Charming memoir by Gillian Rattray of life on the (then) remote West Kirby farm in the Mzinyathi valley in the 1970s. West Kirby is now famous as the site of Fugitives' Drift Lodge; Gillian Rattray is the mother of the late David Rattray. The book is a look at their lives on the property, of the wildlife, changing seasons and local characters, and although not primarily about the battles of iSandlwana the presence of the battlefields permeates the accounts. There are stories of young David, too, and of his boyhood friend Shoshaan (whom visitors to the Lodge will remember as 'Satchmo'). The book is illustrated throughout with watercolour studies of plants, insects and places. A rather wistful look at a time gone by which will be of great interest to anyone who has ever stayed at the Lodge. Hardback, 1980, illus, good condition.
