Kerry-Anne's mother spotted a little vistor, Sheldon the tortoise, hurrying about our garden. We're not sure where he came from, and needless to say, Elizabeth, the grey kitty to the left, was exceedingly curious.

I'm not sure how old Sheldon is or even what kind of tortoise he is. South Africa appears to have several kinds of tortoise, like the Leopard, Tent and Angulate species. Kerry-Anne's dad told us about a large tortoise that used to roam the streets of Fishhoek. Apparently the owner had painted the tortoise's name and address on his shell so that anyone who found him could return him to his home.

Incidentally, Sheldon seems to have gone missing in our garden - he's probably burrowing out a little home for himself. Don't worry, Elizabeth doesn't even dream of catching birds, so even though she was interested in little Sheldon she wouldn't think of hurting him. Chances are that Sheldon would scare her off with that big beak and those vicious front claws anyway.

Thanks to Sam for suggesting the name "Sheldon" - we had a few other good suggestions, but this one kind of stuck.