On Wednesday, 13th of December my beloved book, For God Sake Saddle Me  A Donkey, launched in written form at the Millwood Gallery, Thorndon and is available at leading book stores, such as Marsden Books and Unity in Wellington and Wheelers in Auckland or from me, send me an email please.

Thinking of our traveling partners: the Bicklers, Colin and Shirley and their daughter Rachel, and Vernon Wright, my first husband who could not be here. There is a picture of Nikki and Rachel in the book, Nikki was one and a half when we left New Zealand she came to the launch to help and sing the song.

It was a wonderful launch with about sixty people, the nicest party I could think of, old friends crammed into the welcoming bookshop. Much speechifying and  harmonious singing, to the tune of Pleasant and Delightful – words below:

Our  reckless adventure

Was to drive overland

To London. With children

On a journey we’d planned

But our friends cried, “Afghanistan!

Have you gone off your head

Long before you all reach London

Those kids will both be dead.”

Roger Steele of Steele Roberts:

many thanks, you were the midwife for this book, I could not have wished for better support. Many thanks for your kind comments. You are a rare publisher!

How the book came about

I wrote this book fifty years ago while I was living in Zambia and sent it to a New Zealand publisher who lost the manuscript. Luckily I had my own diaries and rewrote it from there. Fifty years later I recorded it for Radio New Zealand, Roger heard it and liked it and suggested I should illustrate it with my cartoons. I had as much fun drawing the cartoons as I did with Gavin McGinley of Radio New Zealand finding suitable music for the Radio series, which go to air again starting December 26 at 10:45 PM.