I do apologise for the tardiness of this blog but the entire month of December was hectic to say the least. I finished my book by my deadline of December 20th, my birthday and also two days before the sun moved out of Sagittarius and into Capricorn. I wanted the force to be with me during the final month of writing! So I finished in the morning and then met some friends at the dam and enjoyed a very jolly birthday indeed!

I was given such a delicious - literally - present from my friends Chris and Florence who came here fromYorkshire some 15 or so years ago. From a recently opened, to great excitement, new shop called The Food Lovers Market they'd purchased a selection of English cheeses which were not previously available here. Wensleydale, Cheshire, Lancashire, crumbly white cheese infused with apricots, a yellow cheese married with port and some matzo crackers to eat with them. A mega, mega, hit! Flo is also a brilliant cook and some weeks ago had made me a present of a jar of her home made piccalli which I opened one night soon after Christmas. It proved to be the undisputed King of Piccalli; I gasped and moaned with pleasure as each mouthful exploded on my tongue. My consciousness expanded as I seduced the stars and married the moon. I experienced ecstacy as I lay in the moonlight. And it was all down to a jar of Flo's home made picccalli!

Chris, her husband had also brought some films for me to watch and as I don't have a television and hadn't seen a film since I was last in London, it was with a sense of great excitement that I climbed into bed with the kids, a tray of cheese, a box of matzos, Flo's piccalli and a glass of the grape and settled down to watch Australia. To say I was blissed out is an understatement; my senses were sated; I glowed with contentment and gleamed with satisfaction and as soon as I've renewed the cheese supply can't wait to repeat the experience! Thank-you Chris and Flo! Thought Nicole was wonderful and have a huge crush on Hugh Jackman. It was one of the best times I've had in bed for a very long time and as I always have a good time in bed, that's really saying something!

I elected to spend Christmas day and New Years Eve alone and couldn't have chosen better. I've decided that I'm too old to stay over night with anyone any more except those friends who've known me for decades, and are totally accepting of my eccentricity as a house guest. They don't expect to see me before noon, know I'll be wearing a dressing gown the entire time, and even if non-smokers themselves set aside a section of their homes where I can enjoy a fag. I'm the ideal house guest really, as I never interfere with their routines; they get on with their lives as usual, knowing that they don't have to entertain me in any way and we'll definitely meet up at dinner time if not before.

And then I discovered something I had been searching for, the lack of which was making me considerably stressed. I have to return to England in March and taking into account the travelling time which occupies several days will be away for a total of five weeks. So far, so good. But . . . . what to do with my 'kids'? I knew I had to board them but the only kennels I was aware of were housed in the SPCA which was not the ideal environment due to the number of dogs that have to be euthanized regularly if no-one claims/adopts them. It leaves a lingering sadness in the atmosphere, casts a shadow over the sun.

Then a friend suggested I google to see if there were any other kennels in the Tzaneen area. So I did, and guess what? I found the Fur Ball Inn situated about 30k's away. I took the kids and went to view it. I thought I'd reached Mecca!

It's housed on a beautiful farm in the depths of the countryside; donkeys were grazing peacefully in an ajoining field, cattle were clustered under the shade of a large tree and a pig snuffled sedately among cacti and palm trees. And all these animals were 'rescue' animals. Bronson and Esme - the young couple who own the sanctuary - are as they put it, 'dotty about animals;' they have 18 rescue dogs of their own, all shapes and sizes and the atmosphere was one of huge serenity and compassion. The kennels look like small Wendy houses painted pink and blue with plaited straw hearts decorating the outside, each has a comfy bed and is spotlessly clean. Bronson looks after all the boarders himself; he feeds, walks and plays with them so they experience continuity of care. You can imagine the huge weight that fell from my shoulders; I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that I could leave my little family in the very best of hands, secure in the knowledge that they would be cared for and loved. WHAT A RELIEF!!!

I'm going to London to renew my visa and launch the publication of my book! And as this is my first venture into the world of letters the closer the time comes to the reality of seeing the finished article in print, the number of large butterflies that have taken up residence in my tummy on a daily basis must by now be representative of every species on the planet, and the constant whirring of wings has rendered me all of a-flutter. The way I feel right now makes 'first night' nerves seem like a doddle!

Once again I apologise for the lateness of this installment; thank-you for your patience and wish you endless joy throughout the coming year.

Only love from Me, Snooze, Toska and Rusty. xxxx