How did a seven end up with an eleven.

Who inspires you? A question I get asked all the time and maybe you have too. Do you have an answer, can you say a name and come up with why? This may sound like a cliché however my answer is my wife. Sure there's many others' I find inspirational for various reasons but my wife is my hero and so she wins hands down.

Above Berchtesgaden, Bavarian Alps

She lost her father when she was eleven years old: He succumbed to cancer leaving behind a young wife and an eleven year old daughter to fend for themselves. It was difficult for them, emotionally and financially. Through sheer hard work and determination my wife's mother was able to hold things together and eventually find the resources to put my wife through hairdressing trade school. I think the hardships they faced strengthened their relationship and has certainly shaped my wife into who she is today.

Flinders Ranges, South Australia

I met my wife at a very young age. I was 17 and a half, she was 16 and we have been inseparable since. We married young (She turned 22 on the day we got married which also was the same month and date her parents had also been married on years earlier) and we proceeded to make our way through life the best we can.

Life throws curve-balls and we had to navigate obstacles and speed humps here and there but here we are 30 years after meeting still in love and happy. But why is she my hero?

If there's horses within a hundred kilometres she'll find them

This person, my wife, is the most hard working person I have met. She runs a successful business, keeps our house running (I won't lie, I'm not the most house-work oriented individual), and pretty-much keeps me on the straight and narrow. It's more than that though. It's the way she supports me in everything. I've had some hobbies in my time, racing go karts, competitive pistol shooting, 10 years as running back playing for an American Football club, rifle shooting, hunting, model plane flying, off roading, kayaking, tactical long range shooting etc. and never once has she failed to support my hobbies.

McLaren Vale, South Australia

Further to that she's supported my career giving me the emotional strength to develop and understanding my long hours, business trips also being there through success and failures. She's my greatest advocate and my harshest critic also. She applauds my success and will chastise me when I need it too. Like I said, she keeps me on the straight and narrow. When my mother passed away my wife worked tirelessly for months in support of me whilst I dealt with the estate and the emotions and loss. No complaints, no arguments.

I'm not sure what we're doing here :) It was a photo booth at a friends wedding

Whether we are in Europe on holiday, camping in the outback, at a formal function or sitting on the couch watching a movie she manages to be the same happy, vibrant and interesting person. She is equally comfortable talking business, cuddling one of our friends' babies, talking guns with one of my buddies or supporting a relative suffering with cancer. She is pretty special.

Hitting 786m at the range

I wonder why I ended up with her sometimes. What did I do to capture her interest and what do I do to keep her. I don't know the answer but she's still here and that's exactly how I want it to be. I'm a lucky man, I remind myself daily. She is a special person and I tell her that too. Are there any regrets? Well, no there's not. Well, one thing maybe...I would have liked to see her with our kids; She would have been an amazing mother. That's not possible however and so we have cats. She calls them her fur-babies. :) So, this girl is my eleven out of ten and I work hard each day to show her.

My eleven. Photographed at Chenonceau, France.

Life has recently treated a couple of my friends harshly and took away the opportunity for harsh words to be retracted or made right. We think about that each day and ensure that we never leave things unsaid. I urge you to tell the special people in your lives that you appreciate them, call your mum, hug your dad and remember there may not be another chance to do so. Don't leave with sharp words between you and the people you love, disagree for sure, argue also, but don't leave harsh words in between you. It's not worth it.

Thanks for reading.