I have had a frustrating three and a half weeks as I was off line for  that time. However like all trials it had its compensations. With less time spent on the computer I got a lot more reading  done. Among the books I enjoyed in this period are two animal books. One was Tatianna by Linda Mohr. This beautiful book  chronicles the fifteen year relationship between Linda and Tatianna, For those who have ever had a close relationship with a cat (or any other animal) this book  will strike a chord;  Linda brings out the true essence, or soul of this lovely cat. Those who think of cats  as cool and self possessed are so wrong, cats are all emotion and capable  of immense love for their human friends. www.lindamohr.com

The cruelty endured by Australia's 11 million battery hens knows no bounds. Denied sunshine, fresh air and freedom, they are treated like production units rather than living beings, crammed into barren cages with up to four other birds. These intelligent and social hens suffer painful leg injuries and have no quality of life, imprisoned for the sole purpose of producing eggs for human consumption. (Christine Townend)

It was the plight of battery hens that precipitated Christine Townend, founder of Animal Liberation in Australia into a life of working tirelessly for the betterment of all animals both in Australia and India. I have  loved hens all my life and agree wholeheartedly with Christine's words.
In the 1970s she campaigned again hens kept in batteries, four decades later hens are still kept in batteries but today at least people have a choice and can buy free range eggs in the stores.   But there is still a long way to go, sentencing any living creature to a short and miserable life in prison cannot be right. For more on this  and what you can do about it see www.AnimalsAustralia.org

CHRISTINE'S ARK, which is a biography of this remarkable Australian and the work she has done for animals is also available from this web site. It is an inspiring book guaranteed to  grab and keep the attention of anyone who cares about animals, published in 2006 by Macmillan the author is John little.