Dear "Esme" was a stroke of genius from a Pratchett fan friend and it did so suit her. Just as her sister Felicity's suits her (mainly because it diminutises to "Fluffy"; by name and nature) What you said about the power of eclipses reminded me - we were in Cornwall for the 1999 solar eclipse. The cottage owners' white Staffie dog charged in at 8am and promptly swallowed down the crab bait and hook we had left in a bucket. They didn't tell us until after we had returned from Bodmin Moor (berated by Russell Grant for getting in the way of the camera crew and filmed by RTZ German TV peering forlornly at the reflections in a bucket for the duration), that they had spent the eclipse having her put to sleep. Hmmmm...white dog/solar eclipse...black cat/lunar eclipse???????

Blessings be.

Hille