Sweet Caroline

At midday exactly, and literally just a couple of hours before I was due to bring her home, the veterinary contacted me to tell me that Sweet Caroline had just passed away.  (She had been staying with him while I was in UK.) 

Caroline was abandoned on campus in 2004 when she was about 4 years old, and adopted me almost immediately.  She soon became a famous feline campus character,  starring in many stage performances and conferences over the next thirteen years; a regular visitor in the Business offices and often seen in Marble Hall, directing the students between lessons, she was both extrovert and raconteur extraordinaire, who at the height of her fame knew just how to work the crowd.  She roamed much less the last couple of years, but still liked to chat in the evenings over a saucer or two of something tasty. 

This evening, with the help and kindness of friend-colleagues, she lays at rest alongside my darling Connie-Dog, close by and in the garden they loved.  

I know she was recently on "borrowed time", but I do so wish she could have borrowed just a few more hours, to say goodbye, at home.