Happy Valentines Day

This email wishes all of you a very Happy Valentines Day. Wherever you are and believe me it is a constant source of amazement and amusement where some Zimbabweans have ended up. I can't believe we are still in our house in the Bvumba, land of swirling mists and breathtaking beauty. I thought the Hierarchy would have been here by now to claim their mountain home but so far silence on that front. 

So we enjoy each day. Mind you its not as enjoyable as it was, as most of the time we have windows and doors barred in case the armed gang of six arrive, who are presently terrorizing Manicaland. Armed and dangerous they seem to break their way in to anything and everything. Every night we wonder who is next. The stories from the survivors are too terrible. It appears our Police Force are unable to apprehend them or perhaps they just don't want to. I lie awake every night sensitive to every sound and feel like death in the morning. You wake up so relieved you have survived the night and are still alive, you start whistling spontaneously. Crazy but true. Zimbabwe now, is not for the faint- hearted. Has it ever been!! That’s probably why we are like we are; most Zimbabweans can turn their hand to anything without complaint. 

With this recent spate of violent crime most people are affected, as our community gets smaller we tend to know a lot of the people attacked and somehow it is so much worse. Even the SPCA was not spared. I flew into the SPCA to get a letter confirming that our horses, we are moving to Mozambique, have No Commercial Value, like most of us they are displaced. As I rushed into the office Pam Kivaris was holding a meeting with her staff. I excused myself hurriedly but Pam raised a hand and beckoned me in. Mandy! she exclaimed with a haunted look in her eyes "we have had a burglary". I clutched my heart and looked wildly round the office for signs of a violent entry.. The staff had their heads in the hands, gazing mournfully at the floor and the air was thick with dejection. What happened? I stammered expecting the worse. Has somebody been shot?. Pam clutched the table for support. Its too terrible Mandy. Sit down! a chair was hastily vacated and I sat down, eyes fixed on Pam's stricken face. She took a gulp of air. What is it Pam I begged. I leant forward encouraging her to speak. Mandy, she finally gasped. You won't believe this but somebody has stolen our Cockerels, they climbed over the fence in the dead of night and broke open their cage. She closed her eyes momentarily with the injustice of it all and then added, all five of them.. I looked at Pam blankly, digested it and then did the unforgivable I burst out laughing and laughed till I could laugh no more. Of course, I am upset about the cockerels, but just the relief that this time it was a simple theft without the blood and gore set me off, much to the horror and tight lipped disapproval of Pam's staff, who obviously thought I was taking this very serious offence far too lightly. 

This email is a tribute to the SPCA and all the work they do under the present economic restrictions. A special mention has to be made to Meryl Harrison and her team who go out to the front rescuing terrorized animals. She has to be applauded. In fact this email is dedicated to all Zimbabweans wherever you are, for just being the wonderful people you are. 

Happy Valentines Day. 

Mandy Retzlaff.
Mutare
Zimbabwe

PS. For the people who stole the 5 cockerels from the SPCA Mutare Branch, Shame on You!!!