Goodbye summer

This morning I started putting away my summer clothes, I have finally accepted that I won't be wearing them again this side of Christmas. I had a few that had been ironed hanging behind the door in the spare room, just hoping I'd get another chance to wear them, pretty summer weight blouses, cotton T shirts, pastel coloured trousers, now all confined to the cupboard and labelled 'Do not disturb below a temperature of at least 75 deg.
I feel a sense of sadness this summer has now gone, as I feel that the door is closing on my memories, this was my last summer with Tango, When I realized some months ago that life was catching up with him, I prayed for one more summer, where we could go for our walks in all our old haunts and enjoy life a while longer, well I was lucky, I did have that last summer, such as it was, and as the days drifted by he too faded, I felt that with each leaf that fell, another little bit of his life was drifting back to where he came from.
I shouldn't complain, we had almost fifteen wonderful, happy years together, and our lives were filled with so much 'busyness' Having a dog in competition obedience is such a fulfilling experience, meeting so many other dogs and people is a way of life almost every weekend, training, learning and showing off our skills is just so satisfying, Their lives are much more rewarding than the average pet dog,  I do not mean that in a smug way, simply a fact.
He was good at our hobby, winning many prizes and getting to the top of the ladder, he gave me so much more than I could have wished for, But then when the end was getting near, his walks became a chore, though he tried to keep going he just couldn't give any more and I had no right to expect it, That is when I decided with a heavy heart to give him eternal rest.
We had a lovely conversation with his head on my knee lying on the carpet before the vets came. I still held him till he breathed his last.
Run free my little man, over Rainbow Bridge, find Jet your very best friend and have fun in the waves, say Hi to all my other lost dogs, and wait for me.
I'm sorry if I sound maudlin writing this, but I just had to put it down visually as it's been going round in my head and I want closure on it, though I will never, ever forget.

Thank you for visiting and please come back, Arlene, Tango and Ruby