We lost Arthur today.
Arthur has been a part of our lives for longer than we can remember. He was always there. Arthur lived in our kitchen. He slept there in his special corner, and wanted for very little. He guarded our house when we weren't there, and was a steadfast companion when we were. He saw both of our children grow from babies to young adults. We fed him bread on some days, and the occasional crumpet if he was lucky. He was particularly fond of muffins, but never really got on with hot cross buns. Hot cross buns weren't Arthur's thing at all, and many's the time we thought we might lose him as he struggled with one. He had to be reassured and stroked as one of us gently poked a finger into his mouth to remove a fragment which had become lodged in there.
It had been so long since he arrived that none of us can recall the blessed day he appeared in the house, his coat shiny and new, alert, and bright as a button. We can't even remember how he arrived - one day he wasn't there, and the next he was. Of course we took him for granted. You always do, but he never, ever bore a grudge. It's an oft-made mistake to ascribe your non-human friends with human characteristics - we all do it - but we felt that Arthur was happy in our house. It was easy to think that, mind you, because Arthur always had a smile on his face.
Always.
Anyway, he is no more.
His passing was sudden, and we gain some small consolation from the fact that he didn't suffer at all. One minute he was there; the next he wasn't.
We might bury Arthur in the garden beneath the hedge. We think he would have appreciated the thought.
The thing is, how do we replace him? He was indispensable, and it gives us a twinge of regret that we never made our appreciation clear, even though we know in our hearts that he couldn't understand what we were saying to him.
It's a sad fact of life that you miss them most when they're gone.
??? ??? ???
So, has anybody got any recommendations for a cheap, reliable toaster?
Arthur has been a part of our lives for longer than we can remember. He was always there. Arthur lived in our kitchen. He slept there in his special corner, and wanted for very little. He guarded our house when we weren't there, and was a steadfast companion when we were. He saw both of our children grow from babies to young adults. We fed him bread on some days, and the occasional crumpet if he was lucky. He was particularly fond of muffins, but never really got on with hot cross buns. Hot cross buns weren't Arthur's thing at all, and many's the time we thought we might lose him as he struggled with one. He had to be reassured and stroked as one of us gently poked a finger into his mouth to remove a fragment which had become lodged in there.
It had been so long since he arrived that none of us can recall the blessed day he appeared in the house, his coat shiny and new, alert, and bright as a button. We can't even remember how he arrived - one day he wasn't there, and the next he was. Of course we took him for granted. You always do, but he never, ever bore a grudge. It's an oft-made mistake to ascribe your non-human friends with human characteristics - we all do it - but we felt that Arthur was happy in our house. It was easy to think that, mind you, because Arthur always had a smile on his face.
Always.
Anyway, he is no more.
His passing was sudden, and we gain some small consolation from the fact that he didn't suffer at all. One minute he was there; the next he wasn't.
We might bury Arthur in the garden beneath the hedge. We think he would have appreciated the thought.
The thing is, how do we replace him? He was indispensable, and it gives us a twinge of regret that we never made our appreciation clear, even though we know in our hearts that he couldn't understand what we were saying to him.
It's a sad fact of life that you miss them most when they're gone.
??? ??? ???
So, has anybody got any recommendations for a cheap, reliable toaster?
:'( :big: 
