As far back as I can remember I’ve always thought myself to be a "doggy" person. Cats were around but somehow distant. Although I can’t remember when or how, during part of my childhood we had a cat called Snowy (it was white) who had the odd singularity of having one blue eye and one green eye. Sadly, because my mother suffered from varicose veins and Snowy loved to chase her up the flight of stairs to the first floor of our home, she was put to sleep (the cat, not my mother).

Many, many years later I then had an extraordinary cat called Popeye who travelled with me where ever I went (Belgium, South Africa, France). I say "had" because I don’t think you can ever "own" a cat in the proper sense of the word. Much to my chagrin, a year after I’d settled in France she was caught by a fox and mauled to death. I was left heartbroken and queried my life here and if it was worth the loss of such a dear friend. Like many people who have lost a special companion, afterwards I made the conscious effort to accept cats into my world but never to let them touch me as deeply as Popeye; that is until Little Miss Fleur entered my life.

The first photo shown is Miss Fleur when she was just 8 weeks old and newly arrived in our home. She was almost black with just a smidgen of pinky/orange on her nose. Since then orange flecks have appeared more evident along her flanks but her face is much as when we first adopted her.

She is, to put it mildly, exceptional and I am totally besotted by her. I can’t even say she’s beautiful yet there is something very charismatic about her, her gentle character and very loving nature. As responsible owners we have always neutered our animals (dogs and cats) and yet, when it came to Miss Fleur, I found it an impossible act to do - almost an outrage. This second photo as taken today while I was writing this blog. As you can see she is still quite dark and resting on my printing after enjoying my bowl of prawns that I’d brought down into the office for Nigel and I to enjoy as an aperitif with a chilled glass of Rosé - it being Friday and TGIF after all.

And so here we are, after a couple of weeks of singing, chirruping, flicking her tail and disappearing into the woodlands behind our home, Miss Fleur found her Beau and is now with kittens. As doting parents we are over-joyed. So this blog is a chronicle of this fascinating adventure, the different milestones both she and her kittens will go through, and watching them grow up and enjoying life to its fullest.

We believe she was sired around the first week of February. Now, at the end of February her nipples are "pinking up" which apparently occurs about the third week of pregnancy. She should also start showing a gradual weight gain and I must admit that her appetit has become, well, more noticeable. She especially loves prawns and I must own up to buying her fresh shrimps or prawns everyday when I can find them (cheap).

We plan to take her to the vet in two weeks time for her first check up and to find out how many kitties she may be carrying. In the meantime, we shall be reporting on Miss Fleur’s progress and if she will stop pinching my prawns set aside for me for dipping in my special mayonaise concoction!

Is there no escape from tweaking my website I ask myself for the upteenth time? However, for all you bloggers out there, I’ve finally come round to blogging correctly with categories and archives. Those of you new to my blog will be amazed at how organised I am . . .

Oddly enough, and somewhat unexpectedly, it’s been an interesting exercise for me. Personally, I’m not a great one to travel down memory lane, preferring instead to discover new horizons, but it’s been rather fascinating to reread events pertinent not just to AMB but to my own life too. It’s also been rather embarrassing to see that I’ve not upheld one New Year’s resolution and the number of times I’ve written “if you’ve been following my blog”!

Between you and me, there are a few more adventures to come this year. One bit of exciting news is that our little kitten, Fleur, is pregnant. Nigel and I are over the moon about this as we so wanted to go through this experience and before anyone asks, we’re keeping them all. Once Mummy Fleur has had her little ones, she’ll be taken to our nice lady vet in Chateauneuf-de-Grasse as will her kittens when they come of age for “the snip”. For those of you who would like to journey with us over the coming months with her pregnancy and ultimate delivery, I shall create a special category just about Fleur. Doting parents or what?

Taking a break from computer work a few days ago I found myself having a lovely cup of tea at the Negresco Hotel in Nice. I have been dreaming of going there for ages and felt somewhat embarrassed to pop in just for “a cuppa”. Stepping inside Le Rotunde was like stepping back in time. In today’s world when sleek lines, stainless steel, glass and ultra modern decor is a must, it was refreshing to sit in a comfy seat surrounded by merry-go-round horses and old fashioned dolls. Around me sat rather chic ladies, dressed to the nines and smart looking couples. One couple in particular attracted my attention; she was slim, with long blond hair and stunningly beautiful while monsieur was tall, with dark hair flecked by grey at the temples, and oh so well groomed. I slumped down in my seat in awe of them and the obvious aura of money they exuded.

After finishing tea and back in the real world I popped round to my local supermarket in Plascassier before going home. It’s a small place, nothing fancy but has some wonderfully friendly staff and a good selection of items. Imagine my surprise when I bumped into my elite couple; she waiting outside puffing on a cigarette and looking rather bored while monsieur bravely pushed a wonky trolley round the shop - the aura of money having vanished and replaced by a deep frown across his face.

For some unknown reason I felt jubilant and giggling inwardly I picked up my shopping basket and sailed through my shopping spree on a high. Never trust a book by its cover I regaled.

This year AMB is helping to further the interest and awareness of Project White Horses 2008. If you’ve been following my blogs, you’ll remember that last year in September I became involved with a UK charity called Sugar Free, who undertake sponsored charity bike rides around the world for children diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Last year they came to the French Riviera and did a gruelling ride from Nice to St Tropez by way of Fréjus and each and every hill they could find in between.

Project White Horses 2008 is humanitarian project organised by the SLL (Sete Lorient London) a Franco/British charity working in partnership with La Sauvegard 56 in France and The Prince’s Trust in the UK through Ucan2’s European Voluntary Service (EVS) Youth in Action Programme.

Simply put, the SLL buy white horses in the Camargue (South of France) that have been specially trained to take riders with disabilities. They then donate them to riding for disabled centres in the UK and France. While this is already a magnificent gesture in itself, the chosen horses are actually ridden from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to London – an impressive feat of over 1000 miles that takes about six months to accomplish.

In 2005 SLL managed to buy and train four horses; this year they have ten that will undergo this amazing journey of discovery. Setting off on May 5th, a group of selected disadvantaged young people, escorted and accompanied by qualified adults and team leaders at all times during this journey, will ride all the way to Brittany, passing through (to name just a few places) Séte, Périgueux, Angouleme, Nantes, Redon until they reach Vannes by the middle of August.

Five horses will remain behind and be donated to four French charities, the five others will continue their journey to Cherbourg and cross the channel to Poole by 12th September and then ride on to London. Here the team and horses will receive a blessing at St Marks Church, Regents Park/Primrose Hill by the Bishop of Edmonton, the Rt Revd Peter Wheatley on Sunday 28th September. The ride continues afterwards until they reach their final destinations in October.

While I won’t be able to attend the whole of this extraordinary ride, I will be there on May 5th to see the departure, meet the horses and people involved and, as they progress, to keep you abreast of their journey. In the meantime, if you would like to know more about this very worthwhile cause, click on the following link.

Next instalment - meet the horses.