cat at the top, was a wonderfully patient family pet. He met his demise in the busy road outside our house. I was alerted to the accident by the ducks. They were prone to wander in the spring and one or two of them were killed by passing cars. One day, when they all rushed into the garden quacking madly, I rushed to the road, expecting to see a dead duck. Instead I was alarmed to see they were reporting the death of our lovely, cuddly cat.

The ducks had been a gift from Peggy, our crofting friend. No money exchanged hands, but I discovered she was partial to my wholemeal loaves. The boys' favourite duck was called 'Blindie'. She had escaped the jaws of a fox and had lost her sight as a result. She was a spunky little thing, and proved the most conscientious mother of all the ducks.

Smokey the cat and Dotty the dog also played their part in our family life. Thank you, Andrew for the memories.