No doubt you are wondering why the Doc Rat story has faltered to a standstill, in these past months. The very sad truth is that my beautiful wife, Julia was deteriorating gradually with a rare and incurable lung disease. It happened over years, but the final months were the hardest. I was spending my time with her above all else, because every moment was precious. Devilishly hard work, being a carer, but even so, every moment was precious nonetheless.

The final two weeks in hospital were very hard to take. Julia died on 14th July 2026. When the final moment came, I felt utterly lost. Then there was the organising of her funeral service, and then the tying up of all the administrative loose ends. I’m still working on those, as well as my full time job as a doctor. Time is at a premium, but I do what I can.

I will get the Doc Rat story moving again, once the dust has settled from this most terrible of disasters. I know you’re all waiting to get back into the final chapter of the adventure, and of Julia would have insisted I do just that. She was a great supporter of Doc Rat. And she was the real Nurse Mary Scamper, excepting for the fact she had done far more extraordinary things in her life than my comic strip rabbit had ever dreamed of.

I hated taking a hiatus from my twenty-year daily comic strip, but it was absolutely the right choice to do so. Julia deserved no less, and I have no regrets.

Doc Rat will return, very soon. Please hang in there and keep the faith.

If you want to see Julia’s funeral service, it will be available on-line until mid-October 2026. Follow this link.

Jenner