Mum's fascination with the world found its ultimate expression in her travels to far flung countries. Journeys abroad began at an early age, with childhood holidays in Europe. She had many happy memories of her visits to Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy – where she and our grandmother took a gondola trip in Venice. When they asked the gondolier if he could serenade them, he rather sheepishly admitted that he was tone deaf. Undeterred by this, Mum and Granny burst into song (very possibly O Sole Mio) and they serenaded the gondolier, who eventually overcame his shyness and joined in. As an adult, Mum travelled further afield, to places such as Malawi, where she made friends with two young lads in a local village and remained in contact with them for many years. She always spoke with great delight of the wonderful experiences she had in Africa – watching fish eagles over Lake Zimbabwe, seeing the wild animals in Hwange National Park, marvelling at the spectacular sight of Victoria Falls. In Thailand, she explored Buddhist temples and floating markets, sampled the local cuisine and realised a long-held ambition when she rode on an elephant. And of course, wherever she went, she loved to take photos of everything around her, creating a unique visual record of her life.