Nanimals

I have been blogging for some days now and have referenced various life forms. Here, for those of you not in the know, is a run down of the key four-legged ones:

Black Labradors - aka BeeBees because when they were newborns and huddled together in their litter, they buzzed, like bees. aka BBGS which stands for BaBy Girls. Individually the Black Labradors comprise:

Lily (posh name: Helenstev Black Pudding) - who is also know as Lilian, Bob, Billy Bob or Billy. She doesn't appear to find this in the least confusing, not least because she couldn't be arsed to. Lily is Mum to:

Twinkle ( posh name: So Little, So Loved) - name derives from her being the smallest of Lily's litter at a mere 8oz at birth. A little star for fighting so hard to stay with us. She is no longer the smallest and is more commonly referred to as Rock Star, Twinks or Rinky. Occasionally also ALF, (as in Alien Life Form) due to her charming but odd looking face when a youngster and her current behaviour that still leans towards the 'little bit special' end of the spectrum. Sister to:

Daisy (posh name: Talgoree Greengage) - Daisy is the resident hooligan. If there's trouble to be had, she's your girl. Also know as Doozy, The Doo and Doodlebug, the latter being more or less an accurate description. The small difference being that according to Wikipedia, the V-1 flying bomb is classified as a guided missile. The Doo on the other hand is more adept at the misguided approach.

Tizzy - aka Twizzle. Bear's cat. Pointless pet but very pretty to look at.

Big Boy - This is the name I use for Presley (posh name: HillBilly Boulton Plum) one of Lily's other pups and now owned by my sister. He is big. Well, actually, mahoosive. And a boy. And I need to persuade Caesar Milan to train my sister as Big Boy is only a smidge better behaved than Ginger Cat.

Ginger Cat - My name for the non-Labrador also owned by my sister who maintains she bought a Cocker Spaniel. I put to you that the evidence displayed by non-Labrador's listening skills and general obedience would suggest it is in fact a Ginger Cat. Also known as Pebbles or Puffles.

Bear Cat - Not to be confused with Bear (or Bear's cat come to that, take note of the apostrophes and capital letters). Bear Cat was a gift from me and Bear to my niece, Munchie, on her 9th birthday. On opening the big silver box the ball of fluffy, black kitten had been placed in (only for a few minutes I hasten to add) Munchie promptly burst in to tears, woefully declaring she was too young for such a big responsibility. Lucky for her she lived with her Mum then.

And there you have it. Pets have had starring roles in my family life from as far back as I can remember. Be they those of my grandparents, aunts, uncles or immediate family they have been the source of much fun, love and laughter. They have entertained and consoled us, given us a treasure trove of happy memories and amusing anecdotes and in more ways than I care to mention enriched our lives with their unfailing loyalty and devotion. And yes, that even includes the cats. I only hope we have given them at least half of what they gave to us and I look forward to seeing every one of them again when my time comes to take that walk over Rainbow Bridge.

Yours in hope and fear, AJ x