A Letter From Sabrina

Received 22 September 2003 (edited)

Dear Mark.

I will be calling you soon as I doubt I can put everything down on paper as a lot has been happening and my couple of trips were minor distractions.

[Sabrina had included two postcards from recent trips, one from Laguna Beach in California and one from Ensenada, Baja, Mexico. She had not posted the cards during the trips because she tends to lose her address book!]

Stephen [Sabrina's friend] wanted me to go back with him to England [for a holiday] and Turkey but it's difficult travelling long distances when you're in constant pain and in a wheelchair.

He finally sent me the other day the questions [' Ask Sabrina '] so I will get around to answering them, except for the chap with the bosom fixation... thought that was a little over the top (well, I guess I was too, in more ways than one.)

It was also nice to discover that I have a real genuine cousin, which I never knew existed. You have no idea how many people have said they were related over the years, so it was lovely [Sabrina consistently writes "loverly", which I think is better!] to find the real thing.

What was also surprising is how she found me through your website: everybody says it's the best one they have seen. Of course I'm still bitching about the photographs [she doesn't like pictures of herself] but that's not your fault. You did a fantastic job and the best you could do with what you had.

I have a couple of my favourite pictures that I'm going to get copied and send you. They are not too glamorous, just natural and nice - well, I think so - more like the real person I was, or am.

I was also trying to go through my negatives, but the big problem with a lot of them is that they are so tiny it's difficult to make out what they are and when they were taken.

I do have two large scrapbooks, which are huge, and are full of photographs taken in Australia. There are lots photographs taken with every Australian animal and also lots of great beach shots. The only thing is I made a sort of collage style and mixed the cuttings together with the photographs so they are sort of integrated.

I know you would love, or at least enjoy the books on Australia because I did them on every country I worked in. The problem is they are large and heavy so I do not know what to do. Any suggestions? It's a shame you are so far away.

[Never fear, Sabrinafans. I'll hire a 747 if needs be]

All my love,

Sabrina

or Sabby. That's what my friends call me so you don't have to use "Norma" any more [which she hates.]

Even my parents called me Sabrina or Sabby. This happened almost immediately after I was given the name, The funny thing is when I was told I was going to be called Sabrina , I told the powers that be I did not like that name and they answered me saying, "What do you care? It's only going to be for one night." Little did anyone know.

The main reason I hated the name was I had just seen Audrey H in My Fair Lady (or was it Sabrina Fair ? It's about 4am and my mind has stopped working). Anyway, the image I had of a Sabrina type was someone who had dark hair and was flat chested. How wrong could I have been?

Luv,

S.