Looking back at the time I got to spend with my dad Keith, I know I was lucky. Lucky I got to explore nature with him as a child, bond with him as an adult, and lucky to have had a dad who wasn't afraid of showing his emotions. He showered me and my older brother Nick with love and at 6ft 4in, I fondly referred to him as a gentle giant.
Dad loved animals and it became a shared passion of ours when I was growing up. In the garden, a pet shed housed rabbits and guinea pigs and in the house we kept hamsters. If Dad and I passed a pet shop together, he'd look at me and wink, and it took all of our willpower not to take home a new furry friend. Occasionally, we did and my mum Mary would roll her eyes watching as we cooed over a new rabbit hidden in a straw-filled box.
We always had two flat-coated retrievers at home, first Hewiee and Frankie, then Eddie, Nev and Berry. They say that a dog is a man's best friend and that was so true for Dad - he adored them. By the time I started secondary school in 1997, Dad had taken early retirement from his job as a graphic designer and each morning we woke up at 6:30am to take the dogs out together.
Every Father's Day was an opportunity to tell Dad how proud I was of him and I'd present him with a card telling him that my dad was the best there was. In 1999, Nick, then 18, moved out and for the next few years, it was just me, Mum, Dad and the dogs. I often confided in Mum about boys or any worries I might have had about school, but Dad was always there to offer advice too. When I first experienced heartache in my teens, he took me out for hot chocolate in a bid to try and cheer me up.
The only times I ever really saw Dad sad was when we lost our beloved pets. 'Just remember the good times,' he'd say.
Becoming confused
Esta historia es de la edición June 10, 2024 de WOMAN - UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 10, 2024 de WOMAN - UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
TV & REVIEWS
Our pick of what to watch this week, plus the best podcasts and new books...
Beryl's BOUTIQUE
Her heart had been closed for business, but was it time to open up?
Finally I'm a size 10 JUST LIKE MY TWIN!
Eve Little and her twin sister Hayley supported each other through a life-changing journey
Stop bad breath embarrassing you
Party season means you could be getting 'up close and personal' with your nearest and dearest, so don't let poor oral health hold back your fun...
Get moving to beat that low mood
Look, I know it's November. The days are shorter (like our patience) and darker (like, sometimes, our mood) and moving our body gets pushed further down the must-do list. We hunker down and become insular.
Married to a MONSTER
Samantha Treanor, 33, thought she'd never escape her violent partner
MORE BAD NEWS FOR MEGHAN...
Hot on the heels of stories in the US press about the Sussexes being extremely difficult to work for, comes another body blow.
ANXIETY is part of who I am'
TV cook Nadiya Hussain on ageing, her career goals and pushing boundaries
SEPARATE LIVES
Has the shine come off their fairy tale, questions royal biographer Duncan Larcombe
NEVER too late
Catriona had regrets about the past - but perhaps it was time to embrace her future