Life has no blessing like a good friend.
Today we had a gathering of old friends – Dash, Rusty and Lucca at Darcy’s bench in St. Luke’s Garden. I was always the honorary cockapoo.
Mum said they were part of the originals from the Hyde Park Cockapoo Meets that she and Stacy used to organise every month in Kensington Gardens.
Many years have passed since they were altogether.
May’s comments: It’s been a good many years since this group of “the Originals” met up. When Stacy and I set up the first Hyde Park Cockapoo Meet on 13 January 2013, it was simply for the purpose of letting our cockapoos to meet others like them and to play with each other. Oh, how we loved watching them do doodle dashes!
Katie and Dash joined us on our second meet, Martine and Rusty at our third and Jocelyn came with Lucca at our fourth meet.
Many came and went but there was always a core group of us through the years.
So much had happened since then. There were babies, a divorce, the pandemic and passing away of loved ones. As life changed for all of us, it took us in different directions. And living in different parts of London made getting together a coordination challenge. But we finally managed and today, the four of us met up at Darcy’s bench.
It was a joyful but bittersweet reunion. All our pups are getting on – they are all now eleven years of age. And Darcy’s no longer with us. She would have been twelve.
It also made me tearful remembering the many wonderful memories we’ve shared at our Hyde Park Cockapoo meets (which became Hyde Park Doodle), all the walks we took, the many meals we’ve shared and the birthdays celebrated. We recalled the funny stories. We’ve also shed tears. It made me sad to think about the lost time in between because of covid, busy lives and the interference of social media.
But I am also reminded me of the many people I had met because of Darcy in my life. She was the reason for the Hyde Park meet ups, the reason I write this blog and because of her I am fighting the dog’s corner. She was also the reason George came into our lives, though I am still not sure if she ever forgave me for not having consulted with her first.
So much of what I do today is because of her. So her legacy lives on through the friendships we have made.
2 Responses
How lovely that you managed a reunion at Darcy’s bench. Charlie is 11 too .. how time flies. Every day to be treasured!
Dogs will never let you feel lonely. They are our perpetual companions. At our best and even at our worst, our furry friends will always be there for us. It’s the unconditional love that brings you to Darcy’s favorite destination.