When Rita and I were parked on her Aunt Rhoda in her Sea Point flat on a wet day, Aunt Rhoda may well have wondered what to do with us, but we were very happily occupied in marching round her dining-room table to the loud strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" - her gramophone was a complete novelty to us. We did, however, in due course acquire a wind-up gramophone ourselves, and in the early 1920s Jim painstakingly built up a crystal wireless set, with headphones, which was a source of great interest.

With Shena and Jim so much older, and soon off to school - Shena to St Cyprian�s and the Good Hope Seminary, and Jim first to St Cyp�s in baby class, then to SACS and eventually to St Andrew�s, Grahamstown, Russell and I did many things together. After Gertie left to marry engine driver Arthur Brett, our first governess was Miss Stockdale, a dim sort of creature. She took us for dreary walks, and on one occasion on the slopes of Signal Hill I "saved" Russell�s life: he was wearing a hat with a decorated ribbon which incorporated a small touch of red in a flag. I tore the hat off his head and threw it upside down on the ground because approaching us was a herd of very tame dairy cows, but I �knew� about red rags to a bull!

For clarity, some outlines are necessary of the backgrounds of lifelong friends who appear in the following pages. The Beards were Mother�s oldest friends, as she and Connie had been at school together in London and Connie was one of her bridesmaids in 1904. I remember visiting Highwick, Mr Beard�s residence, and drinking milk straight from the black and white cows. Connie, whom we called Auntie as we had no relatives of our own in Africa, married Professor Kent, and their Joan, Jack, Hal and Boyce were close friends of ours. In age I was halfway between Jack and Hal. Their house, Nevis, in Claremont, was very near the Highwick Estate.

Mr and Mrs Wilson lived at the Bottom of Camp Street near de Waal Park (but by the 1920s they had moved to Woodward in Rondebosch). Mr Wilson was Assistant Editor of the Cape Times. Herbert was older than any of us, so I didn�t know him well. Arthur was next - I remember the hilarity with which he was greeted by us youngsters when he wore his first pair of long trousers; then came Helen, Basil and Hilda, who was the only one younger than me.

To Kloof Nek Road came Mr and Mrs Groves and Mary, who was between Russell and me in age, and who joined us for lessons, walks and school. We three roamed the woods behind their house, fascinated with jumping leaves (which had a worm inside) and playing with pine needles. Mother and Mrs Groves, driven by Jo, went weekly together to the Market to buy meat, vegetables and fruit. Mr Groves lectured in Art at U.C.T. and was a noted painter. Mrs Groves was an expert needlewoman and Mother attended some of her classes.