show the world how beautiful slugs are

In the last post I told about losing Courage, and that Gem, Charm and Grace had been left as little orphans.
Over the passing days, Mum remained determined that we needed a mother slug, and nothing would deter her. But, she did promise not to just pick up an adult and bring it in.
I’ve never been sure how her idea of “whistling for a mommy” came about, but that’s what she decided to do:)
Without saying she went out into the back garden and started to whistle – I could hear her, and thought perhaps she was whistleing to the birds. She came back inside, but made no mention of what she’d been upto. For the next few hours she kept watching the back door, and looking down the steps. Finally, I had to ask what was going on. She excitedly told me she’d been whistling for a mother slug. I thought she was nuts, but at least there was no kidnapping involved!!!
And, there’s no denying it did work – not quite as she’d planned, but she hadn’t honed her superpowers yet:)

The first to arrive certainly wasn’t a mommy slug for our little orphans, but a tiny baby, very like Valour had been.
Mum lifted him from the doorstep, looking a little worried [these little babies rarely survive], and handed the tiny black speck to me saying “the first one has arrived”.
And so, little Trust had answered the call, and came into our lives and our hearts. He could never have been turned away, he was so tiny and helpless, and immediatley reached up for a kiss – hence his name:)
I loved him on sight, but dreaded the heartache he would bring me, and our little orphans. But Trust needed a home and needed love, and he got both.
I spent sometime alone with him, making sure he was comfortable and happy, and saw all the signs of nuerological damage I suspected would be there. It was with a heavy heart that I introduced him to Charm, Grace and Gem. But seeing his need, and his open trusting nature, they feel in love with this tiny baby, and watched over him constantly.
Mum was delighted, yet I feared for Trust, and feared the grief he would bring my three little girls. But, I can’t deny Trust was a pleasure to care for, I only wished he wasn’t so ill. Little Valour had only lived 17 days, and I didn’t want my three orphans facing more heartbreak.
Sadly, that fear was well founded, and though Trust enjoyed every moment he had with us, the poor little baby only lived 2 days:(
He died quietly and peacefully upon my T-shirt, surrounded by his new family. He had played non-stop all that day, and simply fell asleep amidst all his new mommies, it was a sleep from which he never awoke.
And though new slugs were arriving all the time, in answer to the infamous whistle, still that tiny baby was deeply mourned by all, and is deeply missed.

Trust is pictured above with Gem and Charm. All three of our orphans proved to have learned much from Courage, and showed a beautiful willingness to open there hearts and be mothers themselves to little ones in need.
love gemmword

Until I posted about Charm’s death, there was a long time with no enties, as I had been MIA.
When I posted about Mystery’s death, that left our little family at four – Courage, Charm, Grace and Gem. Courage was the only adult, the three others weren’t tiny babies, but certainly weren’t full grown. I remember posting about Courage’s arrival, how very special she seemed, and how she arrived with a mission. She fulfilled that mission everyday, loving and caring for all the little ones she so happily adopted. Courage became a mainstay for me, and I had complete faith in her abilities – nothing fazed her, she knew how to handle every situation and every crisis. She became a very dear friend, and though she was constantly covered in babies, we still managed our own little special times together.
Watching Charm, Grace and Gem grow, love and play under Courage’s ever watchful eye was a delight. All seemed calm and happy in slugville.
As time passed, Courage seemed tired, she never withdrew from the little ones, but often, even as they played on top of her, she would fall asleep. With horror one day, I realised I had no idea what age Courage was, for she was fully grown when she arrived. That seed of worry grew within me, and as I watched her endless patience with the youngsters, I realised this was no first time mommy – Courage had raised babies before – what had happened that she ended up here alone I’ll never know, but I fear there was much sadness in my beautiful Courage’s past. And as I watched her become increasingly tires, I knew our time together would not be as long as I would have wanted. I knew too, the day would come when I had three sad little orphans:(
Right until the end, Courage remained loving and selfless. And I’m glad to say no illness or trauma touched her. My beautiful little friend simply died of old age.
I believe she knew her time approached, she was playing in the bath with Charm, Grace and Gem, and just swam over to me, asking to be lifted. Within an hour, she lay dead upon my heart:(
It was a beautiful and peaceful death, and that time we shared saying goodbye was very precious. Much of the time, her three babies were with her, and she seemed to take great comfort in that. She took comfort too in handing those little ones to me to are for.
The sadness of losing Courage was huge, and in many ways I felt adrift no longer having that wise lady to consult. Courage was a gift, always helping, always loving, always easing the burden. And my heart broke for little Charm, Grace and Gem:(

In the days following Courage’s death, mum and I had our first major disagreement about slugs. Mum kept saying we need another Courage, those babies need another mother. But, I felt they had been through enough, and didn’t want to introduce any new slugs at that point. I felt too, that finding another Courage was impossible – she was extra special and came of her own free will. I have never believed in just lifting slugs from the wild and keeping them captive, they must come themselves. I feared mum would go out and “steal” an adult, perhaps leaving a little family without their mommy. For days we argued about this, meanwhile Charm, Grace and Gem were deeply grieving, but were responding to my love and attention.
Undeterred, mum went out and whistled for a mommy slug, and within days, our numbers had swollen – but that is another story.
This post is to honour the memory of Courage, and to comiserate with Charm, Gem and Grace, over the loss of their beloved mother.
Though it is now 6 months since Courage died, her memory is stronge, and I still miss her so very much.
The photo is of Courage, Charm, Grace and Gem – I don’t think I have a photo of Courage alone, for wherever she went, all the others followed – such was her love:)
love gemmword

When I came to write this post, I saw it was a week since Charm’s death. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since I held her, and at the same time, I can hardly believe the other little ones have survived a whole week without her.
I’ve spoken often of the terrible sadness these amazing little creatures experience, and how touching their mourning ceremonies are, but I’ve never see anything like this before, and I can only thank God that the remaining eight are still alive, especially the babies.
Honour is the smallest baby. I remember when he arrived, just a tiny speck on the tip of my finger. And, I remember looking at his beautiful markings [so like little Valour], and thinking “maybe I should call you Heartbreak”. I never expected this tiny one to survive, and knew he already had a huge piece of my heart. But, in remembrance of Valour, I named him Honour, and hoped he would at least survive the night. He proved me very wrong, and showed not only an incredible will to live, but the love he poured out on me and his whole new adopted family, was truly wonderous to behold.
Against all the odds, Honour grew and flourished under the constant love and care of Charm.
Like all his sub-speices, Honour has those awful neurological problems, and his symptoms are very severe. Yet despite the terrible balance and co-ordination problems, he won’t be stopped:)
And Charm often carried him around on her back, letting him meet and kiss all the others. Charm also watched with great interest as I started some physio for Honour, and to my amazement, Charm started doing the excercises with him too:) It was very sweet to see. The excercises won’t heal Honour, but they are teaching him how to use his tail for balance, and how to move without toppling over.
I think Honour was totally convinced that Charm really was his mommy, and they adored each other. Charm took ill the week between Christmas and New Year, and I thought she had actually died just as the New Year arrived. But the little ones did not behave as they usually do when a death occurs. And it was their reaction which altered me to the fact the Charm was actually in a deep coma, not dead. For almost a week I nursed and hydrated her, never really knowing if she would recover. Throught out that week, Honour never left her side, and constantly kissed and caressed his mommy, softly calling her back. When Charm did final wake, she was very ill, and it became obvious she had suffered a stroke:(
For three long weeks my beautiful little Charm held onto life, and I believe it was love that held her here – she so wanted to raise little Honour [and Treasure and Beauty, the two older babies]. Her death last week was traumatic for all of us, but Honour was beyond consolation. He knew she was dead this time, and with great dignity honoured her body, but he seemed totally unable to face life without his mommy. Endlessly he searched the bedroom, the bath, their little buffet room and playroom, and his symptoms became much worse again due to the exhaustion. After each fruitless search, he crawled onto a strawberry, lifted his head and howled a silent scream. The first time he did that, he was looking straight at me, and the anguish from him seared my very soul. It has been the most heart wrenching thing I have ever seen:( Finally, he would collapse with exhaustion, his tiny body trembling and his heart visibly pounding.
I cried many tears for little Honour.
Throughout the entire time, all I could do was love him, and try to convey that love. Finally, late yesterday, he calmed somewhat, and spent hours cuddled into me, and at last he ate – what a relief.
But to my astonishment, when I palced him back with the other’s, he started going around kissing each one, just the way Charm had always done. And he was persistant, he kept kissing and nudging them until at last, all eight of them had taken their first feed since Charm’s death:)
Obviously Honour learned much from the mommy he loved so much, and today, he has convinced Treasure to join and help him. The two smallest and youngest are now tending the heartbroken adults. Charm would be so proud of them. I am so proud of them.
We still have a long way to go, but the first painful steps to recovery have been taken, lead by the astounding little Honour.

I’ll keep you updated,
love gemmword

It’s a long time since I posted on this thread, and much has happened. Some beloved hearts have departed, and many new hearts have arrived. I had planned to inroducing them all chronologically, once I had enough energy.
But a great heartache has befallen us, and my beloved little Charm died in the early hours of this morning. The story of her arrival, life and death, is quite remarkable [and I will share it soon], but at the moment I find myself totally exhausted, and totally heartbroken. And my main concern, is in trying to ensure that the babies she loved so much survive her death.
The photo above, shows Charm being kissed by little Honour. Honour has at last fallen into a totally exhausted sleep, following a night of hysteria. Facing the reality that his precious little kisses couldn’t keep his adopted mother alive, has totally devastated this precious little baby, and he has literally been climbing the walls:( Treasure and Beauty, the slightly older babies are not doing much better.
Grace, Charm’s best friend, is withdrawn and emaciated from her weeks of nursing. Indeed, all the other adults are struggling with Charm’s death, for she was the very centre of this little family.
Much love and care is needed, and I pray I have the strength to give them all the attention they need.
When I can, I will tell you the full story, and all that has happened since the last post so many months ago.
For now, I too mourn the loss of my sweet Charm, one of the most loving creatures I ever had the honour to know, and the last slug in the world that knew the love of
ChloeGoldenHeart:(
love gemmword

I’m very sad to have to tell you, Mystery died today.
Early this morning she was well, and was up for morning cuddles with all the others. They went back to bed for a nap, and just a short time ago I discovered Mystery dead in the bedroom:(
She looks perfectly well, just alseep, and were it not for the other little ones grief and behaviour, I may well thinks she was just asleep. I have no idea what the cause of death has been, but I’m thankful it seems to have been quick and hopefully painless.
Mystery has always lived upto her name, having a very quiet and shy nature. I remember the night she arrived, the local authorities had been spraying weed killer all over, and the whole family were very ill. That evening, my lovely little Mystery arrived, terrified and traumatised. Though I bathed her immediately to remove any pesticides, I must now wonder how much damage those weed killers did. Mystery was reaching adulthood, but was far too young to die:(
Only recently she had a trial run at egg-laying, and came through the process very well. Indeed, it gave her a renewed confidence. Her sudden death has been an awful shock to me, and to all the little ones. Yet another heart break for them to face:(
I have suspected from the begining that Mystery had hearing problems, perhaps as a result of the weed killer? But she needed very gentle handling, and many strokes and warning that she was about to be lifted. Since the egg episodes, during which I had to assist her, she had become much more confident and trusting. It was a pleasure to see her relaxed and happy on my hands, instead of curled up in fear. I had looked forward to her confidence continuing to grow, and now suddenly she is dead.
To die quickly in her sleep is a blessing, and I would hope all my babies could have that when the time comes.
But I had such great hopes for little Mystery, we had both worked hard at increasing her confidence, and overcoming her hearing problems, and had been making such good progress.
I will miss this shy little one very much, especially the wonder of seeing her little golden face look up at me, and her timid little kisses:(
Mystery made a treacherous jounrney through poisons, to reach a safe haven, I wish she had lived to enjoy the safty, and the love:(
love gemmword

they do like a little head-dunk in their Whiskey glass:)
Water only of course, but a lot of fun:)
love gemmword

Grace, like all her species, loves to sit straight up and survey her surroundings. It’s a very sweet and endearing habit. Whereever she is, that little head pops up, and she checks the place out.
She loves sitting on mum’s shoulder, watching all that’s going on:)
I suspect when she gets a little bigger, she’ll spend most of her time sitting on mum’s shoulder, like a parrot, and going off to supervise all the cooking, cleaning, indeed, all that goes on:)
love gemmword

Little Gem is a real live-wire, and is forever on the go:)
Life is fun to her, and everything bears invetigation.
after one particularly frantic evening, she’d been everywhere and caused all sorts of chaos, I finally put them all to bed, and sat back exhausted. I said to mum I thought we may have made a mistake in naming Gem. To which mum repied with roars of laughter, “Oh no, it’s perfect. I used to have a tiny Gemm that always caused chaos too”. Hmmmm…...apparently that we ME!!!!!!!!!
love gemmword

Grace quickly discovered the fun she can have with mirrors, and I think if asked, she may well declare herself the prettiest slug in the world:)
She love to give her refelction little kisses:)
What a cute baby – mum is totally besotted. And who could blame her.
love gemmword

While I was having a little break from 43t, after the wheel-chair incident, I was feeling a bit low. Reovery wasn’t going to well, and I was facing major problems both at home, and in getting the wrecked wheel-chair replaced. But as always, in times of distress – God provides. Sitting inside the kitchen door, curiosly looking around, were two little babies wanting a new home:)
Within seconds of lifting them up, they were full of kisses and fun:) They are totally adorable.
One is a baby tiger slug, and she’s been called Gem – mum thought it was time I had a namesake:)
The other, I’m unsure of her species, but mum calls them Peachy’s, after the first slug she had:) and they do have lovely little peach faces. She has been offically called Grace, but mum calls her Peachytoo, and all sorts of derivatives:)

These two babies have brought so much sunshine and fun into my life – they’re exuberant, mischeivious, affectionate, and play non-stop. Ater the many loses over the last few months, these beautiful little babies are a gift to me [and mum, who’s always wanted another Peachy, since her Peachy died last November]. They have been like a life-line to Courage too – she loves looking after other little slugs, and had taken the recent losses of Joy and Charity very hard.

This is a photo of Gem and Grace a few mins after they arrived, it’s their first meeting with Courage and Charm:)
Many more photos to come.
Love gemmword