Friday afternoon picnic. Grass under our feet, cold ciders, throwing stones into the stream . A perfect way to end the week.

I am not sure where I should start with this wedding?

Do I begin by telling you how Stella and I were transported to Nylstroom, which is a veritable African oasis?   Or, shall I go on about the stunning Maroela tree, in the middle of the African savannah, where Martin and Bronwen decided to get married? 
 
Would I be able to articulate just how intimate and tranquil the entire day was?  How can I not mention that Ashley has a wicked sense of humour (for an 8 year old) and that he acted as my third shooter?  Or, shall I merely update you on Wimpie, our mentally-imbalanced ;-) game ranger, with a death wish, who took "close encounters" to another level and took far too much pleasure in selecting our locations within 10 metres of crocodiles, cheetahs, hippos and other dangerous wildlife?

I very much doubt it, so let's allow the images to do the work.

 
Thank you, Bronwen. Thank you, Martin. The experience will be fondly remembered!

You would have not guessed it by the expressions here but a big crocodile was lying about 5 meters away.

I love lazy Sunday afternoons with family, food and wine - and sweet moments like this.

Sometimes, just sometimes, they make my heart say aaaaahhhh.

It seems as though spring has decided to give it a miss this year and summer has taken over a little before time.  But, hey, who am I to complain?  At least I get to make the most of the early mornings and later evenings.

On the subject of the new seasons, here's a quick post from Natalie's and Brandon's gorgeous springtime wedding, at Oakfield Farm.

It is always pleasing to do something a tad out of the ordinary and Natalie's and Brandon's Chinese wedding, with 280 guests, definitely qualified!

Throughout the day, one of the key things that struck me about Natalie's and Brandon's rite of passage, is just how important family, friends and tradition are - all wrapped into one delightful bundle. For instance, the traditional tea-pouring ceremony not only made for some really fantastic photographs, it was quite simply a privilege to behold.

I should also mention I was pre-advised that both Natalie and Brandon were not duly fond of the camera, but, once again, looking through the awesome photos Stella and I captured, I can not, for the life of me, see any symptoms of IHTC (I hate the camera) in evidence.

A bit of a whopper of a post (in terms of images), but, I wanted you to really experience what it was like to be at Natalie's and Brandon's wedding, as well as to demonstrate what rock stars both Brandon and Natalie are!

How gorgeous are the bridesmaids orchid baskets - made by none other than Coral from Blooms on the Boulevard

That look says it all.

The tears....

...and the laughter. For me, the two bridesmaid's laughing in the background finishes off the image.

 I could not decide which one I prefered, curious or chilling? so posted both of this little boy.

We are one week into September.  How did that happen? 

Well, August was insane.  Amongst everything else, it also happened to be the month we had to enrol Oliver into school. (Yep, big school next year). 

Finding a decent government school in our area proved to be a rather time-consuming and nerve-wracking exercise!  Fingers crossed, however, we will finally get him into our school of choice.

I found a spare few minutes, (that statement in itself is incredible), so I thought I would share:

This image of Julian was rewarded 3rd place in the Portraits category of the African Photographic Awards, announced two weeks ago.  I have been oblivious to this, as I was unable to attend the awards evening. So, a little happy dance in celebration of the belated news.

...and here's to September being a less stressful month!