This is the story of my life from birth, in 1950, through to the year 1973. I was born into a magical place, the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu Natal, a place that is now lost in time. This was a countryside of family farms, mostly with staffs, many resident, drawn from the local Zulu settlements. An "old colonial" mindset mingled with a timeless one, and made for a unique girlhood, especially as I avoided formal school until the age of twelve!

In a lonely life, isolated on the family ranch, my friends were the animals, particularly the baboons, the countryside, the Zulus on our ranch and in the settlement, and a weird cast of supporting characters, from priests and nuns through to postmen and witch doctors.

This was a settlement that, even today, is isolated and well removed from the tumult of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, far beyond which it is situated. I remember the days spent there with love and gratitude, and invite you to discover them for yourselves in the land of White Zulu.

And, on your left, you find me with an old friend - Dusty - a bear of some 63 years who shared in those adventures, riding across the open veldt so many years ago.
In the gallery you will meet some of the characters that you will read about and, I hope, those faded images will become as vibrant for you as they remain for me.

Welcome, we'll see you inside......