Alma

“Life is amazing – Life is about choices. You can sit in a corner and be alone – or you can stand on your toes and shout to the sky: ‘I am alive! Let me be all the woman I can be!’”

— Alma Pretorius

Alma is passionate, inventive, and inquisitive; she is always looking to create new and exciting combinations, whether it be a recipe in the kitchen, jewelry making, or building a travel itinerary. Many of her creations can be found on her website, which she has been successfully running for over a decade. After the heartbreaking loss of her baby boy and being unable to carry a child again, she has channeled her love and energy into the activities and hobbies that bring her joy and solace. Her resilience and bravery through hardship, as well as her compassionate heart, have allowed her to forge a new path of purpose. Meet Alma. This is her story.

K: Please introduce yourself!

A: My name is Alma Pretorius.  I am 55, fit, funky and creative.  Exploring is my passion … road trips with husband Hein, creating a new recipe in the kitchen, designing new earrings or trying out new restaurants. 

K: Describe yourself in your own words

A: Curious beyond words!!  99% of my sentences start with … ‘I wonder why …’  People fascinate me. I wonder about their actions, their beliefs, their fashion sense.  Curiosity led me to create recipes.  ‘What if I make a cookie using curry powder, banana essence and roll it in coconut?’  Turned out spectacular! 

K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?

A: I motivate and challenge myself.  When I grew up, I was chubby and not a fan of exercise.  In 2008 I started walking with Walk for Life.  At Planet Fitness one day I noticed Tai Chi in a studio .. I walked in, joined the group and excelled.  After months of saying ‘no’ to my aquarobics friends, I joined them in the pool.  ALWAYS with a flower hairclip. Loved it! A few years ago after a disappointing fitness test for Discovery (1 out of 5), I decided to add cycling to my regime.  But the bike with a wide seat and backrest.  With Discovery Vitality, I got challenged to earn 300 points a day … aquarobics and cycling wasn’t enough to up my heartrate.  Walking on the treadmill is challenging … but after a while I managed to walk without holding onto the bar.  The cross-trainer machine had me intrigued – but I couldn’t even manage 2 minutes!  I was adamant – and mid April 2021 I conquered the cross trainer – 30 minutes!  My hubby calls me a ‘gym bunny’.

K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?

A: When I grew up, I just wanted to be a mom.  On a blind date in Stellenbosch, August 1991, I met husband Hein and we got married in July 1992.  For the first 7 years I didn’t get pregnant.  September 1999 we traveled to England for 2 weeks – something shifted and that December 1999 I was pregnant.  It was an easy pregnancy – my tummy was so small at 4 months, I just wore a bigger size jeans.  Also, my weight was distributed from my head to my feet.  A week before I was due, August 9, I told my co-workers goodbye – they couldn’t believe I was pregnant.  On August 16 I made dinner and we drove to the hospital – after 2 hours normal labor, baby Ben was born – but everything turned upside down.  His head was too small, his legs were bent the wrong way .. and nothing was noticed on my scans (or noticed and not mentioned).  Ben’s first few months were difficult – he struggled to swallow, had numerous other problems and just before Ben would have been 7 months old, we lost him.  Turned out it was a genetic problem.  I got pregnant again, but after a miscarriage, at age 40, I had a Thermal Balloon operation.  It was hard to accept the fact of no kids, but we made a decision to enjoy our life through travel, good food and new experiences.  

In 2006, just before I turned 40, I started a monthly newsletter, called XCentric Ideas.  Most months it contained a few recipes, based on a certain ingredient, eg: tomatoes.  In 2008 I designed my own website (www.xcentricideas.co.za) and started to test all the recipes and take my own photos. My passion was, and still is, to inspire people to try new recipes – I used tomatoes in a cake, made pizza crust from cauliflower and tweaked and twisted recipes to make them my own.  Eventually Hein taught me the Joomla software – I can now update my website in minutes. 

For an occasion, I was searching for red, bold and big earrings.  Eventually in Witkoppen Road at a craft store, the owner taught me the basics of earring making. The freedom to make my own earrings. My fashion sense got bolder – I love bright necklaces and flower brooches.  And always, always earrings.  Through the years I’ve kept up my website and my newsletters.  But sharing my recipes on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and with friends and family wasn’t enough … I wanted to give them something on paper.  This week, May 2021, at age 55, I’ve had my very first A5 booklet printed … 38 of my own muffin recipes. 

K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?

A: Like and love yourself.  I used to think my name ‘Alma’ was boring – I wanted to be ‘Almè’. But when I turned 40, I realised ‘Alma’ describes me well  – ‘no nonsense’, no frills. 

K: What does being a woman mean to you?

A: I am not less of a woman because I don’t have (or can’t have) kids.  Being a woman is embracing yourself, to be patient with yourself and to be kind to yourself.

K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?

A: Iris Apfel (@iris.apfel) – age 99.  ‘Your quirky sense of fashion inspires me to be creative and innovative.  I would love to have your energy and drive when I’m 99.’