All Going To Riversleigh

When the animals all saw the bags they knew that I was seriously heading off for another of my cyber adventures and they leapt in the car and positioned themselves. "If your going to Riversleigh for the rest of the year we are coming too" I heard my ever faithful Dougie say. When we spent six months in Europe poor Dougie (top right) fretted and never kept good health the whole time I was gone. I don't leave him much these days and he is usually lying here, by the computer, alongside me as I sketch, or sprawled out with me when I lie down.

Then Calvin the cat, who had been occupied drinking from the fish bowl in the backyard sprang in and sat down with the Cavaliers. He does not like Max, second from the top, and Monty and he have always maintained a civil distance, so he snuggled next to his old friend Dougie and announced that he would be coming too.

As if the car wasn't full enough! le Enchanteur, Ebony Wilder the housekeeper and Baba Yaga were all pushing and shoving to get in the car too.

"A bit of order" I told them all in my best school teacher voice "or else you can all stay here in Melbourne".

They looked at one another, looked at me, saw the determined glint in my eye and promised that they would each make themselves useful. Right! As if!

Monty, or monster as we call him, will visit everyone at Riversleigh. I suspect he was a character of dubious credentials in a previous life. He is very much his own dog, will take no nonsense and is currently in to demand feeding. He is ten and the elder statesman, boss dog. No one messes with Monty - especially Calvin, who would torment anything else that moved. Calvin is a bit of killer and so we will have to keep him indoors at night or all the little furry life will be lying in a cold state near Ebony when Calvin greets her in the kitchen. He is very giving to those who give to him and likes to leave trophies about. The mice have more to worry about with Calvin on board than they do from any owls that might be in residence.

So! We are on our way. There are so many new people at Riversleigh that I have employed extra staff and le Enchanteur (affectionately known as Sibyl) is all enthused and is planning lots of things for people to do. Now that is a worry. Old timers who went off into the cave will caution you that this is not necessarily a good thing.

Whatever! The place is going to quite literally be buzzing and we will need a very good lie down by the end of each day.

If it all sounds a bit exhausting and you cannot maintain a weekly post at Riversleigh don't give up or head off. Just make sure you are listed on the Soul Food Cafe Google Group list and participate, when you can, on the other bloggers. Just drop me a line to let me know if weekly is too much so that I can do a proper head count and offer any final places to people who tell me that they would pack their bags and come at a moments notice. I am closing the doors soon and then we will all be trapped here together. (is that a sinister cackle coming from Baba?)