My mum just rang to tell me that Maggie (my dog) had died. She has been sick for a long time now and when mum and Keith got home today she was having trouble breathing and appeared very distressed. So my mum rang the Vet to make an appointment to have her put down but then she died about half an hour later. I am sad, she was a very special dog and we loved her a lot but I am happy that she is no longer sick and that mum was with her and she wasn’t on her own.

Maggie was really good friends with my friend Peter who died earlier this year. In fact I am convinced she loved him more than any of us, he used to cook her all this exotic meat that we never did. Anyway mum said that she had an image of Maggie and Peter meeting in heaven, both happy and healthy. I am not sure (nor is she) that, that is the way it works but it is a really nice image to hold on to as I let go.