Dave, you were like an inside out Walnut Whip. You gave the impression that you were a hard nut, but once you broke that nut, you were a proper softy, especially with animals. You’d stop the car to pick up a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest in a hedgerow and put it back.

Dave loved the cats and our two chows, Pudsey and Sam, taking me and the cats to shows, looking after them while I stewarded. He was so proud when I got my GCCF Stewarding badge.  He also enjoyed getting involved with the show business side of showing, especially with the Shropshire Cat Club.  Just to think that when I first knew him, he didn’t like cats, especially Siamese, as their eyes hypnotized him !

He also loved fishing, being a lover of coarse fishing since being a young boy living in Shifnal. He loved nothing better than going fishing with his mate Malcolm and catching the big ones, much to Malcolm’s dismay!  The fish will be happy now unless there is a big fishpond in the sky.

I remember his first attempt at DIY, when Darren was tiny. He made him a bed in the shape of a fire engine and tries to saw through the arm of the settee in the process!  Another time we had gone to the Lake District and we had to change Darren’s nappy on the the little motorboat we’d hired.  An ultra fast speedboat swept past and swept the dirty nappy away and we all got drenched!

Dave also loved bird watching in the midst of Wales, usually in Rhayader.  His greatest love was watching the red kites and buzzards and I hope he’s there with them now.

We’ve had our ups and downs but he always kept his spirits up and mine too.  I’ve lost my soul mate and friend. We will all miss him.

Our joint prefix  is Choctaw after a Native American Tribe Dave was interested in.

I  chose this poem as a goodbye.

An American Indian Farewell

When I am dead