I was trying to think of some text to accompany these portraits … but to be honest, they speak for themselves. Most were taken at the Kongowea Primary school in Kenya. Some at the Maweni school. These are two schools supported by Suas … we are hoping to help them get an ICT lab together for use in teaching the children.

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Both need support and here is a link to where you can provide it – Maweni & Kongowea

For weeks before the trip I had tried everything to convince myself that it would be a complete waste of time and energy … and it was working! If it were not for my commitment to my travel companion Philip Sharpe I’d have cancelled the entire trip!

But on the way to the airport at 5am the morning of the flight to Nairobi I was given an odd reminder by a Dublin taxi driver (of all people) as to why I do these trips … the dialogue goes a bit like this -

Taxi Driver: “…yer man Rory McIlroy has done well for himself …”

Me: “yeah … some turnaround from the Masters”

Taxi Driver: “Yep … he went to Haiti after the Masters … to put his life in context…”

Me: “Really!?”

Suddenly it all comes back to me and I am awoken to my motives … we take a lot for granted here in the West … sometimes we need to get a bit of proper perspective … Kenya, and more specifically the Gatoto school in the Mukuru Kwa Reuben slum of Nairobi plays that very role for me … Betty, the principle, has a way of ensuring the magic of this oasis of hope in the midst of the surrounding squalor stays with you in your heart almost all the time (though to my shame I had lost it in the weeks before the trip!).

The following day, as our driver negotiated the mud soaked wasteland that serves as the entrance to the slum and the approach to the school gate, grey clouds seemed to part, giving way to a ray of beautiful sunshine. In the process a great weight was gradually lifted as my own life came back into perspective … for the first time in quite a few weeks, I allowed myself a genuine smile as I passed through the gates.

I named this web site for that wonderful moment … may I have many more!

Please support this project via a small contribution on the Suas Website

One of the finest seafood meals I’ve had in a long time … caressed by the gentle warm breeze coming off the Indian Ocean near Mtwapa, Kenya. One of the last places you’d expect to find an Italian restaurant.

Wonderful!

I stopped here during a recent drive along the marvellous pacific coast highway between San Luis Obisbo and Santa Cruz.

Visiting the gaudy homes of super rich people is not normally my thing … but this was worth it!

Here’s a few more images from the visit -

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I managed to arrive in one of the driest places in in North America the day it was flooded … go figure!

This was taken on the long drive between CES Las Vegas and San Jose … but what a drive it was!!

If you look really closely at the image below you can see where sea level sits -

After picking my new toy up from a garage in Cambridge I decided to take it the long way home via the east and west coasts of Scotland. What a spectacular place to drive a nice car!

Here’s the car it replaced -

For some reason this is my most popular image in all of the photo sharing sites … Someone on pix.ie left the comment that it looked post apocalyptic … and I have to agree with them … hence the title.

In the foreground – Sandymount Beach … behind – Poolbeg Power Station … for the benefit of those that don’t already know.

Click here for a nicer view -

I had to post this image … which was taken as 5 separate images using a P&S camera what feels like a whole life ago …

Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile is one one of the most inspirational places on Earth. Its in the middle of one of the most beautiful regions I’ve ever seen … Patagonia which is the pointy part of South America where Chile and Argentina are diced in two by the Andes mountains …

In my case it was this place that really made me want to pick up a camera in an endless effort to capture “Perfect Moments” …

… the rest as they say … is history.

Gallery Version here (I hope you have a wide screen) -