Remembering Dalai: Preparing his new home

Dalai was cremated & his remains returned the week after his passing.  As with those before him (Raspy, Atilla, Thomas, Cagney, Phineas & Bezukhov) I am making a new home for him in the form of a pillow/cushion.  The inner pillow has been completed.  I chose a yellow colour & added my customary wonky embroidery.  His remains now sit with the others.  He only knew Bezukhov & Phineas here but I like to think he has made friends with Atilla, Raspy, Thomas & Cagney.

Dalai

Dalai

Dalai

Dalai

Missing you my little man.

♥♥♥

♥♥♥

Remembering Bezukhov: Pillow complete

As with those who went to Rainbow Bridge before him, I have made Bezukhov a pillow for his resting place.

Because Bezukhov had similar colours to his girlfriend, Raspy, I used the same materials I used for her – the blue velvet & the cotton with blue feathers.  The cover for his inner pillow is made with the plain blue velvet & has his full name & dates embroidered in black.

Bezukhov’s inner pillow

All together

 

For the outer cover, I used the material with feathers in shades of blue.  I rearranged the pillows, so he now rests alongside Raspy.  Behind is Phineas & Thomas & behind them, overseeing them all, is Cagney beside his girlfriend, the leader herself, Atilla.

Side 1 of Bezukhov’s outer pillow

Side 2 of Bezukhov’s outer pillow

Bezukhov & Raspy’s pillows

All together

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

The last day

My previous post, The Last Two Weeks, describes the lead up to this last day with Thomas.

On the morning of the 27th January, I spoke with Mr EV again & he said I could pick up the medication Heptosyl, that afternoon.  It is a powder in capsule form, typically given to dogs & cats.

Thomas was by now just chewing on beetroot stalks.  It seemed the beetroot was what was keeping him going.  His breathing had got noticeably worse.  I had let Phineas out early on to give Thomas some peace in his own cage.  However, around 2pm he sat in front of his door & made it clear he wanted to come out.  I was reluctant, but opened the door….

Thomas attempted to fly to the Manor, but was too weak to do so & landed on the floor.  A bad sign was that his wings were open & he appeared to not have the energy to close them.  I gently picked him up.  He was breathing heavily.  I managed to hold him in as comfortable a way as possible.  His feet were around my finger as if they were perching, with that hand cradling his body.  He rested his head on my other hand.

To say I was alarmed & upset would be an understatement.  I thought this was it.  I repeatedly told him we all loved him & gently stroked his cheek feathers.  We were like this for about 15 minutes.  Then he shook himself & wanted to get up.  I let him make his way to the top of the Manor.

A Beautiful Blue Angel

Our beautiful boy Thomas lost his fight today.

27th April 2013 (adoption day) – 27th January 2014

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I hope Atilla & Raspy met you at Rainbow Bridge & are helping you to settle in.

Bye bye my darling boy.  

I am sorry our time together was so short.

xxxx

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Remembering Atilla: Progress with pillow

As previously posted, I have made a pillow to house Raspy’s remains.  Naturally, Atilla’s will have the same treatment.

Atilla’s pillow is not finished but I have made some progress.  I decided to pad the pillow with something she loved, tea-towels.  She had done a good job shredding a couple that I had draped over the back of her beloved Poang chair.  It was these two I used to pad her pillow & protect her remains.

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As with Raspy, I used yellow velvet to make the inner sleeve.  This was embroidered in a thread that matched the delicate colour of her cheek patches.  This cushion/pillow now sits by the digital photo frame, alongside her sister.

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I am currently working on the outer sleeve.  I have embroidered her name.

 

All the other parts are ready but need to be assembled.  Watch this space.

Love you, my beautiful ‘Tilla.

Remembering my girls: Leg rings

My two beautiful girls had leg rings. 

Atilla’s leg ring has recently joined her sister’s on my chain, close to my heart.

Atilla was chick number 9 for that breeder in 2008.  Raspy was chick number 10. 

Together always.

Remembering Raspy: Velvet pillow

Previously, I had posted that I had started to make a new “home” for Raspy’s remains.

Her final resting place is now complete.

I was not happy with the original writing on the inner sleeve, so replaced the wonky writing with…. wonky embroidery…  I chose to do the letters in a colour closely resembling her cheek patches.

Newly embroidered yellow velvet inner sleeve

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This little yellow pillow is now inside a little blue pillow.  One side is blue velvet, soft to touch as Raspy was.  The blue is similar to the colour she was before her first moult. I embroidered some wild grass underneath an early photo of her.

Light blue velvet side of outer sleeve

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The other side of the pillow is a cotton material with a feather design.  It has shades of blue & green which are very close to her colours.  Next to a favourite photo of her, I have embroidered her name in yellow – the colour of her little face.

Feathery cotton fabric on other side of outer sleeve

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You will notice I have done one side portrait & the other is landscape.  This is so I can be flexible with where I keep the little pillow.  Currently, it is beside the digital photo frame, ready for a gentle touch & a quiet remembrance each night at bedtime.

Landscape

Portrait

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Night night my beautiful Raspy Bella.  Have sweet dreams of wild grass & millet….. x

Remembering Raspy on her birthday

Raspy would have been 4 years old today.

I think of her every day.

A warning: some people may think this post is a little morbid & to them I apologise.  Not so long ago, I would have thought the subject matter morbid too, but in reality, I actually have some comfort having Raspy still close.

Raspy was cremated.  Her remains have been in a small pouch in a little wooden casket.  Each night I touch the casket as I say goodnight to her.  Each night I have thought it does not seem right that something hard & rigid represents her.  Today, I finally got around to making a slightly better “home” for her.  This is only stage 1.  Here is what I have done so far:

Wooden casket.

Little pouch.

Pouch now encased in soft toweling remnant.

Toweling pad covered with yellow velvet with her name & dates. (You will see I cannot write in a straight line!)

New home, by the digital photo frame.

Photos of Raspy are always showing on the digital photo frame. Here is a rare photo of Cagney taking a closer look…

The yellow velvet pillow will just be the inner part.  Stage 2 will be constructing the cover.  I just want something soft & gentle to stroke when I say goodnight to her.  Velvet seems an appropriate material to use as, on the rare occasions when I had the opportunity to touch her feathers, she felt like velvet – soft, smooth & silky.  Raspy was my beautiful girl.  She needs a fitting memorial.