A Cape Country Chronicle

(Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 1992) 0947464689. 4to; original white boards; laminated pictorial dustwrapper; pictorial endpapers; pp. 165; charming colour illustrations. Dustwrapper a little rubbed. Very good condition. "In the heart of Outeniqualand, where sunbirds tumble in fynbos redolent of herbs and honey and where rocky outcrops at the very edge of Africa crash into the ocean, a little farm nestles in the verdant hills. In true fairy-tale style, through an unexpected legacy from a little-known aunt, author Gillian Rattray and her husband Peter were able to purchase this farm and so to embark on their long-cherished dream of retirement in the country. A Cape Country Chronicle is an evocative journal of life at Fairview Farm: industrious days, rich in incident and bustling with activity; the sustained invasion by builders and guests; and the planting of a miniature Sissinghurst - all are recorded with humour and enlivened by the strokes of a gentle and affectionate pen. Numerous watercolours illuminate the text. With sure, vivid brushwork Gillian Rattray captures the essence of the rich bird and insect life and pays tribute to the floral kingdom of the south-eastern Cape." .