GEORGE NEWS - Dressed in an elegant red outfit and looking quite composed, Daleen Engelbrecht is quite a contradiction in terms. This retired accountant/businesswoman, is everything but a blue stockinged granny. Quite the contrary. She is a thoroughly modern, multi-tasking woman who has written a sweeping 325 page historical romance. It is set in Italy over three generations and with numerous intricate twists in the tale.

A few years ago when she completed this epic story, she had difficulty finding a South African publisher. Eventually she traced one to Cambridge in England and had it published. But being a perfectionist in every sense of the word, a year or so later, she decided to re-edit it and is busy negotiating publishing it as a Kindle book on Amazon.com

While we chat in her sunny lounge which overlooks the Fancourt estate, she describes herself as being passionate about South Africa, but confesses that romantic Italy is the country of her dreams. She visited the country several times to do research for her novel, and found it quite an enjoyable experience, especially the visit to Venice.

Her book entitled Full Circle is an absorbing, a spell-binding drama which I could not put down. She used the non de plume of Daleen Angelbridge.

Secret in an envelope
But Daleen is full of surprises. One unexpected revelation is the envelope which comes with the book. The handwritten instruction on it reads, "Open only after reading Full Circle - ‘if you want to know more’." In the envelope is a note which reveals the final, dramatic outcome of the love story between Eva and Adam. But one burning question which, rather intriguingly, remains unanswered is - did author Daleen change her mind about leaving the passionate love story unfinished? Did she want to tie up the lose ends of Eva and Adam's quest to find happiness together? She merely gives a knowing smile.

There are some deep underlying philosophical themes in the story. Adam and Eva personify life in all its complexity. "Their lives speak of physical blindness, but it is also a story about the cycles of life and evolution of the soul. It tells how we sometimes go on a quest to the ends of the earth, searching for something or someone while we are blind to the real beauty that surrounds us," says Daleen. The other theme is human beings' capacity for reform - even the most evil human being is capable of remorse, and craves acceptance and forgiveness.
Daleen is Afrikaans speaking, but her fluency in English makes for easy reading.

During our visit, she unhurriedly poured tea, fitting in an interview with a journalist, even though she was expecting her daughter Leonie and her family for a visit from Pretoria. Her eyes lit up when her granddaughter, Isabel, radiant at seeing her granny, burst into the lounge.

Another fulfilling hobby is photography. Before I take my leave, Daleen shows me an audio-visual presentation of her photos which are of outstanding quality and include arresting wildlife photography.

Daleen's motto in live is ‘life is beautiful’. Her enjoyments are many: The company of her loved ones, travel, music, food, theatre, people, children, golf, rugby, cricket, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, birds, elephants, lions, leopard, cheetah and every one of the many kinds of wild animals still abundant in South Africa, "my country". She loves trees and beautiful gardens and gets poetical about South Africa's people. She remains hopeful that someday poverty, Aids and unemployment will be something of the past.

Half of the profits on the sales of Full Circle has been pledged to Badisa George, a registered nonprofit organisation (contact number: 044 874 5013).

ARTICLE AND PHOTO: PAULINE LOURENS