{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter Z

Z is for ... Zipline

I am not the most adventurous when it comes to physical activities. Give me a passport and a random air ticket and I will jump on the plane and ask questions later (Hear that The Amazing Race?)

Physical stuff? Not my forté.

When a friend from Australia visited in 2010 and only had time to visit Gauteng and not the Western Cape, I was slightly distressed.

The Cape is one of our best tourist spots in the country. After only a short car ride, you can be sipping glasses (note the plural) of wine in the winelands. You could spend a day watching the whales or the kite-surfers by the sea. On a clear day, you would want to explore the very top of Table Mountain; the possibilities are endless. 

I scrambled to compile a list of activities that could be enjoyed in and around Johannesburg, and one of them was Ziplining. I had never done this before and it looked like fun.

After a short briefing, we were kitted out and ready to go:

Sexy Straps

Our next stop

Tharien FAILING at looking scared (Well done Shez, you nailed it)

If you are ever in Johannesburg, there are a host of activities to keep you busy & I am sure you will love it as much as I do:

• Visit he Bird Park at Montecasino and realise that birds are more interesting than you thought
• Grab a delicious milkshake at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice (They use entire bars of chocolate!)
• Visit the Lion Park and touch a lion cub if you are lucky - the older cubs are more grumpy when you disturb their sleep
• Take a day trip to Parys and have lunch at a decadently decorated restaurant called Rubys
• Go next door to the little coffee shop and mess around on their awesome lounging chair, clearly made for some with long legs.

And so, the April A-Z challenge has ended.

It has been an amazing month of blogging. I have enjoyed being forced to blog and had fun trying to come up with a theme for the letter of the day.

The best advice I saw was a post that said, "There is no such thing as not enough time, even 5 minutes a day will yield a great post - all you need is practice"

I actually tried the 5 minute challenge and excluding photo selection and uploading, it worked out pretty well once I had a topic in mind.

I will not be taking part in the May Challenge due to a few circumstances happening this month, but I really look forward to doing one soon again.

Thank you to all who read my blog and to those who shared the love by commenting, no matter what you say, I appreciate every word.

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter Y

Y is for ... Year End Party

Every year our company has big year end party. An event for the 60+ employees at our branch to forget our troubles of the year, throw away any negative thoughts and just have fun getting to know our colleagues as people. 

We have had some truly memorable events; Dress up as the first letter of your name, Night at the Oscars, The Grammys, etc.

In 2012 we had our function on the rooftop deck of a restaurant; overlooking the entire city. It was a gorgeous night and we had a ton of fun. A colleague even stole a rock from the gardens and I now use it as a doorstop!

Before the party, we were given ballot forms which contained various categories:

Little Miss Sunshine

Mr Grumpy

Miss Helpful

Mr Happy, etc

I won the Little Miss Wise and was awarded my very own pair of Harry Potter Glasses. I had never thought of myself as wise before then ... but I'll own it!

What category would you be most likely to win?

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter X

X is for X-Ray

Not my x-ray.

You are looking at a photo of my cat. Impaled by a metal pole.

I never believed that a cat had 9 lives until I found my cat lying in the garden of the unit below me, meowing.

I lost a few lives of my own as I tried to remain calm whilst pulling the pole out of the ground and trying not to move him too much. 

Greys Anatomy taught me to never remove a log impaling 2 people after a train-wreck metal pole protruding from the top of the cat's "armpit" to his groin.

My boyfriend at the time and I- squeezed into the car- pole and all and raced to the vet.

Miraculously he had survived his fall from the top floor and had survived the pole-skewering as it had missed all his vital organs.

4 days in hospital and he was on the road to a full recovery. 

To this day, I cringe when I look at this x-ray. To think of the pain he must have been in; yet he let me pick him up and hardly struggled at all.

Sadly, a few years ago, he went missing and I never saw him again :-(

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter W

W is for ...Weddings

We recently attended the wedding of one of my high school friends. My backup husband when I reached 40.

Both of us have thus far managed to be the only 2 single people amongst our high school friends because we share similar ideas about marriage; Don't compromise, do it properly.

Just over a year ago, he met the most perfect woman. She is bubbly, intelligent and genuinely nice. she shares his interests in activities and she compliments him beautifully.

The wedding was at a gorgeous garden venue, complete with hidden pathways and secret spots. 

The ceremony was short and sweet and it was infused with some fun moments and laughter, very different from the conventional stuffy ceremonies I have attended.

A deluge just after the ceremony on our way to the reception dinner was unfortunate, but luckily the wet weather abated in time for our dinner.

All in all, it was 1 of my favourite weddings. (also... not being a bridesmaid, meant I got to enjoy it a whole lot more)

I have found that as I get older, my idea of the "perfect wedding" has changed very much.

I no longer want every single person I have ever met, to be there. I want my close friends and family. I want an intimate affair so that I get a chance to talk to everyone at the wedding.

I also know that I will be wearing comfortable shoes!