The last to go

Sad news.

Thanks taniwha. I have learnt over the years that there's not much sympathy for Rat loss. My best friend the Rat Lady will send sympathies but apart from her it is really only the mobloggers who will find a kind word. Rat keeping has had it's profile raised here on moblog thanks to the wonderful photos posted by Caine of her rats over the years.

I mourn the passing of a whole era as Ziggy will be our last rat, at least for some considerable time. DD really, really wants a dog or a cat and in a rash moment last year BS promised her a cat when the Rats' time finally came.

After the traumatic death of my last cat over 11 years ago I said I'd never have another. But I had a cat as a child and DD as an only child (which I wasn't) should have the chance while she's still a child to experience the kind of relationship you can have with a cat.

Which means I suppose that in time I will posting photos of her looking like she has fallen into the paper shredder.... : )

Sorry to hear this.

Thanks nige, thanks AmF.

We are atheists so do not believe in reincarnation. However, of all the things that are believed in I like the sound of reincarnation best, especially for animals.

If there were such a thing I would want to come back as a gull or other ocean going bird. Would certainly be a higher existence than this one!!!

Re Bowie: Yes, what's not to love especially from those days. We were at a huge garden party recently held by a BelovedSpaceman family member. The subject of our dear Ratboy Ziggy came up and of course the conversation moved on to Bowie. Someone, I think it may have been my own precocious daughter said David Bowie was try-sexual. Suddenly this woman, really young no more than 22 or 23 leapt to her feet screaming *Bowie is God I'll have you know*. Well! I just sprayed apple juice everywhere, I thought I'd never stop laughing. She was completely serious....BS had to drag me away before I peeed myself.

Tsk tsk! Young people today!

Lol. She better watch out with those views in public, if any orthodox Claptonites heard her she'd be up before the inquisition in a second.

Sad news about the rat, but that's a fine old age for a tiny beastie, you obviously gave it a good life. You have avoided reincarnation as a slug, for sure.

Bowie would like that, to be known as "try-sexual".

yep, Rodents come and go so quickly. When my rat died, some years ago, I thought I'd done something wrong, but he'd lived to be over two years old, which is ok, if you're a rat.

Dogs, on the other hand are complete basterds, (new spelling). they'll get right under your skin, become so much part of the family that when they die, and they will, they completely screw you up!
we'll not have a dog again, not till they breed an immortal one.

Rich: Thank you. I found your words so comforting after I had wiped my tea from the monitor whence I sprayed it..

Joker: Absolute agreement about dogs. I've only ever had one and I could never, ever have one again. Read Thomas Hardy's poem *Last words to a dumb friend*. It's about a cat but could equally apply to a dog.

AmF: Try-Sexual and proud. It really pisses off Scottish gay guys for some reason. I should know, after the Bowie worshipper's little outburst a funny little gay Scottish bloke proceeded to throw a spaz attack. It was a difficult and diverse gathering...

Sounds like a fabulous do!

You have no idea! There was a marriage bust up going on in the back ground too...

And of course everyone over 15 except goody two shoes me was either ripped to the tits and/or pissed..

Send me an invite for the next one, I'll bring the video cam.
;-)

". . . .That you moulder where you played."

that Mr. Hardy, always the life & soul of the party, eh?

You've read Jude the Obscure then? : )

Just Googled that title.

Not much of a fan of Mr.H.

"two but's, three and's, one if & a Delores (though that of course was never published)"

That was Hardy, wasn't it? well, about Hardy.

You bloody Philistine you!

I was going to put a quote on the quote blog from Far from the madding crowd the other day and BS said, DON'T, spare the poor sods that misery guts!

Well of all the.... !

*Hugs* to u all xx

Thanks sweetie. Lucky you had a chance to say goodbye to him at the weekend... Have super glamour shot of you, shall I email it to you tomorrow?

Try-sexual seems a pretty good description to me :)

I was a Bowie worshipper through his Ziggy phase - went off him when he ditched Ziggy and did Diamond Dogs (though I do like some of his later stuff such as Heroes and Let's Dance).

Big fan of Hardy too.

Sorry about Ziggy. I know I'll be devastated when Tim goes. Dogs do have a way of working their way into your heart, don't they?

Re Bowie: I really, really like the song Lady Stardust which is a tribute to Marc Bolan. Later on, I really really like Oh you pretty things, but there are loads more songs I just really like.

Hardy is fine. I like the poems and I did FFTMC for O level. I also like the film with Alan Bates as Gabriel Oak.

Thank you for kind words about old Zig. Most people who have kept rats love them. They have very definite personalities. We have done a lot of work with rescues and hear some awful stories, see some terrible things much like all animal rescues.

Re dogs: At risk of sounding like Ms English Literature there is a passage in Du Maurier's Rebecca where Mrs D W describes the sadness of dog ownership even when just leaving them for a little while. It is spot on...

DD goes back to school tomorrow and went to the greyhound/lurcher rescue today where she has been helping out for the last time this summer. I thought about those words from Rebecca... ..

Oh Twiglet, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I know how deep it can cut, and how hard it can be when the memories won't leave your head.

I've always enjoyed photos of all your stardust crew over the years. I'm so happy Ziggy had such a good, long life with you. You know he was happy, and even though they leave us much too soon, providing that good life for Ziggy was worth a universe to him. xxx

Thank you Caine. Aside from the sadness at losing our Little Christmas Pudding I will also miss being a part of the Rat community. I will continue to enjoy the progress of the Evil Bruce though.

:) Evil Bruce is enjoying a sulk right now. I took issue with him tossing his tea dish down the stairs.

Awwww! Bless Bruce's little black heart!

Thanks George x

It's a great pic - you made his life good

Thanks Viv.

Damn that bloody woman at the party for making me say this, but I've just been listening to some old stuff that convinces me that Carlos Santana is God!

Does there have to be just the one God though, we were listening to Deep Purple too.... : ) And we live in a pantheistic rock God universe don't we?? Don't we?

I'll say Gael. We had auntie L and Ziggy die. A huge BS family do following a Christening (Bowie is God). The wedding of the century, DD starting at secondary school, my birthday, all against the back drop of the usual dramas and excitement which make up life in the rift.

I miss old Zig though, he was a babe..

So far so good. I have a whole post devoted to it.

Hope all goes well for little H, as you say a milestone.