Hairy Maclary...

From Donaldson's Dairy :-)

From the minute Alan's eyes could focus, he loved books.  He would sit on our laps for ever and we would read books together (pics in extra of him and his Gran :-)  

Some of my very favourite memories of his childhood are of him and me snuggled on the sofa together with me reading, him turning the pages and his infectious giggles filling the room.

When a friend bought him his first Hairy Maclary book, we laughed more than ever as we fell in love with a whole new set of characters.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, a Scottish Terrier
Hercules Morse, as big as a horse, an English Mastiff 
Bottomley Potts, covered in spots, a Dalmation
Muffin McLay, like a bundle of hay, an Old English Sheepdog
Bitzer Maloney, all skinny and bony, a Greyhound
Schnitzel Von Krumm, with a very low tum, a Dachshund
and
Scarface Claw, a very scary cat and the doggy gang's nemesis

I was particularly fond of Hairy Maclary as he reminded me so much of my Uncle Jim and Auntie Mary's dog Jet, who I adored when I was growing up.

When we were recently told the amazing news that someone close to us and their partner have been approved to be adoptive parents, I knew Hairy Maclary would feature as part of our gift to their new addition to the family....a little boy who's just over a year old.  The little one will be joining his new family soon so I set about wrapping his gifts today.  

Before I gift wrapped the books, I read the first one and what a joy it is.  It introduces the reader to all the characters.  In the end I couldn't help reading all of them and I know this will sound absolutely ridiculous, but I actually read three of them out loud and in a blink I was back snuggled on the sofa with pre-school Alan, his chubby little fist turning the pages and looking up an me and blinking rapidly as he waited for me to verbalise the CRASH! and THUMP! and BOW BOW BOWs that he knew were coming.  So many happy memories came flooding back.  

I hope this little one and his new parents will get as much pleasure as Alan and I  did from these delicious little books :-))

PS I don't mind telling you that as well as laughing out loud as I reacquainted myself with Hairy Maclary and his gang, I shed a few tears too.  If you have little ones in your life right now soak up every moment.  How fleeting childhood is.