Life is not about the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.
Love
- The love at Gran and Gramps 50th wedding anniversary
- Seeing Ally in her dress for the first time on our wedding day
- Mum´s and Mike's wedding and how happy they looked
- Seeing Matthew and Sammy for the first time
- The letter Jo wrote about Gran when she passed away
- Listening to Gramp's tape that he left us after he passed away
- Mum's love, support and generosity of spirit
- A night time stroll with dad in Uilenskraal as a kid and feeling such love I thought my heart would burst
- The letter Jo wrote me on my 40th birthday
- Gorgeous, wonderful Mack
Deep nostalgia
- Riding horses at 8 Bells as a kid
- Paddling with Gramps at Boulders beach
- Gran and Gramps holidaying with us in Cape Town when we were kids
- Opening xmas presents as a kid
- Going to Muizenberg with Grandpa Station as a kid and drinking appletizer
- Exploring Knysna and Zululand with Dad
- Heart to hearts with Jo as teenagers
- Saturday nights in front of the TV with the family
- Early days with Ally
- Camping at Uilenskraal with dad and Grandpa as a kid
- Camping at Palmiet River with old friends
Wonder
- Photographing puffins in Iceland
- Encounters with great white bears in the Arctic
- On a beach with 50000 King penguins in South Georgia
- A beautiful leopard coming right up to my car window in the Kruger National Park
- Soaring condors at Colca Canyon (Peru)
- Swimming with wild dolphins and a whale at Llandadno (South Africa).
- Swimming with a turtle in Dahab's Blue Hole (Sinai, Egypt)
- Diving in the Canyon and the bottomless Blue Hole in the Red Sea (Sinai, Egypt)
- Snorkeling with turtles at Barbados and Galapagos Islands
- Seeing the world's tiniest bible and a statue of Peter with his foot rubbed away at the Vatican (Rome, Italy)
- The Tomb of Queen Nefertiti (Luxor, Egypt)
- Seeing Tutankamin's treasures in the Museum of Cairo (Egypt)
- The mighty power of the Augrabie Falls (South Africa), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Iguazu Falls (Argentina)
- The enormous blue gums in Shanon National Park (Australia)
- My first sight of Abu Simbel and The Pyramids (Egypt)
- The ceiling of The Sistine Chapel (Rome)
- The amazing Meteora monasteries, perched on the top of huge boulders (Greece)
- Seeing thousands of flamingos in Ngorongoro Crater (Africa)
- Watching hundreds of hummingbirds in Mindo, Ecuador
- Walking amongst a colony of half a million Megellanic Penguins at Puerto Tombo in Patagonia, Argentina
- Watching huge chunks of ice fall of the Morraine Glacier
- Exploring hallucinogenic salt deserts, spurting geysers and eerie lagoons around the Uyuni Salt pans (Bolivia)
- Sunrise over the sacred and mysterious city of Machu Picchu (Peru)
- Hundred of thousands of sea birds (including beautiful Inca terns) at the Ballestas Islands (Ecuador)
- Photographing Horses in the Mist in Ecuador
- Snorkeling with penguins, sharks, turtles and rays and getting close and personal with tortoises and marine iguanas in the surreal islands of Galapagos
- The awe inspiring stars on The Orange River (Namibia)
- Richard Attenboroughs´s documentaries, especially "Blue Planet" and "Life of Birds."
- Seeing millions of Soldier Crabs on a beach in Newcastle (Australia)
Beauty
- The blue haze of the Blue Mountains outside Sydney
- The view from a Roman fort, looking down onto the emerald waters of Olympus (Turkey)
- Sunset over the rocks in Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.
- Exploring the stunning Taj Mahal (India) at sunrise
- Snorkeling in Lake Malawi and watching beautiful tropical fish (Africa)
- The undulating hills and tropical forests of Umfolozi, Mkuzi, Hluhluwe game reserves (South Africa)
- Photographing Cambridge colleges at dusk (UK)
- Hiking the stunning Vicos Gorge in Greece
- Hiking the stark and scenic Fish River Canyon (Namibia)
- Walking through the lush Tsitsikama forest (South Africa)
- Exploring the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam after a joint (Holland)
- The beauty of the Lake District (UK)
- The perfect blue colour of the sea in Turkey
- The tempestuous, wild coastline of Storm's River
- The view of Table Mountain from Blouberg Beach
- The stormy Isle of Skye (Scotland)
- The beautiful views from the Island of Capri (Italy)
- The petrified forest in the Namib desert and its beautiful sand dunes
- The extraordinary colour of the Morraine Lake (Canada)
- Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness (Scotland)
- The multi coloured buildings of Burano Island inVenice
- The redness of the rock as the sun rose over Hanging Rock in The Blue Mountains (Australia)
- Photographing the changing mood of the Fitzroy Mountains and the breathtaking sight of Laguna Tres and Laguna Torres
- Viewing Sydney's harbour and sights from the air from a helicopter
- Watching the first ray of sun hit the Torres pillars in Torres del Paine (Chile)
- Exploring the vast swamps of the Brazilain Pantanol (Brazil)
- Snorkeling in crystal clear rivers and caving in Bonito (Brazil)
- Hiking along the ancient road of the Incas on the Inca trail (Peru)
- Exploring the flooded forests of the Cuyabeno Jungle (Ecuador)
- The moon setting over The 12 Apostles (Australia)
- Beethoven's Ode To Joy
- The redness of Uluru at sunrise
Peace
- Rowing on the beautiful, aqua blue Pokhara Lake (Nepal)
- Gazing at the stars from Palmiet beach (South Africa) at night
- Watching puffins from the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
- Watching the sun set over the Mediteranean from the walls of an ancient castle at Kizkalesi (Turkey)
- Floating on my back at night in the Citrusdahl hot baths (South Africa) looking up at the stars
- Putting a message into the Wailing Wall and meditating in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Israel)
- Climbing to the top of the The Monastery (Petra, Jordan) and looking out into the desert
- Meditating by a little lake in Muktinath, high in the Himalaya mountains (Nepal)
- Meditating on a mountain overlooking Butterfly Valley (Turkey)
- Watching swifts swirling through the sunset at Monsoon Palace (Uidaipur, India)
- Sleeping out in the desert dunes in Rajistan (India)
- Sitting on a log, looking out into a blue lake in Chitwan National Park (Nepal)
- Watching the sun rise and the moon setting at the same time from Masada mountain (Israel)
- Watching the sunset at the Temple of Psoedian (Greece)
- A secluded white beach on the Otter Trail (Garden route, South Africa)
- Floating through the riverlets of the Okovango Delta on a Makura and listening to the cry of the fish eagle (Botswana)
- Three weeks alone communing with nature in The Kruger National Park.
Contentment
- Long, lazy days at Buckaneers BackPackers (South Africa)
- Contemplating life from the walls of the Jaisselmer fort (India)
- Cuddling Ally in a river in Franschhoek (South Africa) during our honeymoon
- Lazily watching the Nile float by from a felucca (Egypt)
- Playing volleyball on Clifton beach after work and then watching the sunset
- A romantic holiday in the tropical paradise of Paradise Island (Mozambique)
- Making love in a secluded island castle (Ireland)
- Lazing on the beaches in Zanzibar (Tanzania)
- Soul enriching time with Ally in Barbados
- Lazing on the beach on Paradise Island
- Lazy weekend life in Cambridge, punting and cycling and picnicking with Ally.
Excitement
- Getting photos of Malachite Kingfishers mating at Rondevlei (South Africa)
- See a wild platypus for the first time in North Queensland (Australia)
- The excitement of Gran and Gramps moving to South Africa
- Seeing the Big 5 (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, Rhino) in the Serengetti Game Reserve (Kenya)
- Seeing a Pels Fishing owl at Ndumu reserve (South Africa)
- Exploring an isolated forest in Zululand in search of elusive bird species (South Africa)
- Seeing my first Laughing Kookaburra (Australia)
- Seeing my first Toucan (Brazil)
- Seeing my first Lammergeier (Nepal)
- Seeing my first African Finfoot at Nature's Valley (Garden route)
- Seeing a Green Coucal in Mkuzi (South Africa)
- Getting close to the Black Eagles on Devil's Peak
- Bush babies in the Kruger
- Seeing my first wild bear in Banff (Canada)
- The start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the last Ark
- Sydney's amazing New Year's Eve fireworks
- My first sight of the Sydney Opera House (Sydney)
- My first date with Ally - a picnic in Kirstenbosch
- See many new birds in Mindo, Provincial Esteros del Iberia and Chitwan
- Winning four medals in School athletics
- Winning the acting prize at School
- My first Koala in the wild
- Seeing my 1000th bird species in the wild
- Seeing lots of albatrosses up close on a boat trip outside Sydney
- Seeing the 250th movie on the IMDB Top 250 list
Joy and exhilaration
- Leaping into the massive pool at Die Hel in South Africa
- Exhilerating leaps into the sky
- The views from the top of Mount Olympus (Greece) after a 3 day hike
- Rollerblading an endless downhill stretch with Keira at Stanley Park (Canada)
- South Africa winning the rugby world cup in 1995 (and 2007, 2019 and 2023 !)
- Paddle skiing down waves at Muizenberg (South Africa) and Manly (Australia).
- Doing the Cobra Rollercoaster ride 6 times in a row to get the perfect shot
- The Friday Night rollerblading skate in London
- Sandboarding at the desert oasis of Huacachina (Ecuador)
- Skinny dipping in icy cold mountain pools
- Playing paintball and breaking the record for the most paintballs fired (South Africa)
- My whole experience as a tour leader in The Middle East
Breathless Adventure
- Battling scorpions in the desert in Botswana
- Swimming out to an island in Kizkalesi (Turkey) and exploring its ruins
- Climbing to the Telicho Lake, the highest lake in the world at 6700 metres in the Himalayas (Nepal)
- Paraglinding over the lagoon of Oludinez (Turkey)
- Jumping from high cliffs on a day boat trip in Oludinez (Turkey)
- A very high leap from a cliff in Parati (Brazil)
- Zip lining between giant trees at Whistler (Canada)
- White river rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River (Zimbabwe)
- Quad biking on the dunes of Swakopmund (Namibia)
- Jumping off a 3rd story balcony in Luxor (Egypt) into the pool (to impress my tour group)
- Hiking Suicide Gorge in South Africa with mighty leaps into the river
- Climbing a live volcano in Pucon, watching lava spew, and then sliding down the mountain on our bums
- Whiteriver rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River
- Hurtling down the worlds most dangerous road on mountain bikes and then chilling out in Coroico (Bolivia)
- Exploring an abandoned shale mine in Glen Davis, braving snakes, and feeling like Indianna Jones
- Ice climbing and hiking on The Grey Glacier (Chile)
- A very close shave with a bull elephant in The Kruger National Park
Rapture
- Thick shakes at Dahab (Egypt)
- Granny Station´s chicken roast dinners as a kid
- Gran's trifle and lumpy custard
- Lunch at the beautiful Lake Palace in Udaipur (India)
- Reading Lord of the Rings on the Annapurna Circuit (Nepal) and watching the movies
- Mum's chocolate mousse and crème caramel
- San Marco Italian ice cream as a kid
- Mum's Xmas pudding and brandy butter
- Reading Jack Reacher novels
- Reading Enid Blyton stories as a kid
- Reading The Hobbit as a kid
- Watching my first James Bond movie as a kid
- Watching Mattias Klum, nature photographer extraordinaire present his work at The Sydney Opera House
Fascination
- The extensive ruins of Pompeii (Naples)
- Reading "A Short History of Everything" (Bill Bryson)
- The endless underground Catacombs (Rome)
Fun and laughter
- Frolicking in the mud in Parati (Brazil)
- Mud fights in the nude at Saklikent Gorge as a tourleader (Turkey)
- Somersaulting down sand dunes on the Nile (Egypt)
- Listening to Gramps tell his funny stories
- Dancing spontaneously to "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." with Russel and Roger at Bain´s Kloof (South Africa)
- Doing the speech at Jo and Antony's wedding
- Prancing on stage as Pharaoh in the musical of Joseph and his Technicolored Dream Coat at school
- Fun times with zany, wonderful Russell
- Tight leopard skin trousers and a mullet at an 80's party
- Riding an ostrich in Oudtshoorn
- Having as cool down under the world's highest shower
- Practising dancing with Jo as a teenager
- Playing silly devils with friends at The Uyuni Salt Pans (Bolivia)
- Being a naughty Santa at the Hardcore Hiking Club Xmas party
- Hanging out in the nude in Croatia
- Taking a mouthfull of shampoo thinking it was fruit juice
Surprise
- The ending of The Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, The Others and Fight Club
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