Monday - A1 Savannahs

10.30am - Martin picks us up from our hotel. We call in at a supermarket to buy fresh raw shrimps, prawns, meat and vegetables. There shrimps are like our king prawns and their prawns are huge.
Kathrin prepares lunch whilst we spend time taking photos of this lovely life at A1 Savannah's.
Lunchtime - On the table is a large flat griddle and lots of lovely food, all sliced and waiting.
You cook your own food, exactly what you wish, delicious, I must get one of these at home. I just can't resist that extra prawn, or mushroom, or asparagus. Its such a sociable way of eating.
pm - A last look around at the kittens, photos taken of some of the cats. Then there's the paperwork to do. Kathrin and Martin have once again invited us to join them for dinner.
Everyone ready and we're off for another meal. A knock on a door and we're allowed to enter into a lovely restaurant. Everywhere you look there is a deep rich coloured wood. We're a little late as we had a drive around the area on the way. To show us what its like in general.
We're shown to a seating area upstairs. Its all open plan, upstairs to downstairs so you have a feel of space.
We are seated at our table with pewter service and our first course is the salad bar. Well, i haven't a clue what i had for the most of it, but it was delicious. My main course, i played safe and took the chicken, I'm not a great lover of beef. Grilled chicken with a baked potato, simple but just "up my street".
What a lovely evening spent in the company of a lovely family.
Kathrin and Martin suggest the Savannah show in New Mexico in September. Yes, we would love to go, can we make it, who knows yet. I will try my hardest as this is an important show for the Savannah breed.
Back at the hotel, too tired to pack so straight to bed.
Jacky Bliss
www.pureblissbengals.co.uk

Sunday 18 March '07 - A1 Savannahs

am - We have another tasty cooked breakfast, which we think it would be a good idea to walk off, so we have a walk to the nearest shop. Those roads and crossings are something else, i guess you must get used to them. Cynthia gets her photos processed of her two savannahs to show Kathrin and Martin.
1pm - Martin picks us up at our hotel and says he has a surprise for us, but we must stop off for desert first. We stop and pick up a lovely apple pie and banana /cream pie mmmmm. Then we are on our way again.
Look what the surprise is, Joyce, the founder of the Savannah breed has come to meet us. What a lovely lady. She is able to tell us about the Savannahs in the earlier days. Joyce exported a Savannah cat to England years ago, i wonder whatever happened to that Savannah - it would be interesting to know. Joyce looks around the cattery, seeing how the progression of the Savannah breeding is coming along.
We get to see the kittens today, what gorgeous kittens. Two boys that Martin shows us in particular are gorgeous. Long legs, well defined spots, not a rosette in sight! Long nose, strong bone structure, long elegant body. Not a chance he says, they are keeping those boys, well not to worry, it was worth a try. Martin then shows us some gorgeous boys. I'm taken by the golden boy with his extreme look, whereas Cynthia prefers the silver boy with the definition of his markings. Then Kathrin shows us the most beautiful girl and i fall for her, all those individual spots with the horizontal flow. Every kitten we have seen so far has been of different bloodlines. No where else would we have had this wide a gene pool. We are taken back by the high standard and consistency of their Savannahs.
Its time for Joyce to leave, and i just realise i haven't spent enough time with her. All this time to pick her brains, and i didn't take advantage of it. There is just so much to see and talk about, so much to think about.
pm - Kathrin and Martin are kind enough to invite us to join them and their children to a burger bar. we enjoy burgers and frys each. Lets face it, we just can't stop talking cats.
Cynthia and I started talking cats on Thursday and we haven't stopped yet.
time for bed and so Martin drops us off at our hotel, and its straight to bed for us.
click onto our website and view photos of some of A1 Savannahs cats. Go to our home page and click where it says click here above the photo of us with Kathrin and Martin with the Serval kittens.
www.pureblissbengals.co.uk

Saturday 17 March '07 - A1 Savannahs

7am - awake, shower and breakfast. Lovely cooked breakfast.
10am - Martin picked us up at our hotel, went to meet Kathrin and their lovely two children. Had a chat over a coffee about the Savannah cat and its future.
I look round to see - Wow! yes it is - Wow! A Serval kitten, no, two Serval kittens running around. Then who wakes up from behind a cushion, but an amazing Servannah boy who comes over for a cuddle. What a lovely nature these kittens have, and how beautiful they are!
We spend the rest of the morning with Martin showing us around his Servals and hybrids.
lunchtime - Kathrin has made us a delicious meal, which we all enjoyed whilst talking Savannah cats.
We spent the afternoon looking around their wonderful Servals, hybrids, Savannahs and Bengals.
Martin invited Cynthia and I to see him in concert at a local place where they were celebrating St Patricks Day. Martin plays the accordion extremely well, and all around us commented on his ability. We had pizza and enjoyed a lovely evening. Meeting some of the local people who made us very welcome. The people of Ponca City are a warm and welcoming people, making us feel part of their community.
Martin drops us off at our hotel, and its straight to bed.
http://www.pureblissbengals.co.uk/

Thursday 15 March '07 - A1 Savannahs

5pm start today, need to get the feeding finished so that I can start for Dover.
Quickly get changed and grab my case and tickets. Now to catch the train to Dover Priory Station. Tim is kind enough to come with me for the journey across London on the tube.
Cynthia meets me at the Dover Priory train station at luchtime.
Off we go to take Cynthia's cats to the boarding cattery then back to her place.
Many thanks to Cynthia for the lovely dinner she made for me, it always tastes even better when someone prepares it for you.
I had the privilege to meet Cynthia's lovely family whilst visiting her.
Last thing we feed and clean out Cynthia's studs and Savannah's, not forgetting her dog (Dukie). Off to bed for an early start in the morning.

Friday 16 March '07
Make sure we have all our tickets and money and drive to Gatwick airport.
Plenty of time after checking in for our flight, so we go for some breakfast.
Time to board the plane, and we're off. Change at Atlanta for Oklahoma - oops, we missed the plane. You may ask how? We were told that it was cancelled, and by the time we realised it was still going we were too late. Still, not to worry, the Americans sorted it all out and we were on our way again. Once at Oklahoma airport a driver that Kathryn and Martin had kindly arranged met us to take us to our motel in Ponca City.
We were very tired after our long flight and ready to fall into bed.
http://www.pureblissbengals.co.uk/