It's been almost a week without Vouli and I didn't have the courage to write anything on this blog until now. I'm sorry about that.

No one was home during or after the incident, so I had to take the shovel and dig in the garden, preparing a small grave as appropriately as possible. My best friend did something unexpectedly sweet and gave me ashes and a stone she had brought back from her trip to a Guatamala volcano. According to the legend, those ashes come from the underworld, so offering them to a deceased person is a special way to say farewell. I won't even go through the process of explaining the torrents of thought, the violent sensations and feelings involved. If you've been through something similar you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ｖｏｕｌｉちゃんが亡くなったから一週間ぐらいたったね。ブログを書く力がなくてすみません。

あの日はそして次の日も家に誰も居なくて、一人で庭で出来るほど綺麗な墓を掘ってみた。そして、友達は凄くやさしくて、グアテマラの火山から石と火山灰をもってくれた。伝統によって、あの火山の灰は冥土から来てるので、亡くなったのだれかにその灰をあげると、特別なさようならになる。私の気持ちと思いなどを説明をする必要ないと思う。理解出来る人は理解は出来るからね。。。

The sun was shining bright and the funeral was short and silent. Linda and me were the sole attendants. She stood still next to me all along, from the beginning to the very end. And that's also the reason I like animals: they have respect and understanding and compassion.

あの日の太陽はとても明るかった。葬式は短くて静かだった。私以外、来てくれたのはリンダだけだった。最初から最後まで、ずっとそばにおとなしく座っていた。それは人間より動物の方が好きの理由だね：リスペクトと理解と思いやりがある。

Speaking of Linda, she still is very depressed and looking for Vouli every day. She was never kind to him while he was alive, but deep inside there was a feeling of unity between them.

Three days after Vouli's passing, I made a traditional Greek sweet offered at memorials. I've never made it for a human until now, but I made it for my cat, as he was worth more than most people I know...We travelled thousands of kilometers together, so many places, under good and bad conditions, yet in perfect harmony with each other and with such an energetic alignment, that calling him a "pet" would be an understatement. Honestly speaking, he was my "familiar animal", although I don't practice witchcraft.

リンダと言えば、あの日から凄く落ち込んでいる。Ｖｏｕｌｉを毎日探している。生きていたまで彼に全然優しくなかったのに、あの二人はどう見ても繋がっていたよ。

Ｖｏｕｌｉが亡くなった３日間後は、伝統的なギリシャお菓子を作ってみた。普段に葬式などに作るお菓子です。今まで人間の為に作ったことなかったけど、私のネコの為に初めて作った。ずっと一緒に長い旅して、色んな場所を見て、明るい時も暗い時もずっとお互いのそばに居て、二人のエネルギーはお互いに完璧なハーモニーだった。エネルギー的に話したら、ペットより使い魔のような生き物だったね。私は魔女じゃないのに。

The sweet consists of boiled wheat, spices like cinnamon and clove, various nuts and raisins, topped with powder sugar. I took the liberty of adding dried coconut and cashews to the mix and decorating the sweet with a cute cinnamon heart, just because Voulis was fabulous and he deserved something more special than the average . I'm afraid this recipe is one of my favourite things to eat. Too bad it's so closely linked to death.

お菓子は茹でた小麦とシナモンとクローブと他のスパイス、そしてくるみ、アルモンド、セサミとレーズンに作られる。最後は砂糖パウダー。Ｖｏｕｌｉは素敵な王子様だったから、普通のレシピよりもっとスペシャルなことを作りたかったから、ドライココナツとカシュナッツも入れた。可愛いハートもシナモンで作った。このお菓子は本当に大好きなお菓子だけど、死亡に繋がっていて残念だ。。

In memory