Tribute to Bouncer

Bouncer at the shelter, before we adopted him

Instead of my 'Welsh Legend Monday' I'm devoting today to my beloved little 'rescue', Jack Russell, Bouncer.

Tragically we had to have him put to sleep last Thursday. He had several brain tumours and had slowed down over the last few months, although he was still happy and mischievous, and very, very 'knowing'.  On Wednesday night he started having convulsions and on Thursday we had to make the terribly sad decision to make sure he did not suffer any more.

Bouncer first came into our lives in September 2007.  I had emailed an animal shelter in Wales and they sent me his picture. There were other dogs available for rehoming, but how could I possibly refuse that little face and the silent plea in those dark eyes?  I knew he was meant to be ours.

From the minute he stepped through the door it was as if he'd always been part of the family.  I put the blanket we'd bought for him which he'd been lying on, on the way home, in his bed and he climbed straight into it and curled up, quite at home.  Among his new toys was a red, plush dragon which he 'loved' to death. After a few weeks it was as flat as a pancake, and missing its eyes and horns, but he slept with it every night of his life with us.



He'd been badly treated in the past, and his hip had been broken and allowed to heal without a vet, so it healed a bit crooked and he walked with a bit of a swagger, with his feet pointing to a quarter to three, like a little penguin, as he 'sashayed' along.




He was such an inquisitive little dog and soon found a small hole in the garden fence where he could spy on next door's cat.

I think he believed if he slept on a growbag, he might turn into a Great Dane and not have to stand on flowerpots.

He loved going down  to the horses with us, and would investigate every nook and cranny of the feedroom, where he could probably smell the resident mice and our 'feral' stable cats. 

His favourite thing in the world was his 'treatball' and as soon as he finished his morning and evening meals he would sit and ask for it to be filled with treats and chase it around, batting it with his nose or his paw to get the treats out with a dexterity and expertise that would have made David Beckham green with envy!

About two years ago he started to lose his sight and gradually went completely blind, but he didn't allow it to interfere with his enjoyment of life and still managed to get around and play with his treatball and enjoy his daily 'walkie'. In November last year he had what the vet at first thought was a 'mini stroke' but scans revealed to be inoperable brain tumours. We were devastated.  How could our clever, happy little dog have this inflicted on him on top of everything else?  For a while we thought we were going to lose him, but he was such a little fighter and after a week or so on new medication, bounced back, true to his name, and it was hard to believe there was anything wrong with him, he certainly didn't lose any of his zest for life, or knowing ways, and was still as bright as a button.

We went 'home' to Wales for a few days last week and while we were there he began to have convulsions and we knew it was time to say goodbye to our beloved little friend and companion. He is buried, his paw resting on his red dragon,  in a lovely, peaceful spot on my sister's land, with her two dogs. It seems fitting that he should be laid to rest in Wales, where he came from.  He will be sorely missed by us and everyone who knew him, and will never ever be forgotten.  Rest In Peace little Bouncer, and wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

The legend of Blodeuwydd

I hope you enjoy today's legend.  I'm away for a few days visiting relative in Wales, so please excuse me if you comment and I don't get back to you.  I promise I will answer as soon as I am able.

The story of Blodeuwedd (Blaw - dow- ith) is one of the legends belonging to the Mabinogion, a famous collection of old Welsh legends.

A woman named Arianrhod had two sons, one whom was named Lleu Llaw Gyffes. She had a dislike for Lleu and put three curses on him: that he would not receive a name unless it was given by her, he would not receive his armour unless from her, and the last curse was that he would never be allowed to marry a mortal woman.

When he grew to manhood, Lleu called upon his two uncles, who were the wizards, Gwydion and Math,  to help him find a wife.

With the  chant "Take the flowers of the oak, and the flowers of the broom, and the flowers of the meadowsweet, from those they conjured up the fairest and most beautiful maiden anyone had ever seen.They created a wife for Lleu Llaw Gyffes out of flowers and  baptized her, naming her Blodeuwedd, meaning 'flower face'. Blodeuwedd was beautiful and innocent; immediately Lleu fell in love with her and the two were married.

After she had become Lleu's bride, and they had feasted, Matb said, “I will give the young man the best Cantrev to hold.The Cantrev of Dinodig.” The place was a palace in a spot called Mur y Castell,the old name for Tomen-y-Mur  near Traswfynydd There Lleu and Blodeuwedd reigned, and were beloved by all.

Not long after the marriage, Lleu left Blodeuwedd alone in their castle at Tomen y Mur  as he needed to visit his uncles on business. She became bored and lonely, Then one day a hunting party approached the castle, led by Gronw Pebyr, the lord of nearby Penllyn. He told Blodeuwedd that his party was looking for somewhere to stay and Blodeuwedd invited them to stay in the castle. She became infatuated with Gronw Pebyr and the two began an affair. They decided to kill Lleu, so she and Gronw could be together. However, Lleu couldn’t be killed in any normal way,
not during the day or night,  neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made.

When Gronw and his hunting party left and Lleu returned, Blodeuwedd pretended to be worried about his safety and asked him what method could be used to kill him,   He revealed  that he could only be killed at dusk, wrapped in a net with one foot on a cauldron and one on a goat and with a spear forged for a year during the hours when everyone was at mass. Blodeuwedd went to Gronw Pebyr with the information and they arranged his death. Gronw Pebyr  began working on a spear immediately.

Exactly one year later, Blodeuwedd convinced him to demonstrate how impossible it would be for him to be in the position where he could be killed, by chance, and when he did so, her lover Goronwy leapt out and struck with the spear he had been forging for one year during the sacred times of mass. Because Lleu  had one foot on the side of a metal cauldron  and the other on the back of a goat, Gronw’s plan was successful. But what Lleu had not told Blodeuwedd was that he could lose his life. Instead, as soon as the spear hit him, Lleu turned into an eagle and flew away into the forest.

After hearing the news, the  wizard Gwydion set out to find Lleu. He found him in a tree in the forest nearby, living off the meat of a wild boar lying at the footof the tree. Because of his magic powers, Gwydion was able to turn Lleu back into a man.

Lleu set out to find Gronw Pebyr and Blodeuwedd. Lleu killed Gronw Pebyr, but  Blodeuwedd had run to the forest.  Gwydion managed to corner her and as punishment for what she had done, he turned her into a tawny owl, telling her that every other bird would fear her and thus she would have to live the rest of her life in solitude. 

  







The name of Lleu and Blodeuwedd's castle in the tales,Mur y Castell, is  thought to be an early reference to the site where later the
Roman fort of Tomen y Mur was built, near Trawsfynydd.