Paragliding off Signal Hill over Sea Point

Russell's dad treated Russell to a paragliding adventure of Signal Hill and he persuaded me (not hard!) to do it with him.  I'd done it before in Turkey and loved it.  

When we arrived at the top of the hill, the wind was really strong and I became very nervous, almost opting not to do it. Jo, Kobus and Derek provided lots of moral support.  

Then the wind died down a bit, and with my heart beating fast, decided to take the plunge.  Take off was very eventful (we ran into a thorn tree!) but once we were up, my anxiety vanished and exhilaration took over.  A feeling of intense freedom with the gorgeous vista of the sea below and the mountain behind us.  An unforgettable experience.

Captured on video

Fun at the top of Signal Hill

Russell and I had some fun before paragliding off Signal Hill.  It was good to let off some steam as I was feeling pretty nervous!

Walk at Silvermine with Russell - and a lovely swim

A lovely walk with Russell, Heather, Brandon and co.  I love Silvermine so much, especially the reservoir.  We had a gorgeous swim before and after the walk.

Ratanga Junction

We had a wonderful day at Ratanga Junction doing all sorts of thrill rides. The highlight was doing The Sling Shot where you're lifted high into the air, then propelled between two poles. Terrifying but very exhilarating, and a fantastic way to bond with Sam and Matthew who did it with me. The Monkey Falls was also a lot of fun, and we got wonderfully wet.  All in all, a really fun day.

Jo, after her first ever go on The Cobra

The Sling Shot (!!!)

Monkey Falls

Email with Liz

Hi Graeme 

It looks like you are having an absolutley fabulous time in South Africa.  Very jealous.
Since you gave us the link, I have been snooping around your blog. And all I can say is WOW!!!!  It is an absolutely extraordinary piece of work.

Firstly, Your photos are beyond amazing.  I don't know if this sounds odd, but all of your photos have this very positive, uplifting feel about them.  They give a sense of hope, wonder, awe and a general sense that everything is right with the world (sorry for getting a bit deep there).  Anyway, there is definitely a gallery waiting with your name on it!  A few of my favourites are the "Torres Del Paine, Chile" with the sunlight hitting the peaks, the lion sitting so grandly and looking so majestic, the moon setting over the 12 Apostles, the sun setting behind the elephant, the sunset one with the boat in the water (you must have taken it recently)....really I could name so many more....
Your memoirs are so warm, honest and funny.  Its great reading about your family and seeing photos when you were a boy...with hair  (haha).

Your poetry brought me to to tears (particularly the one entitled 'The Child' for a couple different reasons).  I love poetry and used to write heaps as a child and in my teens but I haven't done so for ages.

I also have a love of Enid Blyton but my favourites are Naughty Amelia Jane and Noddy.  My daughter is reading them now and it fills my heart with such joy.
Movies, well a many of my favourites are not on the top 250 list - Mary Poppins, To Catch a Thief, Pretty Woman (yes a weird choice), Groundhog Day, Pillow Talk (I grew up watching Doris Day movies with my mum), Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Intouchables and The Other Son to name a few.
It really is a beautiful blog.  Now I want to do one as well - not for public display but for my girls.  I have no idea how to start one so maybe a little help when you get back??

Can't wait to hear all your stories when you return.  Don't forget a recipe or two for me.

Cheers
Elizabeth

Hi there Liz

Wow, thanks so much for your lovely email and all your kind and affirming words about my blog and photography. I really appreciate it. It left me beaming.

I started the blog 10 years ago as a way to keep my South African family (especially my news starved mum) connected to my life in the UK. But in the years since then, it's taken on a life of it's own.  It's become something I do mostly for myself; a way of getting perspective on my life and celebrating all the memories and people I cherish most -    a kind of gratitude journal. I believe so strongly in the power of gratitude which is why your nightly gratitude ritual with your girls resonated so deeply with me when you told me about it.

Your words about the photos conveying a sense of hope and wonder really mean a lot to me.  A big part of my personal spiritual journey is about waking up to the wonder and beauty in the world around me. It's what makes me feel connected to a higher power and what gets me out into nature so much. Life can be a struggle at times, but a beautiful one, full of joy, wonder and goodness too.  I feel it's such a deep privilege to be alive on this amazing planet. I'm so glad at least some of that comes across in my photos.

I'm glad you liked the poetry too and some of it resonated. I haven't written anything in a long time, and keep meaning to write more. We should both turn it into our Mid Year resolution :)

Some of the movies you mentioned are amongst my top favourites too.  I just adore Breakfast at Tiffany's - I've always had a huge crush on Audrey Hepburn and I can't get enough of her version of "Moon River."  I can't believe they originally dubbed over it - absolute sacrilege!  Pretty Woman is wonderful too, I watched it again just a few months ago and cried - but then I'm very soppy that way.  And Groundhog Day is pure genius - a movie I could watch over and over (ha ha!)  I watched Saving Mr Banks the other day and it's inspired me to watch Mary Poppins again.  Some of the others I haven't seen, I'll check them out.

You should definitely start a blog and I'd love to help you with that.  With children, there must be so many priceless memories to celebrate as they grow up and a blog would make a wonderful digital scrapbook for you and the girls to look back on. The family would love it too.  I use blogger.com but there are several other good alternatives.  It's easy to protect a blog so only invited people can see it.  I've thought of protecting my blog too as it's so personal, but only family and close friends tend to view it so have never got round to it.  Important to do with youngsters though.

I'm not sure when you guys are off to The Banff Mountain Film festival, but it must be soon.  It's one of the highlights of my year and I'll really miss it. Hope it's as wonderful and inspiring as it was last year.  Be careful on the drive home - I find the adrenaline fuelled antics on screen make me feel totally invincible and I always drive home far faster than I should!!

Cheers,
G

Jo looking as gorgeous as ever

Weekend at The Breede River

I had such a super time at the Breede River with Russell and the Herd clan.

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Highlights included ...

• Driving there with Russell and his two married friends, Corrine and Dana.  They are both screams, and it was a lot of fun.
• A fun and adventurous paddle up the river with Brandon and Russell, pulling the canoe up some rapids, then enjoying going down them.  Brandon took his dog in the canoe and he loved every minute of it.
• Sleeping up in the loft (quite hard to get to!)
• Paddling by myself in the evening, enjoying the solitude and the breathtaking reflections on the river.
• The amazing sunset.
• Hilarious games in the evening. The most fun game involved writing a saucy sentence at the top of a page Then passing it to the person on the right who drew a picture reflecting the sentence.  Then folding it over so only the drawing showed and passing it on again to someone who had to write a sentence based on what the picture showed. And so on, until it passed the whole group.  Then we all compared the original sentence with the last one, with great hilarity.
• Getting the most electric kiss of my life.  I bent forward over a fence to breathe into a horse's nose (as one does!) and my lips glanced the fence which turned out to be electric.  My lips got the shock of their lives!
• Sword fighting with the paddles with Brandon's gorgeous little daughter.
• Dana tricking us into eating a raw olive at the Olive farm.  Probably the most bitter thing I've ever eaten.
• Visiting a cheese farm that didn't provide the greatest variety.  Gouda, Gouda or Gouda.

Tokai walk with mum and Mike

A lovely walk on a sunny day.

Volleyball on Camps Bay beach

Brendan and Eva were in Cape Town at the same time as me, so we organised a big game of volleyball on Camps Bay beach.  All the old volleyball crowd came, and Russell and Heather joined us too.  So much fun!!  I impressed everyone with my power serve, great to find out I haven't lost it even after over 10 years of non use.