Darkness was still falling fairly early in the wild west Highlands of Scotland, so before long it was time for Algy's birthday cake to be presented to him, complete with 13 colourful, glowing candles…

Algy's wonderful 13th birthday party was well under way now, with many guests joining the party from near and far, and many of Algy's fluffy friends crowded round to admire his cake… and to taste it once Algy had blown the candles out 😀

Algy woke very early on his 13th birthday, for he was much too excited to sleep any longer. It was astonishing to think that so much time had passed since he had started his adventures on tumblr one cool March day, back in 2012… Algy could hardly believe that that was thirteen yearss ago!

Fluttering around the garden drowsily in the dim morning light, he was thrilled to discover that the post bird had left him a wonderful collection of presents and cards beneath the daffodils, and as he started to investigate them, Algy remembered a poem which he had quoted five years ago on his eighth birthday…

She woke before the sun. She heard the still Small sounds which whisper when the night is gone. Though all the curtains of her room were drawn, She saw the gray light creep across the sill. This was her day. How would it help fulfill Her destiny? She looked out at the dawn Stepping across the velvet of the lawn, She saw the purple of a distant hill. In cloak and slippers, she glided through the halls Softly – she would disturb none still asleep – Then looked through maple branches to the sky; Her small heart beating against its delicate walls, The marvel of thirteen years too much to keep. “What is this lovely world, and who am I?”

Algy carried his birthday presents and cards over to a nearby bench, one by one, to keep them off the wet ground, and then began to open them eagerly. The sun had not yet climbed above the surrounding ridges, and the early morning air was cold, grey and decidedly damp… But at least it was calm for a change, and Algy was so excited that he paid little attention to the weather, except to observe gratefully that for once it was neither raining nor windy, for gusts like the ones that had caused his balloons to mishbehave the day before would most certainly have blown his birthday cards and pretty wrapping paper away out to sea…

Unwrapping one of his presents, which a very kind friend had sent to him from the south of England, together with a lovely card, Algy found a cute fluffy-bird sized book entitled Poems for Happiness… and when he opened it at random, Algy was delighted to see one of his favourite verses about friendship, which he dedicates today not only to the wonderful friend who sent him the book, but to all his amazing tumblr friends who have followed his adventures over the years and shown him such wonderful kindness.

Without all of you, Algy's adventures would be pointless… so on the occasion of his 13th birthday, Algy sends you all his very fluffiest thanks, and lots and lots of very fluffy hugs:

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Like a quetzal plume, a fragrant flower, friendship sparkles: like heron plumes, it weaves itself into finery. Our song is a bird calling out like a jingle: how beautiful you make it sound! Here, among flowers that enclose us, among flowery boughs you are singing.

When Algy's assistant asked him what he would like for his 13th birthday, Algy's first choice was a sou'wester and his second choice an umbrella… and no doubt Algy's friends can guess why 😀🌧☔️

Unfortunately, Algy's assistant could not find a fluffy-bird-sized sou'wester, and so when Algy opened his presents on the morning of his birthday he found an umbrella, which his assistant explained was coloured like a rainbow to ensure that every rainy day would have at least one glorious rainbow in it 🌈

As it had already rained a wee bit by that time, Algy thought it prudent to practise using the umbrella before the clouds opened again… only it turned out not to be quite as straightforward as he had expected…