The Gallery - World Photography Day

I had grand plans for this weeks Gallery. Tara wanted us all to make sure we dug out our cameras to capture a moment from Friday (or the weekend) to mark World Photography Day.

Great I thought!

A perfect excuse to dust off my DSLR and take a photo with my camera remote control of Mini Cheddar and I doing what we do best - having fun together. More often than not, I'm the one behind the camera so very rarely do we get any photos of the two of us. I think the last half decent one of us was taken in March 2010 and resides on my About Me page.

I was excited! I even put her cute little camera t-shirt on to mark the occasion.

However, she had other plans.

She didn't want the camera set up, not even the remote control could get her interested. She had a strop, she got upset, she got all snotty and she dribbled. A lot.

So this is my entry this week. A moody toddler captured forever to mark a great day in photography. Shame on you Mini Cheddar.

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - My Blog

That Tara is a pesky lady.  She tries to stump us last week with the 'Tomorrow' theme and promises us an easier week this week.  What does she do?  She goes and picks the hardest theme yet *shakes fist at Tara*  I will NOT be beaten...WILL NOT I tell you! 

So....'My blog'.

I had no idea when I started blogging at the beginning of the year where it would take me. I didn't realise there was a whole world of 'mummy bloggers' out there and just kind of stumbled across British Mummy Bloggers (aka Brit Mums) when I saw the badge on another blog - I joined up and hey presto, I was thrust head first into the lovely world of blogging.

Two weeks after my first ever blog post I discovered Jay's Silent Sunday and indeed The Gallery.  My passion for photography lead me to not miss a week of these link-ups yet!

So this is the photo which I think sums up my blog:

My daughter, Mini Cheddar, is the main focus of my blog.  I started my blog because I wanted somewhere to document my journey as a stay at home mum with her - for her.  Like an online diary. I never expected anyone to read it but it's rather lovely that it does get readership and I've made some fabulous new blogging friends.

As I've already mentioned, I have a mild passion for photography which sees me owning 3 cameras plus my iPhone camera (I took this photo with my iPhone).  There's my trusty Nikon DSLR, my Canon 'point and shoot' and my Diana which Mini Cheddar is kindly modeling.  Taking part in Silent Sunday and The Gallery is now part of my weekly routine.

My blog is also about me but I decided not to appear in the photo because a) I look like crap at the moment and b) It would involve me having to get my photographically challenged husband to take the photo.

Oh and some of you may have noticed the stuffed toy dog in the nappy.  That's because I couldn't mention my blog without mentioning that post now could I?

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - Mother Love

With it being Mother's Day on Sunday just gone, Tara has given the prompt of 'Mother Love' for The Gallery this week and also dedicated entries to World Vision's Mother's Day Campaign which is asking for people to share their best 'mother' moments that make them smile.

It was actually my Mum's 66th birthday on Mother's Day so it made it even more special and the reason I've chosen my Mum as the theme for The Gallery.

It's hard for me to pinpoint the thing that makes me smile the most about my Mum.  I think just knowing that despite having had breast cancer twice she's still here with us.  I'll always be so thankful for that.

This photo of my older Sister, my Mum and myself was taken on my daughters 1st birthday just over a year ago.  Since then my Mum has been going to Weight Watchers and has lost well over 3 and half stone. I'm so proud of her, she's looking fantastic.

Mum is the mother of two daughters and I am the mother of one (so far) and I hope that my daughter and I have as much of a bond as my Mum and I do.

Even though I don't say it all the time, I love my Mum so much.


Now head over and view all the other mummy moments...

The Gallery - Hair

I could share some seriously dodgy haircuts from my past but I've already done that once and I don't think you poor people are quite ready for that again so soon.

Some of you may remember the picture below being in my original banner when I ventured into the world of blogging almost 12 weeks ago now. Has it really been 3 months?

I took this when my daughter was just coming up to 4 months old back in July 2009.  I was on the floor with her looking up, trying my best to hold the camera without dropping it on our heads!  It was supposed to be a nice sweet picture of the two of us but she got a bit narked.

Right at the point I went to press the camera to take the picture she yanked my hair... really hard.

Now head over and view all the other hair raising entries this week...

The Gallery - Trees

The theme of Tara's Gallery this week is trees.

I knew when I saw the theme I was going to delve into my archives this week.

I absolutely LOVE this tree.

Click the pic to view it large

I think it's a Japanese Maple tree and it stands in prime position outside the Aquarium in Vancouver, Canada.

As soon as I saw it I was itching to take a photo of it and I'm so glad I did.  The colour contrast just takes your breath away.

Forgive the extremely lame tree pun but I 'spruced' it up a little with an Orton effect.  You can view the original here.

Now head over to The Gallery and check out all the amazing entries....

The Gallery - One Word

A very open theme for The Gallery this week.  One word.  Any word.  We get to choose.  Eek!

My word...DOUGHNUTS

Traveling a lot through America, Krispy Kreme became like an institution for us. Now of course Krispy Kreme has hit the U.K.

I guess my word should actually be 'dangerous'.....or maybe 'calories'?

Now go check out all the other words...

The Gallery - Simple Pleasures

The theme this week over at Tara's Gallery is 'Simple Pleasures'.

The simple pleasures that make my day....let me think...I could say cuddling up with my husband to watch a great film, I could say taking a great photograph, I could say grabbing a coffee with my friends, I could say having a chat on Twitter, I could say reading blogs, I could say watching some comedy or I could say writing this blog.  The list is endless for my simple pleasures really.  But the simple pleasure I love the most is spending time with my daughter.  After all she's the reason I started this blog and the reason I'm a SAHM.  We play games together (hide and seek is her favourite at the moment), we read books together, we get all her toys out and we even clean and cook together - she really is Mummy's little helper when she's not stealing baguettes that is!

There are times when, being the techno-toddler she is, we enjoy the laptop together.  I love her face when we play all the Eric Herman Music videos.  Her favourite is The Elephant Song, she finds it so funny and knows exactly which animal is coming up next, proudly announcing it's imminent arrival.  I love seeing her little face light up when we watch it and sing together.

She turns 2 years old next Friday (March 11th) and I struggle now to remember a time when she wasn't in my life.

The Gallery - Expressions

The subject of The Gallery this week over at Sticky Fingers (aka Tara) is Expressions. I've really struggled with this as I have so many photographs I could use.  I got it down to 3 and I've been sat on them all week wondering which one to pick.

In the end I got sick of deciding so I'm posting all 3 - sorry!

Relief 

Ice cold water on a boiling hot day after a game of football

Anger 

(aka The Football Hooligan look)

Giving 'Big Teddy' some grief

Aggression
The Betster and I bearing our gnashers

Head over to Tara's place to check out all the fab entries...

The Gallery - 24 Hours

When I saw the topic prompt from Tara I wasn't sure I was going to join in with this as I couldn't imagine ANYONE wanting to see photos from my day being a SAHM.  Me teaching my daughter, playing with her and cleaning.  Wow!  But then I thought I'd give it a go just for laugh.   So hold on to your hats for a roller coaster ride of excitement *sarcasm* here's how I spent Monday 7th February 2011...

8.00am

Breakfast time.  Mini Cheddar (aka the human dustbin) ploughs through 3 (yes 3!) weetabix.  Then begs some "Mummy toast" from my plate.

Then it's wait for my doofus of a husband (aka 'Daddy Leg' as Mini Cheddar now calls him) to slide downstairs on his bottom - he's fractured his ankle and is in plaster...I may have mentioned it this once or twice ;-) - so I can make his coffee and breakfast.  Joy.

10.45am

Having provided said plastered husband with provisions for sofa-based nappy changing I arrive at the dentist and sit in the waiting room.

The prospect of having a filling removed and replaced is not one I'm relishing.

12.00pm

I arrive back home to find my lounge trashed with toys.  Husband in plaster (foot up) trying to work on the laptop from the sofa.  Even Dory the fish looks pissed off!

I can't even moan at them both as I can't speak properly without dribbling out of the side of my mouth.  Damn dentist!

I make them both cheese on toast for lunch which they scoff on the sofa and jump back in the car.  I'm unable to eat.

12.50pm

I walk into the doctors waiting room and an amazing sight greets me, one I've never experienced!  It's empty!

I'm so happy to take this photo as next time I'm stuck in there with the loads of the silver-hair brigade coughing and a thousand kiddies running around snotting everywhere I'll remember this moment. Ah!

2.00pm

After a quick pit stop home to settle Mini Cheddar down for a nap (and check on useless man in plaster) I pick up some letters and head out to the 'Swyddfa'r Post'.

That's Welsh for Post Office incase you were wondering.

2.30pm

Just a quick 5 minutes before Mini Cheddar wakes to grab a coffee and a choccy break.  Not exactly what my dentist would approve of after all her hard work but hey ho I need a sugar fix!

4.00pm

Mini Cheddar decides that Teddy has come out in sympathy for 'Daddys Leg' so we have to bandage Teddys leg too and give him lots of cuddles.

5.00pm

Start to make dinner, set table and generally try to keep Mini Cheddar from trashing the place whilst I do.

7.00pm

Mini Cheddar and Minnie Mouse ready for bed!

8.00pm

2 very LARGE glasses of Baileys and ice and a selection of naughty treats for husband and I to relax and watch a film.  Well, it's been a rough old week ;-)

Bed at 10.30pm.  So rock 'n roll.

Rinse and repeat.

(I'll omit photos of us all asleep)







See, told you it was thrilling!

The Gallery - Shapes of 9/11

It's that fabulous time of the week again and Tara had chosen 'Shapes' as the theme for The Gallery.

The year before our daughter was born my husband and I had one last big blow-out holiday and travelled all over America again (and Canada) as we love it so much .  Our relatives in Washington DC took us to the newly opened 'Newseum' which is an interactive museum of news and journalism on Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was an amazing place.  I wasn't sure whether I wanted to look at the dedicated 9/11 area but I'm glad I did - I was shaky and a bit teary but I did it.  Taking these photos was a truly moving experience for me.


A wall displaying 110 rectangular broadsheet newspaper front pages from 20 different countries.  These were all front pages from 12th September 2001 covering the day of the 9/11 tragedy.   View it large on black here.

The mangled and distorted rectangular shape of an antenna from the top of one of the twin towers.  View large on black here.

This was taken a few days later in New York.  It's the now battered sphere sculpture that once stood in the middle of Austin Tobin Plaza, the area between the World Trade Center towers.  It's now on display with the eternal flame (circle at the bottom) in Battery Park, Manhattan.

Now head over to Tara's blog and check out all the amazing entries!

The Gallery - Children

Tara over at StickyFingers has given the prompt of 'Children' for this weeks Gallery.  I knew straight away which photo I was going to choose as it's a favourite of mine.

I took it at Pride Park (home of Derby County Football Club) last May when my daughter was about 14 months old.  She's with my Father-In-Law and my Grandad-In-Law (is that a term?).  To me, it shows children of all ages - one 14 months, one in his 60's and one in his 80's!

It's the pure joy and love on the faces of my daughters Grandad and Great Grandad and the youthfulness she brings to them both.  It's only a child that can make you look and feel like that.

The Gallery - Mother Nature

This is my first week joining in Tara's (StickyFingers) fab Gallery. This week is entitled 'Mother Nature' and there are some amazing shots out there.  We are in the process of sorting out the office so my trusty Nikon is buried somewhere under a mountain of files, paper and computer bits.  So I'm using an old shot.  Plus it means I don't have to walk over to the local lake with a bag full of bread to tempt a duck over to snap on my phone...I'm so lazy ;-)

Without a majorly impressive zoom lens on my camera (mine was a 55-200mm) this was the best I could do.   This is a Bald Eagle landing on a tree by the side of Maligne Lake which is south of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.  It was our last 'BIG' holiday before Mini Cheddar was born so it's special in many ways.

Just to put the zoom in perspective, this is the whole scene (you can just make out the eagle sitting on top of the tree on the right):

Looking back through my Canadian trip pictures I'm now thinking I'd like to sub Tallinn from my Places Listography