This was last January (2009) when I just got the bike. My nephews thought they have the coolest aunt in the world! ;-) They realise of course that I'm not your average aunt... ;-)
Ryno. Did I tell you I love photographing people when they don't know it, preferably up close. Use a zoom lens if you have to.
Henco on my bike. He was jealous. :-) Very jealous!
Me, testing out my bike for the first time, in the garden. I got the hang of it quickly though, but I realized...this thing...is a disaster waiting to happen. The plan was to eventually go up in Africa, and do the 'Ewan Mcgregor - Long Way Down' thing. Just 'Long Way Up' in our case. ;-) My two biker friends talked me into it. Yes, I have biker friends. :-) You will love them - Marco & Marina. Marco is an ex-Zimbabwean - he can keep you busy for a while with some stories that you will not believe. It's awful. It's hell! It's also the best memories of his life. That's Africa you see, heaven and hell existing side by side all the time.
If we do the African thing ever, we're doing it with a jeep. Bikes are stupid. You can't talk to anyone when you have your helmet on, you can barely carry anything with you, you can't relax - always have to have full concentration. It's really a stupid invention in my opinion...and if anything happens, you always come second when you're on a bike. Then you must hope that you're dead, because the alternative is a wheelchair. No sir!
Here I am very worried about Henco testing my brand new bike out for the first time. He's a better biker than me by the way. He's a natural.
Henco. Did I mention I love photographing people up close when they don't know it. You capture so much.
Henco again, when he just got his guitar. That novelty wore off quickly - too much work! ;-)
My brother Jan...or actually Janneman. Long story there. The world is always resting on his shoulders. He's a genius. Fantastic artist, fantastic mathematician. I don't know what one single word in the title of his PHD means. I have never seen those mathematical symbols he uses. He is so unhappy. He was very into astronomy as well when we were kids. Always in his tent on the lawn with his telescope pointed upwards. You just saw the red coal of his cigarette. He also always made rockets and crystals. He stopped smoking. He stopped doing art. He stopped living.
Lazy Sunday afternoons. We laugh a lot. We somehow haven't lost the love, don't ask me how. We do this almost every Sunday. My very dysfunctional family - you have no idea.
My sister, Marlize. Do NOT fall for that innocent face. Danger lurks there. Manipulator, jealous, obsessive, doesn't grant anyone any happiness. Fortunately she is so heavily medicated these days, that she doesn't pose a threat to anyone anymore. She hated me so much at one point many years ago, that my mother thought she might do something to me in my sleep. My mother asked me to lock my door at night...believe it or not. She does not exist for me. She once whacked me with the remote control through my face. It was just blood everywhere. I chased her over the lawn and dived her...and broke her arm.
Henco's dog - a Pointer. He's a gun dog, and his name is Ruger, named after a hunting rifle brand.
Henco and Ryno. Henco was always much stronger than Ryno, and always had the physical advantage, so Ryno got tickled a LOT. Now Ryno is taller than Henco. They are very close - like siblings are supposed to be.
