He took us to meet the Phillipses at New Year's Gift, and the Aunt told me many years later that she wondered how I would take to life there - I wasn�t even adequately dressed, she reckoned, as I was wearing a silly little green knitted cap (which matched my outfit) instead of a hat.

Pat had got to know Budtz Olsen, who worked for the Sabi-Tanganda Company in Que Que, and he and Pat played a lot of chess by mail. The day before we were due to go to Melsetter, Budtz arrived at Sabi-Tanganda, and so he came along too.

Dad, Pat and I drove on the poorly surfaced steep uphill road in our Morris to Melsetter, and set out to see Orange Grove. We only got about four miles from the village, on Belmont, when the middel-mannetjie caught and removed a vital part of our engine. We abandoned the car for the moment and all climbed into Budtz�s big open Chev and were driven right up to the top and shown the projected house site with its magnificent views all round, and then we drove down the hair-raising track to the bottom of the farm and on to Springfield.

Back in Melsetter, we spent the night in the little Melsetter Hotel which was owned by Ted and Olive Allott. In the morning, I met Mr Gersohn the dentist who had come from Umtali on a routine visit, and from Sawerombi for a dental appointment there rode in Ann Olivey with three-year-old Annabel perched in front of her on the horse.

Captain Allott drove us to Chipinga, where Dad arranged for Bernard Muggleton at the garage to deal with our car. He collected and towed it to Chipinga, and found that the replacement part that was needed was not available in Southern Rhodesia, so Dad said he would buy it in Johannesburg and post it up.

Somehow we got back to Sabi-Tanganda and then followed our amended itinerary. We had arranged that we would motor Pat to east London for his appendix operation, and now the three of us travelled quite incredibly uncomfortably (though that didn�t worry me) in the front of an R.M.S. ordinary heavy schedule lorry.

We spent a night at Fort Victoria and next day travelled to Beitbridge, still by Road Motor Service schedule lorry, where we caught a train. In Johannesburg we bought and despatched the car part, and travelled on to East London. I met Kay for the first time and we got on well together, and Dr Ziervogel�s son Mickey and daughter Philippa were also welcoming. I sent a telegram to George Wilson asking for permission to return a week late, which he gave.

Dr Ziervogel removed Pat�s appendix while Pat, with a local anaesthetic only, watched with interest every move of the operation in the overhead reflector. Having seen him recovering well, Dad and I went aboard the mail steamer and sailed back to Cape Town. In due course, Bernard repaired the Morris and drove it to Beitbridge, from where it came by train back to Cape Town. I now shudder to think what that trip cost Dad, but at the time I took it all for granted.