The Caravan Of Love

The Caravan of Love

It's the winter of 2003. Annie and Tom have itchy feet. Living and dying in the same small area of Newcastle, England, and never seeing any other part of the world doesn't appeal to them one bit. But where, on this great big planet, would they be happy? New Zealand or Australia: too far away. Scotland or Yorkshire: not far enough. Spain or France: Too dumb to learn a language! So when Tom is offered a position as a tattoo artist, working in a brand new studio in Cork city, Ireland, the decision is made and their adventure unfolds. Travelling by ferry in their trusty camper van Tom is first to arrive. While he is getting settled into his new job and looking for somewhere to live, Annie is up the walls dealing with everything back in Newcastle. One sunny morning in July Annie waves goodbye to family, friends and the place she’s called home since the day she was born, and sets off for her new life in Ireland with Tom and their three sons: seventeen-year-old Jack, sixteen-year-old Jamie and Robin who is seven. Each member of the family shares a different level of excitement and enthusiasm as they settle into the mouse and ant infested bungalow they rent from a local farmer for a year. Eventually their goal is in sight when they spot their dream house: an almost derelict farmhouse in the beautiful countryside of West Cork. With no building experience, some very laid back local tradesmen and a budget about half of what they need to complete the work, they begin the renovation. The building schedule goes nowhere according to plan and family life is strained to say the least. Have Annie and Tom made the biggest mistake of their lives, uprooting their whole family only to end up living in a dilapidated caravan in the middle of building site? Or, will their dream of a self-sufficient existence in their beautiful country farmhouse materialise. Read Annie’s journal and experience the laughter, the tears and the many nervous breakdowns that ensue as the family’s re-location story unfolds.

THE CARAVAN OF LOVE

Since the discovery of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there have been so many uncertainties about the cause of this disease and about the ways one gets infected. During the 1980s, so much false information persisted, along with the labeling of groups and discrimination. Thirty years later, this epidemic has gone global; just about every nation on the globe has a caseload involving HIV/AIDS. South Africa was the nation I focus on in this book; however, it is not the only country dealing with this crisis. This disease started as an isolated case; now it is a worldwide phenomenon. Love and education can help us to decrease the spread of this disease. This book highlights the panic people in South Africa went through. Their calls for help received no answers. I was encouraged to get involved when I read about Dr. Hlengwa Smangaliso in the community of Hlabisa, South Africa, who stood up and did all he could to help the people in his community. He, along with others, fought for the government to recognize the cause of the disease, allowing antiretroviral medications to be approved for those who were HIV-positive and educating the population about HIV/AIDS. I encourage you to join The Caravan of Love; whatever you can do to fight against the spread of this disease, join in.

The Christmas Caravan of Love for Fred M. Kirby