Emily - RIP

 We were still all very sad and tearful this morning.  Tom and Harry spent the first part of the morning playing games and football and Mary was again up late and still feeling the loss of Emily really badly.  We conducted a funeral in the garden late in the morning burying Emily near the fence between our garden and the neighbour's where she spent so much of her time.  We wrapped her in her favourite blanket, Mary placed a card and her food fork in the grave as well as a copy of this prayer which I wrote for the occasion:-

Dear God,

We thank you so much for the life of our dearly loved cat, Emily, who during her time her on Earth with us gave us so much pleasure, fun and companionship.  We remember all the funny things she did, like waiting at the table to be served, snuggling up to us in bed, saying hello in her own special way when she came into a room, eating the best seafood and fish, always being there to greet us when we came home or back from holiday, and attending all our house groups.  We thank you for all those precious moments which we shall remember with a smile.

We know that you created her, that she belongs to you and that she now must return to you.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity for her to be a part of this family and we will remember her with fondness always.

May she find eternal rest where prawns and fish are always there and where she will always have a place at your table and a warm bed on which to snuggle.

Amen

This evening I took Tom and Harry to St. Mary's Stadium for the Saints v. Torquay United match in the First Round of the Carling Cup.  Saints won 4-1 with excellent goals from De Ridder, Lambert (free kick), Chaplow and Forte.  After the game Tom and Harry managed to get quite a number of autographs from the Saints' players including a photograph of them with Ricky Lambert (see above).  There were only 6,500 spectators this evening and the city centre was quite deserted.  The rioting on the streets of England has continued tonight with rioting in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Salford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Gloucester, Leicester and Nottingham.  Southampton has been spared and it feels like the Blitz must have been in the 1940s - which city will be hit next?   Tom and Harry came back this evening feeling very pleased with their wonderful evening out.   Harry intends to make Southampton his second team after Chelsea!

Tragedy Strikes

One of the gloomiest days ever today - a day which started so well.  Harry and Tom spent the morning in Tom's room playing on the gaming consoles and Mary slept in after another late night.  Peter came over and fitted the new door between Sara's study and the garage and this evening I took Tom and Harry to play golf at Grateley.  As we left, Emily, our cat, was happily stalking something under the front hedge.  Harry had a really good time and enjoyed his golf.  We left the course in good spirits and phoned Sara to say we were on our way back.  Sara didn't answer the phone at first and we phoned again to find her in tears.  The awful news was then broken to us - our beloved Emily had been found dead in the neighbour's garden.  I screamed in anguish (using some pretty un-Christian words) in utter disbelief.  She had been fine only two and a half hours ago.  We got home as quick as we could and Emily's still warm corpse was evidence enough that her short life had come to an end.  Her collar was missing (later recovered in the neighbour's garden) and it looks like she must have been run over in the neighbour's drive - probably she was hiding under the undergrowth.  Tonight we are in a complete state of shock.  Emily was such a lovely cat, a real member of the family who would wait at table, join us for meals, snuggle up with the children and had an uncanny knowledge of when the children were not happy.  There is not a dry tear here tonight.  Emily, we loved you so very very much!