Magnificat SHADY ...has left us .....puuurring......

Over the past few days Shady has declined in health to an alarming degree, and I had booked him in at the vets for merciful euthenasia on Wednesday 17th., but today, he was stumbling about the house heartbreakingly, so I arranged to take him for 'release' this afternoon. Rosalind (Plowright) had arranged to come for a breathe, so she was able to help me take Shady down town for the appointment, thank you so much for that Rosalind X. We gently loaded a very weak Shady into a large, soft cotton beach bag, tucked in with a towel, and Rosalind drove us to the vets. We had to wait a little, during which time Shady lay quietly, snuggled up in the bag, occasionally stretching out a paw and stroking my cheek. I tickled him on the nose and under his chin and he purred softly......such a fond farewell.... Eventually we were called into the surgery and Shady was carefully removed from the bag - no fuss or bother. He could only just stand on the table as the vet examined him and explained that Shady's eyesight was almost nil, and he had lost so much weight because he hadn't eaten for about a week, only sipped water occasionally, just a little bundle of skin and bone. "You are very kind to let him go, if only more owners thought of the animals' welfare it would prevent so much unnecessary suffering; it's time for Shady to go .." He gave the furry bundle a big hug, and I left them there - that's how I'll remember my furry friend - still breathing...just...Yes, warm tears are trickling slowly down my cheeks, but they're not sad, only in celebration of a dear little soft, silky friend of many years, which started when I lived in the cottage with him at 'Fairways', Kiri's previous house in the middle of a golf course in Surrey - many of my Swedish breathers will have met him there too.....Goodbye Dear Friend, thankyou for protecting me over those years, for that is how I felt you to be, now a new era is beginning ... and maybe there'll be a winged 'Shadypuss' flying around the world with me, serenading with his amazing baritone ? It's all in the mind y'know.... - same as singing.. Without imagination it doesn't reach the heart of the listener, so keep creating vocal magic my wonderful breathers, and most importantly .....keep b.......g.......puuuurrr.....

The legendary 'Shady' - on his last legs.....mmmmm

Having been abroad for a few days I noticed a very marked difference in Shady's condition on my return to Berko.....for those who don't know him, Shady is the lovely old jet black, silky velvet furred cat whom I 'inherited' from Kiri (te K) when she moved out of Leatherhead, Surrey in to London - no pets allowed in the new home. Shady and I met originally when I lived at Kiri's, after I retired as Studio Controller of The University of Birmingham Performing Arts Department. Kiri was returning from a stint as principal soprano of The Metropolitan Opera, New York, and invited me to join her and the family, residing in their garden cottage - " to be around, restore their antiques which had suffered the ravages of central heating in their American house, drive them around as required, and 'just be useful' " ..! Those were very happy years, and several Swedish singers joined me there to 'have a breathe' at Kiri's invitation. Eventually the breathing took over, and when Kiri moved, I returned to Hertfordshire, but have spent much of my time since then in Sweden. Shady is quite a character, and whilst at the Leatherhead house was often in some crisis or other...he would climb out onto a low branch of an oak tree, several feet out over the lake, stocked with golden carp, try to catch a fish - fall in, and drag himself out through slimy, smelly mud, looking more like a large rat than a cat - !! One dark evening he went missing and a general search was made. He could be heard mewing loudly, but we couldn't see him - until a torch beam revealed him 20 feet up a tree, scared and unwilling to venture down. A ladder was found and Shady was retrieved by a brave man who brought him down on his shoulder - which Shady clung on to with very sharp claws - ouch...He, Shady then walked elegantly away, tail straight up, head held high as though nothing untoward had happened - tttttt..! What a feline character.... In his prime he loved to chase a woolly toy, stuffed with catnip, at the end of a long cane, jump on it, and scrag the hell out of it with his back paws - those were the days, such fun...Today he is looking very frail, haunches (hips) unsteady, thin, eyesight failing, not eating, only sipping water, nor singing in his usual impressive baritone, so I called the vet who thinks it would be better to let Shady go to 'catty paradise' before I go away again next week - it will be an awful wrench in the heart - he's over twenty years old and lived here in Berko since 1994 ....now his breathing is sounding a little bronchitic, so it's time to go Dear Moggy....hope you're all feeling fit and well.....k..p b.......g....

So many 'lost' voices.....mmmmm....

Have you noticed how many people, especially in showbiz, are 'losing' their voices lately - can't remember such a 'plague' being so rife ? Maybe it's connected with air pollution, one can often 'feel' an uncomfortable roughness when inhaling, especially inside aircraft, or even in the garden when under a flight path. On a long haul flight from the Far East, when the lighting was lowered to allow passengers to sleep, one individual reading light was left on - and in the tiny, bright beam, an incredible swirling mass of dust and particles was astonishing ! I immediately put a silken scarf over my head in an effort to avoid taking in lungfuls of heaven knows what, and still do, much to the amusement of air crew, and fellow passengers alike....Might be an idea to try using filter masks experimentally - can you imagine the outcry at such a suggestion, but it might save a lot of working hours, and medication costs for the N.H.S. (British National Health Service).... Now I always use nose oil prior to embarking, available easily in Sweden in a little 'squirty' bottle, and lately an American product, given to me by a kind singer friend, using drops on a cotton wool bud, applied up the nasal passages.....so far, so good.... No 'blogging', lately as I've been 'in orbit' to breathe with some really exciting singers, all very experienced, who shall be nameless, and it's such a treat to 'find' new inspiration with all of them. I must be the luckiest soul alive to be blessed with such a fruitful life at a time when most are declining into inactivity etc..... One of my best breathers told me that three elderly members of their family died on the same day Dec.2nd 2008 ...personally, breathing 'for a living' is keeping me healthy and active due to the inspiration I derive from my 'regular', devoted breathers - thankyou all so much... Have to confess that, apart from becoming tired more often- (well, there has to be something to complain about or life wouldn't be worth living), I feel healthier than ever before - must be something wrong with me... At this very moment I'm wrestling with an equally lively, ancient moggy who wants to help me write this - yes, Shady, K.te K's beloved, and very affectionate old cat - and he never loses his loud baritone catterwalling - but he never uses public transport.....hmmm.....Am about to go flying again, so won't be writing for a few days - and the first Christmas cards are arriving already.... please k..p b....... good luck...