I’m a loving wife to an amazing dairy farmer and a mother of three awesome teens. For many years, my family was my number one priority. But now, with my youngest off to boarding school, I find myself with more time and sometimes without a sense of purpose. Watching my husband live his dream every day inspired me to follow my passions too.

Traveling has fascinated me from a young age. Exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and immersing myself in everything unfamiliar has always sparked my curiosity. Unfortunately, far-flung travels weren’t always in the cards for me. I got married at the ridiculously young age of 21 to an amazing man, and I haven’t regretted it once! After three years of marriage, we had our first child, and two more followed. These three kept me quite busy for many years, and I can truly say I have some of the least annoying teens (almost adults) I have ever come across. Yes, as their mom, you’ll probably not believe me, but just take my word for it.

During this time at home with the kids, I tapped into my other passion, photography. I was (and still am) the family memory keeper, and I love looking back on family trips and all the fun we had. When my youngest son went to boarding school this year, I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands, and my need to travel started to grow exponentially. At one stage, I was so depressed that I started crying while watching travel videos on YouTube. It just got ridiculous, and watching my husband live his dream every single day did not really make it better. I honestly did not know what to do to feel like I was truly living and not just existing.

As much as I’d love to travel the world with my camera, the reality of farm life means we can’t often get away. Cows, after all, don’t take holidays! So, I decided to turn my lens closer to home. I realized that even though I’ve lived in one of the most beautiful areas of South Africa for 23 years, there are countless back roads and hidden gems I’ve yet to discover. I also have a great need to fall in love with my home country again. I started to only see the difficult political situation we are in and was missing all the natural beauty and lovely people that roam this land.

Gordon and I had a long heart-to-heart, during which he wholeheartedly agreed to support my venture – I told you, AMAZING guy! (Honestly, I think he was just super relieved to see me excited about something for a change.)

Thus, Pictures and Pathways was born.

I have no idea where this journey will go or how long it will last, but I plan on enjoying every minute of it for however long it does. I hope you’ll join me on this journey as we explore and uncover the beauty that surrounds us. Together, let’s find some amazing places and create lasting memories in the beautiful Garden Route and beyond!