Lady Hermann not her usual self

[ruthiepo]

Dear Zola,
I hope you are enjoying the warm weather in beautiful Devon.
am exploring the garden and trying my best to climb this tree.
now I am being given a soothing bath.
It's very pleasant to have a drink after my adventures.
Fond regards from your friend Teztez xxx

 

[zolasmum]

Dear and most amazing Lady - I am delighted to see you having an enjoyable time. I will try to get my mama to help me reply to you tomorrow - she has been having an unpleasant time recently, since having two big head injections on Tuesday. They would have been worse, of course, if I hadn't been there to support her.
I love to see you in your bath - your shell looks exceptionally beautiful, if I may say so.
With respectful and enduring good wishes to you from Zola .xxxxx
P S. I do admire your climbing skills, and look forward to having adventures with you one day.

 

[zolasmum]

Dear and delightful friend - here are some photos of me on the breakwater at Bude which my dad took yesterday - he is very careful not to let people or dogs get near me, of course, but the place was surprisingly empty, so I had a good time.
Your devoted friend Zola xxxxx

 

[ruthiepo]

I say! Zola, you look very nautical and at home on the breakwater and on the shore!
Marvellous pictures. Your shell looks very fine, and you look very much in charge of the whole coastline.
We are very sorry to hear that Angie has not been very well, but we are sure that your support and skill helped to comfort her and make her feel reassured.
We hope very much that Angie feels stronger soon.
Teztez was full of excitement yesterday. We had a proper thunderstorm, the first for ages, and she insisted on hurrying out into the downpour and seemed to positively relish the cascading raindrops hammering down onto her shell.
Eventually we brought her in to dry off and warm up, but she was very frisky and eager to share the storm experience.
She has been determinedly quartering the whole garden, trying to find a way out, climbing and crashing through every obstacle.
Her shell has been getting dusty and scratched and she even landed on her back after trying to climb over a big plant pot.
Fortunately I found her quite soon and she was none the worse, possibly a little more subdued for a while.
Hope you have a pleasant day, lovely Zola.
Love from Lady Teztez (Grylls)and her devoted retainer, Ruth xx

 

[zolasmum]

Dearest and bravest of friends - how I admire you, venturing out in your garden in a thunderstorm to check that there was nothing which could harm your home or your retainers. I am glad all is safe.
I have a little anecdote to tell you about - yesterday, my dad and I were strolling beside the canal in Bude, past the people sitting looking at the water and drinking coffee, when a man called out to my dad. He explained that several years ago, his brother-in-law had come to Bude on holiday, and when he got back, the thing that had made the biggest impression was meeting me there ! So he said to this chap that he should look out for me, so he and his wife had just arrived, and were sitting down for a few minutes before going on the beach, when - Lo - I appeared.!!!!!
So they were really pleased, and had their photos taken holding me, and we had a nice chat.
I really like it when people are so delighted to meet me.
We have had some rain today, but nothing too dramatic - I hope you did' nt need to protect your palace from the storm today.
Always your humble admirer, dear Lady
Zola xxxxx

 

[ruthiepo]

Dear And most noble Zola,
That is amazing, you are a truly famous tortoise! You have such fun strolling round with your Papa, meeting people and being photographed, making their day more memorable and special! Have you ever been in the newspaper?
Teztez has just chased a pigeon! It alighted rather boldly near to where she was sitting.
She was eating some romaine heart lettuce when she noticed the pigeon sidling cautiously towards her, eyeing her snack.
She extended her head belligerently and advanced towards it in a purposeful manner, menace in every movement.
It toddled off hastily and flapped away, leaving her triumphantly standing on her lettuce.
We didn't realise she regards herself as the security director of our home, but it makes a lot of sense, as she definitely keeps her claw on the pulse of the home front.
Hope you are having an enjoyable day, Zola, and we hope Angie and Richard are well.
Love from Lady Teztez and Ruth xx

 

[zolasmum]

Dear Ruth - thank you so much for your descripyion of Teztez and the pigron - it really made us laugh. !
I'm not sure if I mentioned that Richard was trying once again to grow tomatoes in Zola's room - he had 3 - quite expensive ones - well, one of them, called Buffalosun FI -flowered, and then produced this !!!

This was the total crop - it's huge, but neither of us fancied eating it ,strangely enough.
The other plants have a few flowers, but no fruit yet, and they are different varieties.
On the other hand, my 2 little orange trees (from Lidl) in the front porch are doing brilliantly !
I expect Zola will write to Teztez tomorrow.
Love from Angie xxx

 

[zolasmum]

Dear Ruth and your precious treasure Teztez - I'm sorry I have not written to you sooner - blame it on my mama and her headaches. I have several things to tell you about eventually, but not all today.
I am not sure if you know why I was called Zola - actually, the word came into my Mama's head from nowhere, it seemed. I could have been named after the writer, the footballer, or the runner -or all of them combined - then my mum saw a photo of a sweet little baby gorilla, who had been named Zola because it means quietness in Swahili.
Anyway, people often say what a good name Zola is, which of course is true (though not as noble as Teztez)
Recently, I was out with my Papa, whe we got talking to a man with his girlfriend, who was black. When she was told my name, she lit up and started singing a song about Zola, and waving her arms. It was a children's song in Swahili, which is about being quiet !!!
I hope you are all well and that theLady TezTez is having a happy time looking after her palace garden.
Love from Zola xxxxxand Angiexxxxx

 

[ruthiepo]

Thank you Zola, that is such a beautiful account of how you got your unusual and memorable name.
Teztez will be most impressed.
We had no idea your name had a special meaning, but it is very appropriate for an enigmatic tortoise.
We are sorry Angie is suffering from her headaches. We have been thinking of her and hoping that she was well.
What a good thing you are there to help her with your comforting breathing and nose strokes.
Teztez has settled down to her regular round of basking places, and seems to have forgotten about digging or escaping.
The last few days have been a bit chill, so she has come inside to sit beside the aga and bask under her lamp.
We were fascinated by the picture of the exotic tomato!
It looked faintly sinister, but has a definite character of its own.
Our beans are going nowhere fast, not at all successful this year, don't know what is the matter with them.
Have planted some sweet peas to cheer us up.
Hope you have a good night and enjoyable day tomorrow, with fond regards and love from Teztez and Ruth xxx

 

[zolasmum]

Thank you Zola, that is such a beautiful account of how you got your unusual and memorable name.
Teztez will be most impressed.
We had no idea your name had a special meaning, but it is very appropriate for an enigmatic tortoise.
We are sorry Angie is suffering from her headaches. We have been thinking of her and hoping that she was well.
What a good thing you are there to help her with your comforting breathing and nose strokes.
Teztez has settled down to her regular round of basking places, and seems to have forgotten about digging or escaping.
The last few days have been a bit chill, so she has come inside to sit beside the aga and bask under her lamp.
We were fascinated by the picture of the exotic tomato!
It looked faintly sinister, but has a definite character of its own.
Our beans are going nowhere fast, not at all successful this year, don't know what is the matter with them.
Have planted some sweet peas to cheer us up.
Hope you have a good night and enjoyable day tomorrow, with fond regards and love from Teztez and Ruth xxx

Hello again, dear Ruth - my papa is cutting the hedge by the road today - it is the safest day to do it, because there is much less traffic. We did have a short walk by the sea this morning, though. One day recently, my papa, mama and I were out together by the sea when we met a very nice couple who were very interested in me, and my mama asked the lady if she would like to hold me. So she did - and she said "I've never touched a tortoise before - this is wonderful - this has made my day - no - this has made my year !!!! "
That was a really nice thing to say, and I don't think she was just being polite !
Love to you and the amazing Teztez. xxxxxxxx
p. s - it will be my birthday on July 8th - I shall be 23 years old. How old is the Lady, if I may ask
My mama's birthday is the same day, and we shall go to Torquay for the day, if the weather is good. That's her favourite place.

 

[zolasmum]

Hello, Ruth - I thought you would like to see these photos of 3 baby swallows we rescued. There is a shelf on the wall of our carport inside - it's just above where the car goes, and for years swallows have nested there - thoughtfully leaving smelly little presents all over the car roof for us - so my papa has to remember to cover it when ever it is parked. He doesn't mind, as it is so lovely to think that they fly all the way from Africa with the image of our carport fixed in their minds each year. This year, they decided to build the nest right on the end of the little shelf, where there is a space between it and the wall. I think they had trouble getting the mud wet enough, because of the drought, and so it was crumbly - it collapsed , and we found 3 baby swallows on the ground, surrounded by bits of nest. We thought the best thing to do would be to put them as close to the shelf as possible, and hope the parents would come to feed them. We put them in a large plant bowl, which was planted up with seedlings, and stood it on boxes etc, to raise it up well off the ground. Anyway, so far, it seems to be working, and they are getting fed, as you can see.

First photo..

being fed !
It isn't easy for my papa to take the photos, as he can't go too close - but you can see they survived their first night.
Love and respectful regards to you and the Lady
from Zola xxxxxxx

 

[ruthiepo]

Dear Zola, that is truly awesome!!
How very clever of your Papa and Mama to know how to save the babies without making the parents abandon them.
That is a wonderful story, and we love the pictures!
Teztez likes the sound of birds singing and she knows what the swifts are screaming and whistling as they fly like missiles across the garden and dive into the roof.
Swallows and swifts are so beautiful; we are so fortunate to see them for a few weeks.
Teztez is rather embarrassed about her age, we have been calling her 36 for years, ever since she came to us from the farm park.
I think she must be approaching 40 this summer. We haven't planned a big party for her, but maybe there will be an opportunity for her to wear her tiara for her official birthday.
We will be thinking of you and your dear Mama on July 8th, and we hope youboth have a very happy day.
We were reading an article about Torquay recently, it was being compared to Cannes.
I hope you thoroughly enjoy your visit.
Much love and thank you for the excellent photos,
From Teztez and Ruth xxx

 

[zolasmum]

Dear Ruth - I don't know about Torquay being like Cannes - it isn't all that posh, for a start, and also probably a lot smaller, but my family went there every summer, to stay with my aunt, who had a flat not too far from the sea. It was very kind of her - 2 adults and 3 children in what was basically a one-person flat, as well as herself. She knew we wouldn't get much of a holiday if it weren't for her generosity.
I think I already sent you photos of Zola at Torquay previously, but Richard came across this of Zola on the big wheel near the marina - it was taken several years ago - the wheel goes round very slowly, so you can admire the view - not like a fairground one !


We don't have any swifts around our house - possibly because it is a bungalow - we are very glad the swallows are still coming here, as we feared the building work next door for the past 2 years might put them off.
I will keep you informed about the little swallows- it is an honour to help them.
Zola won't have much of a party, nor will I, but I think we will get a few cards. Any celebration is more for him than for me .
Love from Angie and Zola xxxxx

 

[zolasmum]

Latest news - the 3 babies are moving around a bit, but staying in a little clump as they do so (to keep warm ? )
They are cheeping more loudly, and producing much more adult noises.So far -so good.
Angiex

 

[ruthiepo]

warming my botty

 

[zolasmum]

Ooooh - I bet that feels nice !
Did her ladyship get into that position herself, or did her dedicated retainer reverently place her there?
It has been raining most of the day, and Zola only got a short look at the sea - it is now raining really hard - and loudly - on his conservatory roof.
Angie x

 

[ruthiepo]

She did it all by herself!
I love the soulful look on her face, enjoying the warmth.
What a nice noise rain makes on the roof, so cosy, reminds me of rainy playtimes at infant's school, the lights on, steamed up windows and allowed to stay in and read books..bliss!

 

[zolasmum]

She did it all by herself!
I love the soulful look on her face, enjoying the warmth.
What a nice noise rain makes on the roof, so cosy, reminds me of rainy playtimes at infant's school, the lights on, steamed up windows and allowed to stay in and read books..bliss!

Unfortunately Zola's roof can get very loud, if it's rained on hard, and he really doesn't like that much. So I have to cover his ears a bit, and hold him in a towel. But I know what you mean. The other disadvantage is that Richard has been growing a lot of flowers for our garden from seed - we get a free packet every month from a magazine - and this sort of rain is not ideal for them - the poor little things are still fragile.
I'm so glad Teztez looks happy - what happened about the mysterious intruder she saw ?
Angie

 

[zolasmum]

Babies are still looking good, and they are less fluffy and more feathery now. They sound louder and more adult when they cheep.
I'm hoping we will manage to get photos of them when they are bigger and flapping about.
We have been worried that the very heavy rain yesterday will have drowned a lot of insects, and thir parents won't be able to find enough food for them.
Angie x

 

[ruthiepo]

That's so good that the babies are growing. I do hope the rain hasn't killed all the flies..hadn't thought of that aspect.
Hot and sunny this afternoon, hopefully more insects will hatch out.
Hope the seedlings were OK, despite the rain on them
Baby swifts can go into a torpor, so they can survive being abandoned during stormy weather apparently.
The sweet peas are growing. Hope the orange trees are doing ok.
Loved the picture of Angie and Zola in the big wheel cabin at Torquay.
Zola's legs are truly adorable 😍
Teztez closes her eyes when they are mentioned.
Love from Ruth and the basking Lady xxx