Albert Schwetzer said that "happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory" Well then I should be very happy and actually I am. It's strange that I'm not that worried about my memory loss and even the possibility of alzeimers I have come to terms with. The memory loss is dealt with by writing things down. Sometimes however I forget to tick the things to do and do them twice. This sometimes annoys Julian who is really very supportive. Yesterday I put six tea spoons of sugar into her coffee instead of three. Her brown face turned white for a second or two and she gagged at the taste. On another occasion I went to the shop twice and we ended up with sour milk and stale bread. However, it's the blank spots that are the biggest worry. 'Where am I?" "What day is it?" Etc. I refuse to accept that its alzeimers and I shall keep fighting the enemy. Looking on the internet during one of my lucid periods I read that within fifty years about one billion people will be suffering from alzeimers. Imagine a billion zombies shuffling around forgetting things! Perhaps by then medical science will have found a cure or a way of at lease arresting the deterioration ad descent into the dark shadow world of alzeimers. I think that there must be a difference between memory loss and alzeimers as many young people have bad memories. In my own case I had a marvellous memory up to the age of about thirty. I can remember being baffled why old people forgot things and yet I could remember whole conversations. Despite the difficulties the writing goes on and the rough draft of 'Down and Out In Bolandville' is coming together quite well. The story continues the Rupert saga. Dianna and Rupert are both dead and Rupert has found a new love in Ellena. Boysie the Jack Russel terrier is still in the story although he is just a character unlike Christmas Day and Fridays, which is written from his point of view. I've had some wonderful comments about that book. The second book in the Boland Stories- 'The Devil Pays The Piper' is selling steadily and I thank all those who liked it and recomended it to others. Today in Paarl it's roasting hot and about 36%. Thank goodness for the pool! Boysie loves this too and we still play the old game of 'get the ball'. This is a crazy game where I have to grab the ball and throw it into the pool and then he jumps in. The only problem with the game is that one has to beat him to grabbing the ball. It's a double game. Not only do I ave to throw the ball into the pool for him to dive and fetch. I also have to run the gauntlet of his teeth when I try to grab the ball before him. It's great fun and I am sure is keeping him fit as well as me! David Barnato