Zola

Once upon a time there was a tortoise who lived in a garden in Plumstead. You probably think of tortoises as slow, lethargic creatures. Well, when my family moved to Plumstead in the early 1980s, Zola very quickly disabused us of this stereotype. Zola was short for Zola Budd, a young, barefoot runner whose speed promised a successful international career. Our tortoise was a speedy one, hence the name, and not backward in coming forward. My father was a keen gardener. A reserved man, he lavished affection on his dogs, and spent most of his free time in the garden. His big toe was often the target of a tortoise's beak. Zola, impatient for lettuce from the fridge, lay in wait for him outside the front door. Oh, I forgot to mention, the runner was a she, but our Zola was a he.