From:      Kirstie
Date:       7th February 2005
Subject:  Another lamby to the slaughter
Place:     Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

Another lamb to the slaughter

Cameron has a new lamb, to be known as Lamby 5. It’s small and scrawny and cost only NZ$7. It clips onto his trousers where he can’t reach it. As he runs it bounces up and down like a newborn lamb in Spring. Cam loves his Lamby. But we all know that he will leave it eventually.

Cameron falls in love again at Te Papa Museum, Wellington

Forsaken lambs

South Island has been repopulated by a succession of Cameron’s forsaken lambs. Lamby 1, 2, 3 and 4 are Cameron’s loss and New Zealand’s gain, not that he seems to mind.

After losing the first two without a trace, we instituted a system of pre-departure checks to prevent the loss of Lamby 3. He was found buried alive in gravel pit at Hope Bridge, awaiting near certain death on a barbeque at Tapawera and contemplating a long goodbye on a beach at Farewell Spit.

But each time our diligence saved him and Cameron was momentarily grateful, greeting the dirty animal with a hug, “Tink you Mummy, I love my Lamby.”

Cameron with one of his many lamb toys

We took our eye off the lamb

After a while our pre-departure checks became less rigorous and Lamby 3 spent a week at the bottom of Cameron’s sleeping bag, his absence unnoticed.

Cam on the lookout for lamb 3’s return on an incoming tide

Sadly for Lamby 3, it did not make the heart grow fonder. Shortly after he disappeared without trace. We suspect he drowned but may yet turn up with the tide.

The sad remains

All that remains of Lamby 4 is a tiny black and white scarf that the poor animal used to dangle from at playtime.

“Lamby done Bungy jumping Mummy,” Cameron used to cry.

Cameron’ s detached attachment to the replaceable creature is the opposite to Matthew’s love affair with Puppy The Wuppy. Increasingly smelly and scruffy the Pup accompanies us everywhere we go.

While there may be a succession of Lamby’s there will only ever be one Puppy The Wuppy. All in all it’s a dog’s life to be Cam’s Lamby.

But despite everything, at bedtime Lamby is just as important as Puppy the Wuppy if Cam and his Lamb are going to settle down together to count sheep. Any breed will do as long as it’s white, fluffy and answers to the name of Lamby.

Long live Lamby 5

Lamby 5 is welcomed to the fold

We welcome Lamby 5 to the family. If his life may be short we hope it will be full and adventurous.

For further news on lamby see our post: Lost Again: A Lamb Poem