Tifa Tortoise

It's Tortoise Tuesday. And this is, therefore, Tifa Tortoise. (You might have to say it out loud to get it). We had briefly thought of naming the dog Difa, and the cat Cifa, but too much of a good thing quickly becomes a boring thing.

Tifa is nearly 15 years old (still a nipper in tortoise years), and has been with us since he was born. Today the kids got a shock when we told them that actually he would live so long that he would almost surely end up living with one of them. Strange concept for young minds, not only breaking the convention of their understanding of the lifespan of a small animal, but also forcing them to look long into their own futures.

Tifa also breaks the convention that tortoises are slow. When he's interested in something he can get a fair old trot on. Quite impressive.

And it never ceases to amaze me how prehistoric he looks, when you get in close and personal with him. Especially when he hisses at you for shoving a 50mm lens in his face. Typical grumpy teenager.

C