The Gallery: Week 10

Hello and welcome to week 10 of The Gallery.

Ten weeks in and you're all still awesome (and that's a word I hardly EVER use!)

The photos you choose and the words you use to describe them have been just excellent and I confess I look forward to losing a whole evening on a Wednesday checking them out.

I love that you all love it and I love that you are all so supportive of everyone else.

This Gallery is a success because of YOU and I thank each and every one of you for that.

So, to this week's theme.

Let's all share a secret. Let's all paint a picture of the world we live in: The hidden bits, the bits you feel are special and people should know about. The bits people wouldn't necessarily see.

It could be a picture of where you live. Somewhere you love to visit. Somewhere you've been on holiday. Somewhere you want to return to.

It could be a beach, a back garden, a mountain hideaway, a stunning view, trees (*ahem*).

And then tell us why it is so special.

I saw this BBC initiative to discover Secret Britain and thought it a really lovely idea.

So I've pinched it and gone bigger.

Let's reveal the best the world has to offer.

Let's paint an amazing picture of the world on one day, so anyone visiting our Gallery can be transported around the globe on an incredible journey.

As always, come back on Wednesday to add your link, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
Appreciate the wonderful photos that are opening themselves up to you.

Now get clicking!

The Gallery

If you're new to The Gallery, here's the brief: I will give you a prompt, an idea, a notion and you go out and take a photograph using that prompt. Or just use a photo you already have.

The prompt could be one word, an object, an idea, a phrase, anything, and you have to post a picture which you feel represents that prompt.

Post it on your blog and write about it.

That's it.

It's not about taking technically brilliant photos - although if you do, I'd love to see them too. It's about having a passion for pictures; any photos, all photos whether you took it with your all singing all dancing SLR or snapped it on your camera phone.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your photo and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Wednesday and via a groovy widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.
Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support amateur photographers out there.

And if you want to add a pukka linkable Gallery button to your blog (instead of the amateurish one I've been using!) the code is just under The Gallery picture in the right hand column on this blog.

Come back on Wednesday and join in. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.
Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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The Gallery: A portrait of friendship

Brother and sister.

It's not always the easiest of relationships.

It's easy to shout at your sister when you've had a crappy day.

It's easy to blame your brother when things go missing.

It's easy to hurt, to tease, to upset.

No matter what the age.

I am so lucky that my two just adore each other.

Sure they fight and squabble and try to get each other into trouble.

But this picture is a perfect example of how they are together.

Tight. Inseparable. Affectionate. Friends.

I hope and pray to all things holy that they will always be there for each other and this photo will echo through their years.

(By the way, this photo was taken on my iPhone using the wondrous Hipstamatic app introduced to me by Liz at Violet Posy. I love it's slightly old fashioned, vintage feel).

This post is for week 9 of The Gallery: Portraits.

**************

So what did you all come up with?

It's week 9 of The Gallery and as you know, I launched it to showcase all the amazing photographs I see dotted around the blogs I visit.

I wanted to create an online art gallery of all your work.

And the results have been stunning and exceeded my wildest expectations.

People taking part have seen the number of people visiting their blog rise, they've met new people and have helped create an exciting buzz around the internet.

That's you helping drive this. You are making a different just by taking photographs!

And the beauty is you can jump in any time you like. Miss a week, miss 2, come back; you don't even have to post a picture if you don't want to, just visit everyone else's. If you are joining in this week at the foot of this post you will find a widget to add the URL to your own Gallery post.

The aim is to get as many of your photographs viewed by others, so if you do have the time, make sure you try and visit some of the other entries - even if it's only a couple - and let them know what you think.
And if you've missed this week's prompt, no problem as there will be a new one on Friday.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Read more...

Teaching children the things they don't learn in school

I had a good rant recently about a letter I received from my son's school because I was taking him out of school for one day.

The letter implied that I was compromising my son's education and that I should think twice about making such a heinous decision again.

Many, many people commented that children's education doesn't start and end in the classroom.

And they're right.

We as parents have a duty of care to teach long after the school bell has rung. Not just the usual literacy and numeracy, reading and homework.

I'm talking about life lessons; lessons that will stand them in good stead for the life ahead of them. Lessons you can't teach within the four walls of a classroom. Lessons you can't teach from a text book.

I'm talking about the things they learn from listening to you, from being in your company, from being with you and from taking your example.

Things like:

Friendship

Sure they learn about making friends and breaking friends at school and the dynamics of groups and cliques and falling out and making up.

But what about compassion, understanding, tolerance and generosity?

What about teaching them how making friends and how genuinely helping others will reap them great rewards in life and how so much better it is to try to understand others rather than criticise.

Money

You need to earn more than you spend. A very simple premise but that seems to have been lost on many adults.

My son has pocket money and has to save up for anything he wants to buy. It has actually taught him to stop and think and often that thing he wants so BAAAADLY and can't WAAAAIT to buy, when he actually has enough money to buy it, he's changed his mind.

I also like to involve my children when we donate to charity (the Haiti appeal was perfect for this because they saw how people can mobilise to help in the wake of a tragedy and how people can make a difference.)

A love of reading

Sure they read at school, but don't they make it boooring?

It doesn't matter what they read - Lego instruction sheets, old classics, comics, or as in my 7 year olds case the Captain Underpants series of books.

Just get them reading and discovering things, things which interest them and which will get them asking for more.

My son has a Guinness Book of World Records which he sits up in bed reading most nights . . . "You will never believe this one mummy . . . "

A love of life

Life can be tough some times. Really really tough. But you need to at least try to make the best of it.

Strive to be better, to find the good in people, to see that the glass is half full.

I'm pretty sure that growing up this with sort of mantra is going to make adulthood a whole lot more pleasant.

There is SO MUCH to learn

The world is a huge huge place. The world is a fascinating place.

From the way plants grow, to air flight, the human body, numbers, different cultures, history - and the best way to learn it is to live it.

Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg. And you don't need to have children to recognise these things. We've all been youngsters, we've all learnt something from someone.

Personally, one of my biggest influencers was my beloved grandma who taught me many many things while we stood side by side baking or cleaning carrots or making crisps (I used to think she was SO cool because she could make crisps!)

So, what say you? What would you add to the list?

Read more...

The Gallery: Week 9

Hello and welcome to week 9 of The Gallery.

I don't know about you all, but I've been having a blast.

I've laughed, I've cried, I've despaired at the number of people posting pictures of their feet (seriously everyone, it's not nice).

I had to describe this feature to my mother in law this week (what's a blog again? Is this something you do for work? Is it something I can read - err, ahh, cough, splutter etc etc) and I painted it thus:

It's like a digital art gallery and one day every week you can visit my blog and open the doors on other people's websites around the world where they are all showcasing a photograph based on that week's theme.

It's pretty cool.

I am enjoying The Gallery more than I ever thought I would and I really hope you are too.

Alright already I hear you cry. Just tell us the theme for the next gallery for heaven's sake.

Ok. Well I saw this picture on All That Comes With It and thought it was beautiful.

So this week's theme is: Portraits.

Take a portrait. Of you, of your children, of your parents, your friends, a partner, whoever.

A portrait.

Simple eh? Well no, they never are. I think this is going to be an awesome one.

As always, come back on Wednesday to add your link, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
Appreciate the wonderful photos that are opening themselves up to you.

Now get clicking!

The Gallery

If you're new to The Gallery, here's the brief: I will give you a prompt, an idea, a notion and you go out and take a photograph using that prompt. Or just use a photo you already have.

The prompt could be one word, an object, an idea, a phrase, anything, and you have to post a picture which you feel represents that prompt.

Post it on your blog and write about it.

That's it.

It's not about taking technically brilliant photos - although if you do, I'd love to see them too. It's about having a passion for pictures; any photos, all photos whether you took it with your all singing all dancing SLR or snapped it on your camera phone.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your photo and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Wednesday and via a groovy widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.
Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support amateur photographers out there.

And if you want to add a pukka linkable Gallery button to your blog (instead of the amateurish one I've been using!) the code is just under The Gallery picture in the right hand column on this blog.

Come back on Wednesday and join in. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.
Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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Eyelashes

They say your children get your best bits, well my girl has inherited her father's unfeasibly long eyelashes (which are clearly are totally wasted on a man).
And when she smiles I see the emotional young man with a big heart I met back in 1985 reflected in her eyes.

The man who has given me a difficult, demanding daughter I sometimes struggle to understand.

The daughter with a big personality and an iron will.

The daughter with her daddy's spirit.

And her daddy's eyes.

Read more...

The Gallery: Gluttony

I know, I know, utterly shameful.

You can almost hear the whispers around them from people thinking 'do their parents not know how to control them?'

Fancy taking a friend's children out for the day and then letting them indulge so sinfully in a bowlful of molten chocolate.

Two years on the trot.

This post is for week 8 of The Gallery: 7 Deadly Sins (you only had to pick one, but judging by what I've been reading on Twitter, some people are attempting all 7 . . . )

**************

So what did you all come up with?

It's week 8 of The Gallery and as you know, I launched it to showcase all the amazing photographs I see dotted around the blogs I visit.

I wanted to create an online art gallery of all your work.

And the results have been stunning and exceeded my wildest expectations.

People taking part have seen the number of people visiting their blog rise, they've met new people and have helped create an exciting buzz around the internet.

That's you helping drive this. You are making a different just by taking photographs!

And the beauty is you can jump in any time you like. Miss a week, miss 2, come back; you don't even have to post a picture if you don't want to, just visit everyone else's. If you are joining in this week at the foot of this post you will find a widget to add the URL to your own Gallery post.

The aim is to get as many of your photographs viewed by others, so if you do have the time, make sure you try and visit some of the other entries - even if it's only a couple - and let them know what you think.
And if you've missed this week's prompt, no problem as there will be a new one on Friday.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Read more...

The boy

Oh boy oh boy am I a sucker for a photo.

I need just the smallest excuse to post them on here. So How I Like My Coffee gave me one . . .

1 . Open the first/oldest photo folder in your computer library
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it

4. Tag 5 or more people to continue the thread.

Here is my photo.

He really was the most adorable baby.

I couldn't help photographing him ALL THE TIME. Even when he slept the poor sod had a camera pointed at his little face.

He slept when he was supposed to sleep, weaned like a dream, almost potty trained himself, bypassed the Terrible Twos and was always, always a huge smiler.

Now he's 7 and he's still the most adorable, kind natured, sweet boy.

I know he's not going to allow me to say stuff like this for much longer so I'm milking it all I can now.

My boy is utterly adorable and when I look back on this photo of him as a 6-month-old little chap I can see sweetness radiating from him.

My baby. My Danny.

I know I'm supposed to pass it on to 5 others but I'm going to stick with just 3.

3 people who I've discovered through their entries in The Gallery.

3 people who are also a bit addicted to photographs!

Freckles Family

Cherished By Me

Incessant Ramblings

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Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope. Or why toy developers really should employ children

I have spent the past 2 days building Lego with my 7 year old.

Bonding with the boy.

Not just any Lego, dear internet. Oh no, Star Wars Lego to be precise.

He. Has. Been. In. Heaven.

He's at the age where he only needs mummy to do the boring bits like open the packaging and supply a steady stream of food and pass the correct pieces "look at it mum, that is not the right one is it". Duly admonished.

So we're building Luke's Landspeeder (we're reviewing them for the Great Toy Guide and have already spent the best part of 3 hours building the TIE Defender - that's an awful lot of little grey bricks dear readers) and we're nearing the part where we need to sit the little characters in the vehicle to, you know, go and defend the universe or something.

Anyway, Dan's cross.

"What's the point of giving them lightsabers? They can't hold them while they're sitting in the speeder. They haven't even created somewhere to store them when they're travelling somewhere."

Tut.

"They really don't think these things through do they mummy?"

Read more...

The Gallery: Week 8

Hello and welcome to week 8 of The Gallery.

It's been an emotional rollercoaster, I won't lie to you.

I've met lots and lots of interesting new people, I've read amazing things; sad things, joyous things, interesting things, things which made me see the people who wrote them in a different light.

And it's been brilliant to see how people interpret the prompts in hugely different ways.

I am enjoying The Gallery more than I ever thought I would and I really hope you are too.

So. What theme to give this week's virtual art gallery?

I really wanted to do something tough this week. Not tough enough to put anyone off, but tough enough to really make you have to think on it a while. Mull it over. Ponder.

And let me tell you, coming up with such a theme is tough in itself!

Anyway, enough excuses, this week's theme is: 7 deadly sins.

Oooo, I can hear the intake of breath!

This is from an idea prompted by @missleslieanne so if you hate it blame her . . .

The sins are: Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony.

Pick one. Unless you can do all 7, then go for it!

As always, come back on Wednesday to add your link, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
Appreciate the wonderful photos that are opening themselves up to you.

Now get clicking!

The Gallery

If you're new to The Gallery, here's the brief: I will give you a prompt, an idea, a notion and you go out and take a photograph using that prompt. Or just use a photo you already have.

The prompt could be one word, an object, an idea, a phrase, anything, and you have to post a picture which you feel represents that prompt.

Post it on your blog and write about it.

That's it.

It's not about taking technically brilliant photos - although if you do, I'd love to see them too. It's about having a passion for pictures; any photos, all photos whether you took it with your all singing all dancing SLR or snapped it on your camera phone.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your photo and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Wednesday and via a groovy widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.
Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support amateur photographers out there.

And if you want to add a pukka linkable Gallery button to your blog (instead of the amateurish one I've been using!) the code is just under The Gallery picture in the right hand column on this blog.

Come back on Wednesday and join in. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.
Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

Read more...

Has becoming a parent made you more confident?

I think I have confessed before now that I am quite a shy person.

I feel like the 12 year old in a room of thirtysomethings and I have absolutely and utterly no reason to be there.

However, since having children I found my confidence started to peek out from behind the skirts of my bashfulness.

I actually found that becoming a mother brought me out of my shell.

I turned into a bit of a lioness: There is nothing I wouldn't do or say if it helped my children in any way.

And then that started to creep over into other areas of my life.

I'm not talking about confidence in being a parent - my oldest is 7 and I still think I'm constantly getting it wrong and oh for the love of god, why oh why do I do/say/shout that when I know it's a really baaaad thing to do?

Neither am I talking about the school gate because we all know how they can actually morph into the gates of Hell for many.

But what about meeting new people, or going into strange places or experiencing unknown surroundings?

I wouldn't say I'm a confident person. Far far from it.

But put me in a room with a bunch of other parents and I'm off. Maybe it's because we all have a conversation starting point; we all have something in common. It's a great leveller no matter who you are or what your position.

Maybe it's a shared experience, shared stress, shared sheer bloody exhaustion.

Or maybe it's something else more spiritual.

I don't know, is it just me? Is it more an age thing? Have you changed since becoming a parent?

Read more...

The Gallery: Joy

I thought this week's theme would be a nice easy one, something to ease us all back into the swing of things after the tough theme of 'ugly'.

And one thing I learned from this was you don't necessarily like or want easy! You want to test your little grey cells and have to work at this feature.

I love you all for that!

But joy doesn't necessarily have to be smiley faces or pictures of your family.

Joy means many different things to different people.

This to me is joy. I know, I know, slightly bizarre, but I took this photo while out on a walk with my family near where we live and it makes my really smile.

The minute they saw that puddle the children were in it: splashing, causing mayhem and giggling. Simple pleasures that make a mum's heart swell with pride.

The tree is a gnarled old thing on a walk from our house that has charted the march of years of my 2 children. I have photographs of them climbing over it from the moment they could both walk, right up until present day.

And the bridge? It represents a sort of 'gateway' we pass under on our walk to another world of hedgerows, brambles, country walks, fields of wheat and rambles away from the cares of the modern world.

**************
So what did you all come up with?

It's week 7 of The Gallery and as you know, I launched it to showcase all the amazing photographs I see dotted around the blogs I visit.

I wanted to create an online art gallery of all your work.

And the results have been stunning and exceeded my wildest expectations.

People taking part have seen the number of people visiting their blog rise, they've met new people and have helped create an exciting buzz around the internet.

That's you helping drive this. You are making a different just by taking photographs!

And the beauty is you can jump in any time you like. Miss a week, miss 2, come back; you don't even have to post a picture if you don't want to, just visit everyone else's. If you are joining in this week at the foot of this post you will find a widget to add the URL to your own Gallery post.

The aim is to get as many of your photographs viewed by others, so if you do have the time, make sure you try and visit some of the other entries - even if it's only a couple - and let them know what you think.
And if you've missed this week's prompt, no problem as there will be a new one on Friday.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Read more...

Fantasy food fest. A totally self-indulgent meme

I've been tagged in 2 very different memes and as you know I always always like to take a meme into my virtual workshop and give it a bit of an overhaul.

This time is no exception.

Erica at Little Mummy tagged me in the Fantasy 3 Course Meal Meme and Nova at Cherished by me tagged me in some rude Hunky movie men meme!

So, I've combined the two. Made a bit of a Frankenstein's Monster meme.

This is the Fantasy Character 3 Course Meal Meme. And drinks.

Choose your ideal meal. Reveal which book/TV/movie character would you share it with.

Totally frivolous and silly but I'll go with any excuse which means I can post a picture of Indiana Jones on my blog . . .

Drink: Moscow Mule

Hubby has started making us this cocktail of choice when we're settling down to watch Lost.

Maybe he thinks it will dull the pain of confusion from watching this brilliant but bloody infuriating show!

Anyway, I would like to share my little bit of daring adventure with Indiana Jones: My movie hero and the character which made me go all giddy at the cinema all those years ago when Raiders of the Lost Ark was released.

Starter: Goats cheese and red onion marmalade tartlet with balsamic dressing

Years ago I was invited to join a supper club. A group of 6 women who would get together every 6 weeks to celebrate food: The host would make the main course and the rest of us would provide starter/dessert/drink on a rota basis.

It was the best fun and I met 5 strangers (I only knew the friend who had invited me) who over the course of 2 years became some of my best friends.

This was the best starter - made by a friend who is just truly gifted in the cookery department.

I'll be sharing this cheesy feast with the swooney Jack Foley from Out of Sight; a role George Clooney totally shines in (not as good as his turn in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, but close).

Main course: Spiced lamb meatballs with rice and mixed salad

Years and years ago hubby and I visited a tiny restaurant called The Fat Cat in Solihull and just fell in love with the meat balls they served up.

So I asked them for the recipe and every time I make them it takes me right back to the early days of us dating when I got butterflies in my tummy every time he phoned and asked me out on a date.

And rather inappropriately given this story, I also break into rather a cold sweat when I see the computer nerd Stanley Jobson in all his geekery in the film Swordfish. Bit of a rubbish film (stop chewing the scenery John Travolta!) but Stanley, oh Stanley . . .

I'd even forgive him that name.

Pudding: Apple and blackberry crumble

I make this with my children every year with the apples the tree in our back garden yields. A tree given to me by my beloved grandpop before he died 5 years ago.

A pie which proudly sits on my Twitter profile page.

And so I share this memory-filled dessert with Atticus Finch: easily the best fictional dad and the character which gave me my love of books all those years ago when I read To Kill A Mockingbird at the age of 14 and thought it was the most brilliantly conceived piece of writing.

Granted I hadn't read much of note by that age, but even now at the age of 41 I still love that book and the characters in it.

And so I pass this mishmash of a meme on to another group of foodie/movie buff/writers (a bit of a niche group granted!) So I turned to Twitter to find them. Here is who volunteered . . .

Jane at How I Like My Coffee (actually she didn't volunteer but I know it will be right up her street)

Dan at All That Comes With It

Linda at You've Got Your Hands Full

Deer Baby

Rachael at Marathon Mummy

Jayne Howarth

And The Happy Honeybee (who was Shanghaied into it!)

Read more...

A day at Drayon Manor. In pictures

We've become a bit of a theme park family of late with a whole load of invites to check out what is on offer.

It is a luxury this blog has afforded my children and one day when they are older I will be reminding them and expecting them to ferry me around everywhere in my dottage . . .

As Rosie Scribble said on our recent outing to Drayton Manor (near Tamworth), our children are going to think all theme parks are free, you get the best tickets on offer and you're presented with a fabulous spread of food whenever you visit.

Either that or they'll grow up thinking their mums are really really important and are like the Queen with free reign to visit where ever they choose . . . ahem.

Anyway, we spent a sunny April day at the park with good friends and the children LOVED it - which is what it's all about.

Dan was particularly taken with a rather young teen girl who was displaying her wares, so to speak, for all to see while he sat opposite her on the Pirate Ship.

But it was a minor distraction from the thrill rides he's progressed onto now he's very grown up and 7.

I can just about cope, but the day he asks me to go on the likes of Apocalypse and G-Force (seriously, look at the guy on the video clip: is that fun?) that will be the day daddy takes over.

Read more...

Reasons why raising a girl can send you mad. Number 2

I would like to publicly apologise to anyone who becomes emotionally involved with my daughter when she grows up.

Sure she's only 4 but boy does she already know how to manipulate those around her.

We've already had:

I can't kiss you because I've run out

No hugs left daddy, mummy had the last one

I WILL kiss you, just not right now as I'm saving it

I can't just give kisses out all the time you know. I've got to save at least some of them

If I kiss you all the time they won't be special any more.

I feel like I should be drawing up some form of disclaimer now so any future boyfriend knows that it's not actually my fault and if you take Mia on, well, on your own head be it.

Last night I tucked her into bed; we read a story together (Snow White - she acted a little bit scared, I acted all protective); we chatted, we hugged, I told her how I wanted to munch her right up . . . you know the scene.

I feel a warm glow light me up from the inside as I kiss her on the head, turn and walk to her bedroom door.

These moments are few and far between from a little girl who's FAR TOO BUSY for munching.

"I really really love you mummy," she says as I start to walk away.

Heart. Swells.

I turn around and blow a kiss.

I'm just heading out of the doorway, pulling the door behind me and she adds: "But sometimes I hate you." Giggle. "Not all the time. In fact probably never."

Read more...

The Gallery: Week 7

Hello and welcome to week 7 of The Gallery.
Oh boy, last week's was a tough one! I thought the number of people taking part would easily halve - but no, you lot rose to the challenge and boy did you come up with the goods. 73 of you joined in and, once again, it proved a really insightful tour of the blogosphere! Some really amazing pictures and stories - there were scars and bellies, places and (urgh) feet!

So. This week's theme.

Where to take our virtual art gallery?

As everyone worked so hard last week and had to really stretch their little grey cells I'm going to give you a nice, fun, easy one this time.
One you can really get your teeth into. One that will keep me in Josie's good books . . . ahem!

This week's theme is: Joy.

As always, visit as many as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
Appreciate the wonderful photos that are opening themselves up to you.

Now get clicking!

The Gallery

If you're new to The Gallery, here's the brief: I will give you a prompt, an idea, a notion and you go out and take a photograph using that prompt. Or just use a photo you already have.

The prompt could be one word, an object, an idea, a phrase, anything, and you have to post a picture which you feel represents that prompt.

Post it on your blog and write about it.

That's it.

It's not about taking technically brilliant photos - although if you do, I'd love to see them too. It's about having a passion for pictures; any photos, all photos whether you took it with your all singing all dancing SLR or snapped it on your camera phone.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your photo and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Wednesday and via a groovy widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.
Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support amateur photographers out there.

And if you want to add a pukka linkable Gallery button to your blog (instead of the amateurish one I've been using!) the code is just under The Gallery picture in the right hand column on this blog.

Come back on Wednesday and join in. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed.
Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

Read more...

Online friends

I confess I don't really make friends very easily.

I'm quite cautious, I hold myself back and tend to stand on the periphery of things.

Sure I'm all huggy and you can't shut me up once you get me started, but the actual making 'friends' bit I'm not so good at.

And making friends online? Well, if you'd told me I would ever do that I would have laughed in your face and called you a saddo.

Then I started blogging and discovered people I felt a bond with; people I just liked through the power of their words; people I just knew were 'my' kind of people.

And that's a pretty tough thing to do when you've never actually met them.

This week I met a bunch of them.

An informal get together (because a few of us live quite close) and a real mixed bag of mums you would probably never ordinarily put together.

But it worked. It was a Good Day. A day which reminds me why I blog and why this huge, faceless, unfathomable online community is actually a wonderful thing to be part of.

This week I spent a day with the girls: Rosie Scribble, Jo Beaufoix, Muddy No Sugar, Mocha Beanie Mummy, Sleep is for the Weak and Bumbling Along and I liked it.

My one and only regret is that I didn't take one photo of all the girls together - doh!

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The Gallery: Ugly

Oh boy this was a tough theme.
Ugly? I really don't like the word so how am I to find a photograph to depict it?
But then the idea of this feature is to make people think about photographs more, to question themselves when taking them and to afford us the opportunity to open each other's eyes to other points of view.
Plus it's going to be one of those Gallerys where we really won't have a clue what to expect when we click through the links.
And I like that very much.


So what did I come up with?
Well, I confess, I cheated.
I just couldn't find ugly anywhere.
But what I did find was Utterly Gorgeous Little Youngsters.
What? What? I told you I cheated . . .
What can I say? I'm a glass is half full kinda gal . . .

** Howdie all and welcome to week 6 of The Gallery!
As you know, I launched The Gallery to showcase all the amazing photographs I see dotted around the blogs I visit.
I wanted to create an online art gallery of all your work.
And the results have been stunning and exceeded my wildest expectations.

Are you joining in this week? At the foot of this post you will find a widget to add the URL to your own Gallery post.
The aim is to get as many of your photographs viewed by others, so if you do have the time, make sure you try and visit some of the other entries - even if it's only a couple - and let them know what you think.
And if you've missed this week's prompt, no problem as there will be a new one on Friday.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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Disneyland Resort Paris: A 7 year old's view

My son and I were invited to review the New Generation Festival at Disneyland Paris.
It's a job he has taken very seriously.
So here it is, Daniel's view on Disneyland Paris (I've added my twopence worth in too - they're usually the sarcastic bits).

The Parks

(There are 2 parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios which are within walking distance of each other)

Take warm clothes and waterproofs.

It can get cold and it can get wet, and you're out all day. Hours upon hours. You will be expected to sit on rides with very wet seats and then not complain when you have a wet bum and you squelch as you walk.

Get there as the doors open.

You're paying a lot of money for this holiday so forgo the lie ins and be at the gates at 8am (if you're staying at one of the Disney hotels you get to go in earlier than other visitors. Take advantage of it).

I wasn't allowed to shower or put make up on. I was allowed to brush my teeth and have a quick breakfast though. I know!

Plan what you're going to do.

Don't waste time faffing around deciding which rides to go on or which 'land' to start in. Get a map and plan where you're going.

Do all the 'big' rides first before the crowds arrive. You will be surprised how much ground you can cover in those first 2 hours.
You can then take your time while everyone else is queuing to enjoy the surrounds and really take a good look at the spectacle around you.

The Rides

Thunder Mountain is brilliant. You will want to go on it many many times (we managed 4 in a row).

But the queues are mahoosive so make it one of your first ports of call. Then get yourself a Fast Pass ticket as soon as you get off. Seriously; we were on the ride at 2pm and if you acquired a Fast Pass ticket then your return time was 7.30pm. It's really really busy.
The same goes for Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and Star Tours (a simulated ride).
(We didn't do Space Mountain, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Peril or Tower of Terror because Dan was too scared, but, yep you guessed it, the queues are looooong here too).

New ride Crush's Coaster at Studios is also brilliant. However there is no Fast Pass available for this ride so you will need to a. Be there literally as the gate opens b. Queue for 2 hours c. Forget it.

Don't just concentrate on the rides. There are some great features to enjoy such as Honey I Shrunk the Audience (a 3D cinema show) and CineMagique (an interactive cinema show).

It's also worth climbing up into the castle and taking a look over the rooftops of the park.

Dan's own words: "It's like a massive playground with lots of parks in and the coolest rides ever. It's fantabulous. I liked the feeling I was going to fall off the rides and going through the dark. It was wicked."

What's new

We were there to celebrate the new stuff but didn't actually get to experience all of it!
Characters from the likes of The Incredibles, Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Ratatouille will be enjoying a year-long celebration and a new land is due to open in the summer: Toy Story Playland where there will be 3 new rides - the Toy soldiers Parachute Drop, Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin and the RC Racer (an eye-watering 25-metre high half-pipe rollercoaster.

There are also new parades which are very good and Princess Tiana (from The Frog Princess) is a newcomer.

Other stuff

Meet the characters. My son is at the age where this is still a cool thing to do. He LOVED it, so it's well worth making the effort.

There are plenty of opportunities to do this as the characters are regularly dotted around the parks (with minders!) but there are huge queues to meet them. So book a meal at Mickey's Cafe in Disney Village (just outside the park). All the characters wander around and are happy to sign autographs, cuddle and pose for photographs.

Just buy them a Mickey hat/Minnie ears already.

May as well buy it on the first day so they will get their wear out of them during your stay. EVERYONE is wearing them, so just go with the flow!

Take a bag but make sure it's small enough to wear on your back.

Getting and off rides with a giant rucksack to haul around is a nightmare. It will also slow you down and incur the wrath of all youngsters.

Have fun: As a grown up you will whine about queues and prices and merchandise and oh the queues.

Your young charge will not see any of that but wonder around with an inane grin on their face.

Give in to it.

I asked Dan if he thought there were too many people there when we visited (it was PACKED. To give you an idea, the queue for Crush's Coaster was a 2 hour wait) his response was "I suppose so; I didn't really notice".

I say: "Did the rain put us off anything?" (it rained quite a bit).

"Did it rain?"

See where I'm going with this?

Give in to it. It's one weekend; get your money's worth.

I confess I have visited Disney parks on a number of occasions now and usually go in feeling quite cynical and 'let's get this over with and try and spend as little as possible'.

But Disney know how to do things well. Very well. Their execution of everything is pretty exceptional. And I always always come away totally Disneyfied.

* If you want more tips on dos and don'ts when visiting Disney parks, head over to Little Mummy's 26 tips for parent's at Disneyworld (it's written for visitors to Florida but some tips are still relevant).

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The Gallery: Week 6

Hello and welcome to week 6 of The Gallery.

Truth be told, this feature has taken off beyond my wildest dreams.

I just love seeing everyone get all in a tiz about how they will tackle the week's theme and am joyous that it means everyone gets as fired up about photographs as I do.

And so this dynamic virtual art gallery rolls on.

As always, visit as many as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.

Appreciate the wonderful photos that are opening themselves up to you.

So this week's theme. It's a toughie, I won't lie to you. It's going to really divide the camp. It may even put a few people off. It's going to take lots of thought.

And honestly? I haven't the foggiest idea how to tackle it myself.

But I just love it.

So, this week's them is: Ugly.

Ooo, I can hear you all groaning inwardly.

Personally I'm going to find this really really hard because I can see the beauty in most things and am always snapping away at some big ole gnarled tree or a patch of fungus because I think it looks really lovely.

So there you go, another toughie.

Many thanks to @Nicki72 for the idea (she knows why and I'm not going to embarrass her by telling you why!)

Now get clicking!

The Gallery

If you're new to The Gallery, here's the brief: I will give you a prompt, an idea, a notion and you go out and take a photograph using that prompt. Or just use a photo you already have.

The prompt could be one word, an object, an idea, a phrase, anything, and you have to post a picture which you feel represents that prompt.

Post it on your blog and write about it.

That's it.

It's not about taking technically brilliant photos - although if you do, I'd love to see them too. It's about having a passion for pictures; any photos, all photos whether you took it with your all singing all dancing SLR or snapped it on your camera phone.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your photo and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Wednesday and via a groovy widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.

Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support amateur photographers out there.

And if you want to add a pukka linkable Gallery button to your blog (instead of the amateurish one I've been using!) the code is just under The Gallery picture in the right hand column on this blog.

Come back on Wednesday and join in. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed.

Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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