{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter P

P is for ... Pocket watch

I started this hobby after I inherited my grandfather's pocket watch (Left of the photo)

I have always been fascinated by that era of old-world sophistication.

I can imagine back to a time where the men would pull out the watch and exclaim, "Dear me, it's time that we were on our way"

I bought my 1st pocket watch in Switzerland, it took me hours to choose the perfect piece. That is the Matterhorn mountain depicted on the front and the back has a beautifully engraved pattern.

The 2nd pocket watch is a recent acquisition from Ireland, made from Mullingar Pewter (1 of the 1D members actually hail from Mullingar, so I took it as a sign that this was the right one for me)

I loved the Celtic Trinity inside the clover design.

The 3 watches currently hang from my wooden tulips (bought in The Netherlands) but I sometimes wish I could actually use them instead of simply displaying them.

Do you collect any interesting articles? Are they displayed or do you use them?

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter O

O is for ... Orchids

My favourite flower.

There is something about this flower that speaks to me.

I feel a calming feeling float over me every time I look at this beauty.

They take a while to grow, but when they do... perfection!

My dream wedding will have a cascade of orchids on every table.

When visiting Malaysia, I was stunned by the variety of orchids. The climate is insanely humid - the perfect condition for the plants to flourish.

We visited the Kuala Lumpur World of Butterflies - the largest in the world - and it was a highlight for me.

Orchids, bonsais and butterflies - a world of perfect beauty.

If you are ever at a loss for a gift for me - an orchid is always a safe bet! :-)

What is your favourite flower?

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter N

N is for ... Nature

I am fortunate to live in a country where I can experience the beauty of Nature as well as the glitz of the city, all within an hour’s drive from my home.

In 2007, a friend was married outside under a canopy of trees on a nature reserve, the Cradle of Humankind. Off the beaten track, but still close to home.

Guests were driven by 4x4s to the venue. The bride was 45 minutes late because the 4x4 had a flat tyre!

Under the shade of the trees (which offered little respite from the African heat) we watched a gorgeous bride marrying our school friend.

I loved the contrast between the starkness of nature and the pizazz of the guests, dressed in wedding goer attire.

What you can't see in this photo is that our feet are covered in a layer of fine brown sand! 

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter M

M is for ... Moon

All I have ever wanted, is a photo of the moon.

Yet no matter how hard I try, I end up with a teeny tiny little white dot in a black sky.

One night I was walking back to my hotel room and I looked up and was amazed at how gorgeous the sky looked.

I kicked myself for not carrying my camera with me, all I had was my Samsung S3.

I snapped a shot and managed to capture a beautiful photo of the moonlight peeking between the clouds and illuminating the sea below.

Here is a previous attempt:

Are you more successful? Any tips for me?

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter L

L is for ... Leopard-Print Panties

At 1st glance this photo looks like it is meant to be a sexy suggestive photo to be sent to a boyfriend. In actual fact I sent this to my best friend... intentionally!

Why you may ask?

To show her how much weight I was gaining! My jeans would no longer button up.

I still have this pair of jeans and hope that one day, they will be able to live out their dream of travelling with me instead of living inside my closet being ignored.

{April A-Z Challenge} The Letter K

K is for ... Kindness

In 2004 an elderly gentleman walked into the optometrist where I worked and asked for a pair of reading glasses.

As we looked through the various options, he suddenly looked straight into my eyes and said, "You have beautiful eyes, they remind me of a leopard looking back at me"

I was hugely flattered to be compared to a wild cat and told him so.

He went on to tell me how he used to be a wildlife photographer with his wife and then suddenly says, "Are you a Gemini? You look like a Gemini - Feisty"

The man was spot on.

That man was John Sinclair. For 2 years we would visit me every single week, each time spoiling me with an anecdote, buying me lunch or my favourite railway coffee.

He recalled me with stories of his wife fighting with a leopard and her prey because they were messing up her tent, or the time he had milked a rhino just before she gave birth.

Tall tales! Or so I thought, until one day he comes in with a stack of photographs. All the stories he had told me were there on the photos - Incredible!

John looked through a few of my holiday photos and told me I had a good eye for photography & that   I should pursue it more. To this day, if I take a particularly striking photo, I find myself wishing he was around to see it.

One of the last gifts he surprised me with was a book of his that he had managed to track down at a 2nd hand book store. He paid R500 for his own book and wrote an inscription inside for me.

Some time later, we moved premises and the practice was just too busy to continue our regular visits. He stopped in from time to time, but one day he just didn't anymore. 

I found out that he had died in hospital after a fall broke his hip. I had missed the funeral and whoever had kept his phone had not informed everyone in the contact list.

He always said he was grateful to me for showing him kindness that very 1st day we met, but I always maintain that it was his kindness that enriched my life even more so.