Dear diary

It has been a very sad and somber week in my household.  I have been my usual self- 'demanding, chirpy, very very vocal and to top if off, unfortunately for my mom, I have "stored" the whistle of our "belated feather child- Viceroy" and that seems to 'upset' my mom!  Before my mom's soup diet, she used to be a bit of a sweet tooth and lucky for me, once a week she would 'spoil' me with a piece of candy with these words "don't tell daddy"...mmmm, she keeps forgetting, I store 'everything'......imagine if those words come out one day, wonder what dad is going to think of that!

I am 'giving up my space' today in tribute of the most interesting, kind and humerous person.  My dad has lost a good friend that he got to know very well for the last 10 years.  They have shared their premises, which consist of the horse racing fraternity. As a term of endearment, he was called Puppy and his name actually suited him!  He was like a nice big puppy you just wanted to hug!  

Well Puppy was the kind of person that could pull your leg with such a 'straight face', you never know whether he is joking or serious.  He had a very 'wicked' sense of humour!  Bless him! My dad and Puppy had their daily routine.  Carry on and complete a hard day's work at the office and after the last race my dad might stroll over to his side, especially if Puppy had his regular buddies Rodney and Barry with him and at times his wonderful son Kyle.  Or Puppy would stroll over to my dad's side and they would all have 'one for the road, or one for the swing of the door'! They also had their regular Sunday meeting, consisting of Rodney, Des, Puppy and my dad.  That meeting meant so much to my dad, cause his day would be much shorter after being with his friends!

When all the friends were together, you can imagine-  the discussions would revolve around horse racing.......soccer bets........South African rugby........and on numerous occasions, they would go down 'memory lane'!  One thing they were all good at, giving each other a 'trivial question' and if you cannot answer it 'phone a friend'.....or even go as far as leave it till the following day.  

If my dad had a 'hectic day' and my mom might pop in on the odd occasion, my dad would encourage her to go and have a chat with Puppy and have a 'toot' with him!  Of course, she did not need much 'encouragement' because she enjoyed having a good laugh with him and my mom was not too 'lazy' on the 'toot' as well! They would be laughing so much and dad would just smile afterwards, knowing how mom can enjoy herself!

Puppy's last words on Sunday night to my dad was "see you tomorrow, same place, same time".  He will forever and ever remain in our hearts and thoughts because he has left a huge void on the premises that he entered every day!  I know that my dad will keep the fondest memories of Puppy with him for the rest of his life!  He surely touched their lives!

Rest in peace dear friend Puppy and thank you for your sincere friendship to our family, Rodney and all your punters!  You will never be forgotten!