Two years ago, my best friend and I whizzed around Spain with our cameras at the ready. I took this in Barcelona at the bullfighting ring. My friend being an opinionated vegetarian didn't feel it (bullfighting) was right, so whilst she was looking at another building down the road I ventured into the stadium (how can one go all the way to Spain and not see a bull fighting ring?!). It turns out I had the entire place to myself, apart from a guy sweeping the bleachers. I could smell the bulls in the pen (which was quite exhilerating knowing there was a beast somewhere nearby who could probably rip me apart... I quickly looked down to see what I was wearing and was instantly relieved to see I was wearing white and blue. No sign of red anywhere! Whew!). This is a stairwell leading up to the bleachers where all the spectators watch the fight. Ladies with a handkerchief in hand (although probably not these days) and men with a cigar in hand (they probably still do this). What struck me was the calmness of this scene knowing its context. I must have taken over 2000 pictures that short holiday and this has to be the best one of the lot.

Have a seat, talk to me

I came across these chairs at a monastery in Palma, Majorcca a few years ago. I was struck by how the arrangements conveyed different human interactions - the intimate relationship, the solitary one and the one excluded from the group. These scenes prompted a project of finding interesting chairs on my holiday!

Edge of the earth

Do yourself a favour one day. Travel to Cape Town, and head down to Cape Point, which is where you will find the southern most tip of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Standing at the Point one can't help but be in awe of the fact that two massive oceans collide at this place (Atlantic and the Indian). The wind in your face and hair a mere hint of the forces colliding below.

In touch with my inner grrrr...

Living in Africa has its advantages. Apart from 365 days of weather from the best beach holidays you've ever had, postcard scenery, a smile on every face you encounter... we are a few minutes drive from an experience with the big 5 animals. Friends and I are regular visitors to a little spot in the countryside where you can spend the day pawing lion and tiger cubs. Not much beats an experience of roughing and tumbling with a lion teenage cub. Getting up close and very personal with these animals truly puts things into stark perspective. That report, traffic jam or deadline are really not important in the bigger scheme of things!
These are some pics from one of our weekends at the lion and tiger sanctuary, just outside Johannesburg.

We're busy with renovations of our new house at the moment. We started about 2 weeks after we moved in, so we have been surrounded by dust and boxes for almost a month now. Fortunately I am spared of the banging during the day. I'm torn between the need to make changes to the house (its starting to look like its been sponsored by Dulux paints) and the craving to just plop on the couch and channel surf in the evenings. Looking for inspirational advice to hold out a week or two more!

I took this picture of James and Jemma on new years day. We were on the shore of Loch Ness, Scotland on one of the last few days of our holiday. I was so proud of myself when I saw the picture downloaded, to see that it wasn't blurred like most of my shots on my new camera. Apart from the fact it looks like its from a calendar that one gets from the local bank, I love how it completely captured the moment of a father sharing an experience with his daughter.

360 degrees back to base

I had an enlightening moment yesterday. I attended a leadership development workshop designed to make me a better leader... which in itself is great... but my eureka moment was more personal.

We had an exercise to draw a picture of ourselves in the form of a pyramid which had to use symbols to describe 3 aspects. The first being the individual - but had to describe what makes me, the path I have led since I was 18, depict those that had inspired me and those symbols which represent success for me. Whilst there were other parts we had to describe (ie. our role at work, and the emergent reality of the dynamics between role vs the individual), what struck me was how I had transformed over the last 14 years, and yet my goals have not changed.

When I left school I had an idealised view of how my life would pan out. University, secure job, the dream husband, marriage and of course a few kids before 30. By no means unique to me. And as uniquely as everyone else (!) life had other plans for me.

I grew up a virtually only child. My brothers are much older than I am, and were in university by the time I had my first day at school. My father passed away in that same year (I was 6 at the time). On the face of it, I would hold this responsible for making me the independent woman I am today, although now that I'm a little wiser, I probably would have been just as independent had I had the traditional nuclear cocoon.

I collected a few certificates at university and found myself in a serious job which effectively became my life for the next 10 years. The job was rewarding, the home life boring (read this as: I was single) and the ladder exhilerating! 3 burnouts later, I realised that although my "happy ever after" had not arrived, I needed to change some priorities.

In my diagram I drew the following symbols which showed significant events:
The earth with an aeroplane. Yip, I put myself on a plane and went travelling.
The triangle of principle: body, mind and soul
A paintbrush - I started drawing and painting again, years after highschool

I would say that these were turning points in me finding a new balance. And at the time, I was in "google" mode, always searching for answers, a new way of living, new priorities and a new style of clothing. And now 10 years of that, what has spat out is me with exactly the same goal (ie. definition of success) of a family, a home and a partner for life. And yet, I am a completely different person!

It makes me wonder whether had I settled down and had kids so many years ago, whether I would be as fulfilled as I am now having had a wide range of experiences, a successful career (which is really just a means to an end (it pays for the dream house)) and learned patience from having to just wait for the right moment to meet someone.

I like the fact that my ideals have not changed, although I have focused the majority of the past years to working hard. I like that, actually, my centre is solid and I can now appreciate how my experience has made that core all the more sincere and resolute.