We had to say goodbye to our beautiful golden retriever Olive a few weeks ago. She really was the goodest of girls and the fluffiest of floofs, but at only ten years old, we thought we'd have more time with her. In the end, we had three more precious weeks than her diagnosis promised.
Anyone who's lost a beloved dog knows what this is like. There was literally no part of our lives where she wasn't present - so we're still trying to work out how we live life without her. Expecting to see (and hear!) her tail wagging as she senses us coming closer. As part of the Hicks family, she deserves her very own episode of Troika.
Here are the three tracks I've chosen:
- "Olive, the other Reindeer" by Johnny Hart
We named Olive after the hero of J. Otto Seibold's book, "Olive, the Other Reindeer" (which was later made into an animated film). This song was only available on a flexidisc that came inside a 1997 publication of the book, but found thanks to YouTube! 'Johnny Hart' is actually a psuedonym for John Linnell from They Might be Giants, as will be very clear when you hear it. - "Golden Retriever" by Super Furry Animals Spotify
Don't think about the song's meaning too closely (if it's about what I think it is, it's not very appropriate). Just focus on the chorus of this great 'stoner pop' Super Furry Animals classic that I used to sing to Olive. - "We Watched you Disappear" by Hammock Bandcamp Spotify
Now for the tearkjerker. I'm a massive Hammock fan, and when the moment finally came to goodbye to Olive, this piece of music and it's appropriate title from 2018's Universalis, was in my head. I can now finally listen to this without crying, but I still feel the overwhelming sadness and loss.