The Photo Gallery: Week 77

Hello and welcome to week 77 of The Gallery.

It's really really simple this week. As the sun came back out in the UK and took us TOTALLY by surprise, I shouted to anyone who would listen: 'TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS'. Remind yourself of this time so you can look back and say 'I remember when . . . '
There are the most beautiful fallen leaves and conkers and blazing sunshine here in the UK - just unheard of!

And so to encourage you all to get out there with your phone cameras, your point and shoots or your fancy dSLRs this theme is for you.
This week's theme is: Colour.
Just one colour, whichever one you like, just pick one.
There is a whole load of beautiful colours out there just ripe for the snapping.

And while you're thinking about colours, it would be really cool if you could clicky click on over to the Unicef Own a Colour website and help raise money for vulnerable children across the globe.
You get to buy and name your own personal colour from a choice of over 16.7 million shades for a minimum donation of just £1 per colour. All money raised goes towards Unicef's fabulous work for children around the world.
Yes, that's £1. To save a child. £1.
I am the proud owner of Gorgeous Grrrrreen.

Remember, The Gallery isn't about technically brilliant photos. It's about rediscovering photos; both old and new.
It's about finding excuses to use them again, sparking your imagination, inspiring.
And absolutely ANYONE can join in.

Come back on Wednesday to add your link when The Gallery post goes up. Then visit as many of the other entries as you can to see what they've come up with.
The link stays open for a week so it doesn't matter if you can't post on Wednesday.

Say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
You will get out of this what you put into it.

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

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post your photo on Wednesday.

NEW HERE? NOT SURE HOW TO ENTER?
If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about and how to enter visit here.
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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And the winner is . . .

I have two fabulous prizes to hand out today; one a whole box of Lego Series 5 MiniFigures and the other gorgeous artwork for

First off the Lego competition winner.
The question was; If you could have any Lego MiniFigure sitting on your desk/bedside cabinet/kitchen counter - real or imagined - which one would you have?
And there were some quite frankly disturbing answers. Jedward? Peter Andre? Steve Backshall with his top off *ahem*. Lego are looking at them all, you know this right?

Anyway, the winner was to be picked by random draw by my two delightful assistants (the kids) who were asked to choose a number between 1 and 145 - and so their winner was  . . .

Many congratulations. Your box of Lego MiniFigures will be winging their way to you.

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

The second competition was to win some beautiful artwork from The Little Picture Company - an online store selling art for children.
The winner gets to choose their own a word using a selection of adorable letters like these above, to create their own print.
And that winner is: Kelloggsville for her entry in The Photo Gallery: A Happy Memory.
Her entry was called A BHS breakfast and in the words of Anita Singh from The Little Picture Company: "It was the one which stayed with me long after reading it".

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The Photo Gallery: Home

In every corner of our home there is a memory.
Photos of holidays before children.
The treasured gift of a grandparent now departed.
Pictures bought as a reminder of a happy holiday.
Books devoured before time-hogging babies came into the equation.
Wedding presents, birthday presents, junk shop finds, childhood favourites, prizes won, high school work books.
The two lamps husband and I blew a fortune on just because. Ahem.

A house is not a home until it has these memories sewn into every corner.
And this is something I'm discovering as we think about moving house, packing up - and 'decluttering'.
A word which to me at the moment means stripping back some of those memories.

This post for for week 76 of The Gallery: Home.

If you're new and want to know what The Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
You can also pick up The Gallery code if you want too.

Now go forth and show some big blog love. This virtual gallery of photographs is about enjoying each other's work, so go make someone's day.

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My Daddy Cooks us Toad in the Hole

Not THE My Daddy Cooks. I mean he wasn't here in our house making us dinner like some reality TV show.
But we did have the next best thing. We have our grubby hands on Nick's lovely recipe book and we pretended he was wearing a pinny, hovering over our cooker . . .
So as the men were out at rugby practise in the wind and rain, Mia and I stayed at home and made comfort food.
And it doesn't come much more comforting than toad in the hole.

Ingredients
(for the toad)
8 thick, good quality pork sausages
8 rashers of streaky bacon
Large glug of vegetable oil
(for the 'hole')
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
300ml milk

Method
Preheat oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7
Wrap sausages with the bacon and put them in a deep baking dish. Drizzle with the oil. You want the base to have a good covering of oil too.
Bake for 20 minutes until the bacon starts to go crispy.

While the sausages are cooking, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Drop n the egg and whisk in the milk. Try not to over-whisk the batter but you want it nice and smooth.

Remove sausages from the oven (be careful as the oil will be very hot) and pour the batter into the dish around the sausages.
Bake for another 25-30 minutes.
DO NOT open the oven for at least 20 minutes.
The toad in the hole is ready when the batter has risen and is golden brown.

There is also a yummy onion gravy recipe in the book to accompany this too, but when I said I was going to make onion gravy, both children said in the most deadpan voice: "No mummy. Don't do that"!
Maybe one to try a couple of years down the line with them!
.

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Sing-A-Ma-Jigs: Not just for children

They have little opening mouths, they sing, they have TEETH and are ever so slightly creepy.
But my goodness me have they gone down a storm in this house!
Even ADULTS have been trying to snaffle them from my 6 year old.

Mia has four of them lined up on her bed for nighttime singing/freaking mummy out sessions.
We were sent them to review quite a while back now, but I've been too traumatised to post this.

Welcome to my hell.

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He lives in a fantasy world of Captain Jack and yo ho hos

"Let's go down the drinks aisle Dan (we're in the supermarket), I need to get a birthday present for Graham (who's 80)."

"What, he wants alcohol? Isn't he a bit old for getting drunk?"


"He just likes a drink every now and again. He likes his rum."


"Rum?"
Audible gasp.
"Do we know an actual pirate then?"
.

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The Photo Gallery: Week 76

Hello and welcome to week 76 of The Gallery.

Today I'm bringing things right back home, literally.
This week's theme is: Home.
There's no place like it, right?
So what makes your home 'home'? What's your favourite bit, a favourite corner, a room with a story to tell? Is there something in your home you wouldn't be without, or a treasured item, or something passed down the generations?
Is there a place you sit to find peace or a room you're particularly proud of?
Let's talk home. And you can be as creative as you like!

Remember, The Gallery isn't about technically brilliant photos. It's about rediscovering photos; both old and new.
It's about finding excuses to use them again, sparking your imagination, inspiring.
And absolutely ANYONE can join in.

Come back on Wednesday to add your link when The Gallery post goes up. Then visit as many of the other entries as you can to see what they've come up with.
The link stays open for a week so it doesn't matter if you can't post on Wednesday.

Say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
You will get out of this what you put into it.

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

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post your photo on Wednesday.

NEW HERE? NOT SURE HOW TO ENTER?
If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about and how to enter visit here.
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 Photo Gallery: Guilty Pleasures

Ah yes, how utterly predictable. My little guilty pleasure is chocolate.
Or more precisely a Green and Black's Almond bar with a piping hot cup of tea, while sat in my back garden looking out onto the trees.
One of the beauties of working from home is that my tea breaks afford me this wonderful luxury and no one need ever know about it.
Just me and the trees.

Of course, it's just a matter of hiding said chocolate at the back of the highest cupboard, away from little hands . . .

This post for for week 75 of The Gallery: Guilty Pleasures.

If you're new and want to know what The Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
You can also pick up The Gallery code if you want too.

Now go forth and show some big blog love. This virtual gallery of photographs is about enjoying each other's work, so go make someone's day.

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The school run

It's easy to whinge and moan and sigh and tut.
But actually, I really quite enjoy our school run.

I have to drive my children to school (due to the fact that we couldn't get in to the one a mere 5 minute walk from our house, but DON'T get me started on that issue).
But actually, that's OK. Because just look at the journey we make . . .

I never complain about our journey to school because it's ace.
Even at 8.30am.
Back to school is so much easier when you have this in your line of sight . . .
.

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Should we get a dog?

Now there's a loaded question.
It's been something we've pondered as a family ever since our elderly and much beloved cat Lily died last year.
The kids saw it as the ideal opportunity to upgrade and ask for a dog.
So actually when I say it's something we've pondered as a family, what I mean is it's something the children and hubby are desperate to have and they're trying to persuade me.

I adore dogs. Grew up with them. My mum shows and breeds dogs and a grew up with Afghan hounds which are the most lovely-natured creatures.
But here's the thing.
If we have a dog it will become my 'job'. My other job, because you know, I have a job.
And that job entails working from home so the trio of naggers see that as 'mummy is perfectly placed to allow us to have a dog'. None of this away from the house all day nonsense.

I asked Twitter what we should do and my replies stream went bonkers with people resorting to shouting at me DON'T GET A DOG and YOU NEEEEED A DOG.

People even tweeted me photos of their dogs (melt) . . .

So, we've opted for the easy option for now!
His name's Benji and Mia ADORES him.
He's the cutest animatronic dog and Mia was sent him to review. She had the similar Biscuit a couple of years ago and he was huge - in size and popularity.
So Benji is a lot smaller, greets her with a bark when she enters her room (for he lives on her bed, obviously), loves to be tickled under his chin and will growl when you play tug o war and pull the rope in his mouth.
I have to say the noisy motors which make him move are rather distracting. Actually, they drive me MAD. But actually, he's been with us a week now and you do kind of start to overlook them.

Whatever, it means we've gotten to postpone the 'dog issue' for a little while longer.
Who was that who said cop out? Show yourself . . .
.

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How to host a cinema party at home for 6 year olds. And remain sane

I can hear your sharp intake of breath from here.
A party? At home? Are you MAD?

With all the fancy, money-draining parties you can pay for these days, my kids will still choose a house party in a heart beat every time.
And there is something about them. Sure they're hard work and your house gets trashed, but it's a bit of a rite of passage, posting DO NOT ENTER signs at the top of the stairs and picking bits of debris out of your cushions for the next few hours after they've gone.

We've had a Haunted House party, and Under the Sea party and even a Scooby Doo party and every time I flop onto the bed utterly exhausted with cake smeared over my clothes and swear I'll reconsider next year.
Well, this year Mia wanted a Cinema Party for her 6th.
She said the magic 'movie' word and tapped into her mother's movie geekdom and I couldn't say no.

So I coped as I always do, with military planning . . . Here's how.

1. Get props.

Old fashioned popcorn bags from eBay for snacks and party bags. £2 for 10.
Clapperboard to advertise party at the front door for all guests. £2.50 from Amazon.
Chocolate money to give to guests to spend at the 'cinema shop'. £2 for 3 bags from Tesco.

2. Get big brother involved.

 He doesn't actually mind being around the house with a bunch of excitable 6 year olds, but Dan would much rather roll his sleeves up and be useful. So Mia made him his own cinema shop. Complete with sign, price board, till and bags of popcorn, pick n mix and juice boxes.
He was utterly brilliant.

4. Employ dad as the film producer
So that if anything goes wrong with the film you've got someone to blame. Ahem.
We actually tried something new - gulp - and downloaded a movie from iTunes to watch.
We were 'gifted' the movie Hop by Think Parents. All we had to do was download to my phone, buy a cable to connect it to the TV, and bob's your uncle. Ridiculously easy.
Of course I now have the movie permanently on my phone so I have bribable material for when we're out and about . . .

5. Find snazzy ways of getting the kids to help with the clearing up.
Anyone who returned their empty popcorn/drinks packaging to the 'shopkeeper' got their chocolate money back.
It only bloody worked.

6. Include at least one fun game.
We play this most years and it never ever fails to make them squeal with laughter, whether they're 6 or 16.
Put clues in a blown-up balloon. Each child picks a balloon, bursts it, finds the clue, follows it, finds a prize.
As Mia was only having 8 friends to her party, I set myself the task of finding prizes worth no more than £1. Thank heavens for Poundland and Primark is all I'll say.
This is also a MASSIVE concession on my part as I hate balloons with the heat of a thousand suns. THAT is how much I love you Mia.

7. Open the back door and let them run off the e numbers

8. Give killer party bags.

You cannot go far wrong with Lego MiniFigures. Fact.

9. When all your friends have gone watch the movie all over again. Because it's your birthday and you can.

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Win a whole box of Lego MiniFigures Series 5

Yes, that's right, a whole box.
You know the ones you see on the shop counter and you usually take one or two packets when you're buying the paper or the Lottery ticket but want to take a massive handful (or is that just me?)
Well, here is your chance to take the WHOLE BOX home.

There are 32 packets in a box and Lego tell me that in each box of there will be the 16 different MiniFigures!
So you can snaffle the lot for yourself, or share them around or have a Lego MiniFigure party or invite someone like @cosmicgirlie round to your house who can actually tell what is in each packet by feeling alone. A talent that massively impressed my two kids.
Ones to collect in this series include Lizard Man, Fitness Instructor, Gangster, Gladiator, Boxer and Detective.

THIS COMPETITION IS CLOSED

So, to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer this question:

Q: If you could have any Lego MiniFigure sitting on your desk/bedside cabinet/kitchen counter - real or imagined - which one would you have?

There is no right or wrong answer, it's just a bit of fun.
The winner will be chosen at random after the closing date.

Rules n stuff.
The competition is open to residents of the UK only (sorry rest of the world).
No cash alternative offered.
To enter, leave a comment on this blog.
Make sure your contact details are available.
The winner will be drawn at random from all entries after the closing date.
The competition closes at 08:00 on Friday, September 23, 2011.
The winner will be asked to provide a full UK postal address with postcode. Please allow 14 days for delivery.
If a prizewinner does not provide a full UK postal address within a week of being contacted, the prize will be re-drawn and a new winner will be contacted.
.

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The Photo Gallery: Week 75

Hello and welcome to week 75 of The Gallery.

I am amazed that this photography feature has been running for 75 weeks and we've only a couple of repeated themes. And one of those was intentional. Who'd have thought it?!

Truth be told, it's not just me feeding your imaginations; I have a whole team of little mice whispering ideas in my ears.
And by little mice, I mean the likes of Karen, who kindly came up with the idea of this week's theme.

And it is . . . : Guilty Pleasures.
I imagine it's one you're going to really REALLY struggle with . . .  *ahem*.

Remember, The Gallery isn't about technically brilliant photos. It's about rediscovering photos; both old and new.
It's about finding excuses to use them again, sparking your imagination, inspiring.
And absolutely ANYONE can join in.

Come back on Wednesday to add your link when The Gallery post goes up. Then visit as many of the other entries as you can to see what they've come up with.
The link stays open for a week so it doesn't matter if you can't post on Wednesday.

Say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.
You will get out of this what you put into it.

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

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post your photo on Wednesday.

NEW HERE? NOT SURE HOW TO ENTER?
If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about and how to enter visit here.
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...

What price childhood?

Children in the UK are consistently found to rank below the vast majority of children in the developed world in terms of well-being.
In fact four years ago, the UK was shown to have the lowest child well being levels in the developed world.
How bloody depressing is that?

These are the shocking findings of a Child Well Being Report issued by Unicef this week and quite honestly it makes me desperately sad.
These are our children. The love of our lives.

And what makes children happy isn't exactly a revelation: The report says they want time with a happy, stable family, good friends and plenty of things to do, especially outdoor. But it adds that parents in the UK struggle to find time to be with their children or help them participate in sporting and creative activities.
Material goods don't make them happy. They just fill a hole.

It's that awful Catch 22 situation. Many parents need or have to work to stay afloat, but the draw on their time means that family life suffers.
And I've seen first hand those parents who buy expensive gifts to 'compensate' for never being around.

My husband and I took the decision to give our lives over to giving our kids a great childhood long ago.
We both work, many times during the evening to catch up.
But we also spend most weekends on the sidelines of a muddy rugby pitch somewhere in the UK watching our boy throw himself around after a ball.
We are constantly falling into bed at the end of a day of swimming, or walking, or cycling, tramping through the local forest or grubbing in the dirt.
We 'waste' a Saturday watching back to back DVDs together in a darkened living room or sit and play Monopoly while the washing/ironing/cleaning remains undone.
On a whim we go looking for bugs after school or go trampolining in a friend's back garden.

So what if the house is dirty or Mia has to go to school with a slightly creased top?
It may be a simplistic view of the world, but in my experience many naughty kids are bored kids and I never want my two to go down that route.
We're by no means perfect, but we're bloody trying our hardest. They only get one childhood.

As parents, time is the most valuable thing we own.
Money is great, fancy holidays lovely, stuff is just, well stuff. It comes and goes and if you become materialistic you will NEVER be satisfied.
But give someone your time and they will be forever grateful.
Children don't want to be lavished with goods (no matter how much they beg for them). They want you; all of you, the you that isn't distracted by the computer or TV or tapping away on your smart phone.

So give them your undivided attention and let's help change this shocking statistic around.
Rant over.
.

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The Photo Gallery: A Happy Memory

Aren't all photographs happy memories? Isn't that why we take them?
So pretty impossible task to try to find ONE memory to blog about.

Back in my days as a journalist, I was very privileged to have been sent on many many wonderful press trips.
But this one sticks in my mind as the most awesome. It's the one I bring out whenever anyone would say 'what's the best press trip you've ever been on'. And it was my favourite because it was a 'geek' press trip.

For this photo right here is me sat in Luke Skywalker's house on the set of the Star Wars movie, in Tunisia. We were on a 'Star Wars safari'.
What can I tell you; I am a movie and a sci fi nerd. This was like all my Christmases had come at once.
We spent days touring the desert in 4x4s, dressing up in capes and rushing up sand dunes brandishing our lightsabers, stepping where Jedi Knights had been and enjoying feasts in the middle of nowhere under cover of a bedouin tent.

What can I tell you? It's a pretty happy memory!
And yes, I do have a hat on. What of it?

This post for for week 74 of The Gallery: A Happy Memory.
Don't forget there is a lovely prize up for grabs this week too.

If you're new and want to know what The Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
You can also pick up The Gallery code if you want too.

Now go forth and show some big blog love. This virtual gallery of photographs is about enjoying each other's work, so go make someone's day.

Read more...

Hanging out with the little people

When I realised work would have to stop over the school holidays because neither of my children wanted to go to the holiday club for any length of time, my heart sank.
Six whole weeks of trying to entertain a 5 and an 8 year old. Ye gods.

Truth be told we had the best time. The BEST time.
It wasn't always easy and the tiredness, oh brother, the tiredness. But my kids have become these great little people to hang out with. So this is some of what we got up to.

We went walking and tree climbing and tree hugging *ahem* . . .

We played NUMEROUS card games, discovered new ones and got the rest of the family hooked on them . . .

We hung out with good friends . . .

Went camping . . .

Played rugby . . .

Photographed EVERYTHING . . .

Enjoyed our back garden . . .

Created shelters for little animals in amazingly beautiful forests . . .

And we bonded. As a family.

Of course, learning to play a tune on a blade of grass is always ALWAYS a big ole bonus when you're 8.

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