Regular followers of my blog will know that when I moved into my current house I inherited a goldfish that the previous owners had left behind but not told me about. I named her Lucky because I didn’t know about her for ages, she didn’t get fed and she lived in a tiny, shallow belfast sink in the garden which froze over during winter and was so full of gunk she could barely move – she was Lucky to still be alive.

When I dug my new 4m long pond, I transferred Lucky there and for the first time in lord knows how long she was able to swim. She loved that pond! But I’d never planned on having a pet goldfish – the pond had been dug for wildlife and didn’t contain a filter or the level of oxygen which is healthy for fish – plus fish are meant to be in shoals, not living a solitary existence.

The Universe came to my rescue in the form of Ben, a local man with a passion for ponds, who offered to re-home Lucky into his gorgeous pond with his shoal of rescued goldfish.

She was collected a month ago, but had to spend the first 4 weeks in quarantine and be tested for diseases before being transferred to the big pond. That happened this week and the lovely Ben sent me a video of her release 🙏🏻

I was so worried she would find being in a shoal stressful as she’d never seen another fish in her life, but Ben assures me she’s actually very sociable and swims with the shoal each morning and late afternoon. She is eating well and showing no signs of stress. I’m so relieved!

I’ve had several pets over my lifetime and every single one has been unwanted and has somehow found their way to me. From my first cat, born down a coal mine, in danger of being drowned alive and rescued by my parents to celebrate my christening, to my last dog whose elderly owner had died, had been placed in a rescue centre by their daughter and who was sent to me via signs, having the same name as my Dad and sharing my Nanna’s birthday. I’ve tried to give them all as good a home as I knew how to at the time. They were certainly all loved.

I have a deep affinity with animals. There’s an openness to them which you don’t find in humans, although the emotionally wounded are guarded. They seem to sense in me a safety and it’s very rare I can’t attract an animal to come to me. They share themselves with me in ways I find hard to describe – I sense if they’re lonely or stressed, healthy or poorly, secure or uncertain. They are sentient beings with Souls just like us.

I’m so happy I was led to Ben and know that Lucky will be able to live out her days safe in his care. She’s been through so much and deserves her happy ever after.