Meet Woodstock.

I bought this little manikin some time ago for emergency Blips and, of course, he needed a name. Woodstock seemed to fit the bill for several reasons. Ignoring the obvious, my last paid job was shoveling the proverbial in a local kennels to eke out a living until I reached retirement age. A favourite inmate was a lurcher called Woodstock who stayed with us for several lengthy periods while his owner was in hospital; he was one of the most gentle and lovable dogs imaginable. I even sent him a Christmas card and a gift one Christmas; he wouldn’t have understood, of course, but I hope Mrs W appreciated the gesture. The last time I saw him, he had quite quickly become old and arthritic, Mrs W would have been devastated when he finally shuffled off.
 
He was probably named after Snoopy’s companion in Shultz’ “Peanuts” cartoon strip who was, in turn, named after the pop festival of my youth, although it held no interest for me nor, I suspect, did it for Mrs W.
 
In April, 1967, a small yellow bird flew into Snoopy’s life and quickly took on the female role of companion and secretary; the flying part of her appearance was strange as it was soon established that it wasn’t one of her greater achievements and she had beak bleeds if flying at high altitude (above ten feet). It wasn’t until 1970 that (s)he finally changed sex and acquired his name. Since Shultz, Snoopy and Woodstock all played bridge, both cartoon characters were awarded the rank of “Life Master” by the American Contract Bridge League  - according to one source; although Shultz was delighted with the honour, the League itself denies awarding it to Woodstock; all together now – Aaaaah.