Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - December 1, 2005
Mally, 54, lives near the town of Nelspruit in South Africa. For the past two years he has told us about his full life with his Swazi foster child Fanikie. Another year on, he updates us once more.
Over the past year I have nothing spectacular to report, my health remains good and my home life remains constant.
And I'm still broke!
My foster child Fanikie has just completed his secondary school exams and is due to graduate.
He has been offered a job in a new bed-and-breakfast after he completes a course at a chef's school. I am inordinately proud of him.
Ainsley from the BBC's Ready Steady Cook programme - Mally's foster son, Fanikie's hero Ainsley from the BBC's Ready Steady Cook programme has inspired Fanikie to become a chef
Fanikie's interest in cooking started with the BBC's own Ainsley Harriott of Ready Steady Cook fame.
Fanikie has shown a flair for cooking and his cooking is far better than the toxic waste I am responsible for in the kitchen.
Since last year, we have established a bit of a herb garden, we both love basil and can't abide coriander. I guess it is an acquired taste! But the thyme, rosemary, dill, fennel and others are all great and we have a whale of a time experimenting with them.
Dreams
Life continues in parallel to an HIV infection, and one learns that HIV is not a death sentence.
Armed with this realisation life continues, one still has to buy groceries, work, pay taxes, fall in love, laugh, cry.
And this all while having an unwelcome passenger in the form of an HIV virus aboard.
Accept it and learn to live with it - there is far too much life to live!
Fanikie and myself enjoy each precious moment of life. We are still trying our best to win the national lottery and even have lofty dreams of buying a Jaguar X-type diesel estate. We have even chosen the colour!
We're aiming to travel South Africa in style and while we do we'll visit and where possible assist some rural HIV missions along the way.
Dreams can, and will, be realised and we are positive of this.
Now, how does one make the lottery choose our numbers?
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