My Father was a true Eccentric..............

His......himself - (my father), here in his late Seventies.

Here is a photo of Alexander Thynne, Marquis of Bath, with crocodile, at his estate, in Longleat, Wiltshire.

Charlie the Penguin stands among portraits of the late Marquis of Bath at Longleat, his Wiltshire estate.

( All photos except the one of my father in this post by Tim Walker)

Sitting here this evening in Arabia - reflecting over my father and his life, I come to think about and search for the characteristics of an eccentric...That my father was an eccentric - was no doubt about it, a man from the old school....an aristocrat... with a brilliant mind and a definitely nonconforming attitude. So, I read as follow; "according to studies, there are fifteen distinctive characteristics that differentiate a healthy eccentric person from a regular person (although some may not always apply). The first five are in most people regarded as eccentric:" The outcome? My father had thirteen of the fifteen characteristics.The two characteristics he did not have - he was not a bad speller or single. If it is a good thing? Definitely, I am his son...

Nomadic Jaguars in the Cheviot Walk, Northumberland.

Here are the characteristics - apply them to yourself and guess what?

Lady Isabella Cawdor with three of her four children, Eleanor, Jean, and James, at Carnoch, Invernesshire, in the Scottish Highlands.

Nonconforming attitude
Creative
Strongly motivated by curiosity
Idealistic
Happy obsession with a hobby or hobbies

Snowfall in the summer at Eglingham Hall, in Northumberland, owned by the Bewicke family.

Known very early in his or her childhood they were different from others
Highly Intelligent
Opinionated and outspoken
Noncompetitive, not in need of reassurance or reinforcement from society

Dame Vivienne Westwood, unconventional fashion designer, in the old Camden Palace, in London.

Unusual living or eating habits
Not interested in the opinions or company of others

Three Guinness heirs.

Mischievous sense of humor
Usually the eldest or an only child

Guinness heir Garech Browne at Luggala, the family estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, where he has put white sand around his black lake so that it resembles a glass of Guinness.