Forgive me for feeling a little Blue

LOOK how cute this picture is.

No, not the one of me, although, yeah, that’s pretty cute too.

I’m talking about the other natural beauty to the right. His name’s Blue. Well, it was Blue. He was the blue-tongue lizard who took up residence under the base of the basketball ring in our driveway about a year ago.

Like me, Blue was a shy little thing.

But we were always delighted to see him when he popped out to bask in the sunshine from time to time.

When I first saw him, I must admit I was a little scared.

But we left him alone and he never bothered us, and it didn’t take long for the family to take Blue into our hearts.

So it’s with a heavy heart now I tell you that Blue is no longer with us, or this world.

Granddad was visiting and moved the basketball ring, forgetting poor Blue was fast asleep underneath.

I was steaming mad at Granddad, but I’ve since forgiven him. After all, he did kill a cold-blooded creature but he’s not a cold-blooded killer.

Mum and Dad tried to spare my feelings by hiding Blue’s death from me, but I suspected something had happened to the guy when I hadn’t seen him for a while.

Plus, I could tell by how upset both of them have been — I might not be able to do basic maths yet but I can put two and two together.

Blue wasn’t a pet. He was his own lizard. But we still felt fortunate he’d chosen our home to make his home.

We’d sit on the stairs and watch him with wonder — real live wildlife almost literally on our doorstep.

He’d become a honorary member of the family and was often a talking point around the dinner table. I miss him terribly. Rest in peace, my friend.