A postcard from Angela!!!!!!!!

In case you thought that Ralph was travelling Africa on his own, I decided that after almost a year I should add something to our website! Unlike Ralph I have always believed that "less is more".

I'm amazed it is a year since we arrived in South Africa and descended on our good friends Pat & Roger in Howick. What a year it has been!We have had some wonderful experiences, met great people, seen fantastic wildlife and scenery, cried and laughed but most of all had great fun.

I am sure you all agree that living with Ralph 24/7 does test the patience of a saint, however he has on the whole behaved himself remarkably well! (That is a first by the way). That is apart from the odd tantrum when we ran out of tonic for the G&T, and a major tantrum when the axle came off the trailer! I also remember the time in Royal Natal when a baboon ran off with the bread for lunch, which was the first and last time any animal has got the better of him! Overall he has been remarkably civilised, which is more than we can say for the baboons!

Our plan now is to see the whales in July and the Namaqua flowers in August. We also need to do Botswana justice, so will take some time there, visas permitting! I did not appreciate the vastness of Southern Africa, the diversity of its landscapes and peoples; it is not an area you can cover in 12 months!

Thank you for all your kind messages of encouragement and interest, we've have appreciated them.

Do we miss anything from the UK?

A pint of Maggs Mild in The Bell at Aldworth in the Berkshire Downs (a pub in a time warp, same family for 300 years)

Sunday newspapers

Duck (Peking, Confit and duck breast) it is a forgotten meat out here!

Roast potatoes cooked in goose fat

Washing machines

Lunch or dinner at Hotel Du Vin

A bottle of Burgundy or Rioja

Breakfast at Carluccio in London

London

and of course family and friends.

Hope you are all well and enjoying winter/summer (depending on where you are on the planet)

Happy braaing!

Angela