Day 10 Saturday 19th January 2013 Clunes

A distraught T wakes us early, crying “She’s dead!”. Woody whose hearing hasn’t been good of late shouts “Oh my God! R is dead!” I’m still in bed and shout “It’s the dog!” What a shemozzle. To our shock, it’s the younger dog Holly that has passed away during the night from what we’ll never know. She had shown no signs of ill health other than a pungent fart in the car yesterday.

When the park managers Barry and Mette rise we ask them if we can bury Holly and Mette suggests a beautiful spot under an elm by the river. The spot where I’d been playing the ukulele. With a shovel, pick and axe Barry and the boys tackle the rock-hard ground and have a difficult time of it as there are tree roots to contend with as well. At least the job is done before the children in the camp wake up.

It is cool and the strong wind is still blowing, it is a difficult day to face. We mope about. I cook a Thai prawn curry for us all for dinner and we have an early night.