Cowgirl Daisy

This is cowgirl Daisy, well perhaps being a bit of a rock and roll cowgirl, i am now beginning to realise that she absolutely loves wigs, and hats and all types of dressing up as well, but she really loves wigs.

This wig came out of an old trunk full of other strange dressing up stuff that i had forgotten we had, the hat Marc bought on our honeymoon in Cancun back in 2000.


And this is Iris with a hair-clip in!
She doesn't actually realise she has one in, the only way i can get her to keep a hair-clip in, is to put two in together and then allow her to take one of them out.
Sometimes it works and other times it really doesn't.

Katvig clothes made from recycled plastic bottles

Lisa P, you will like this post.
I've always loved Katvig clothes, I just don't love their price tag, but none the less, Daisy does have a few Katvig dresses and a lovely fleece lined waterproof anorak.
Here is a photograph of Daisy in said anorak.

I happened upon their website but a moment ago and noticed that their new range of outwear is made from ground breaking ECO CIRCLE FIBRES.
In normal language that means that these clothes are made from recycled plastic bottles.
I think this is a wonderful idea, more new stuff should be made from old stuff, in fact somebody print that up as a t-shirt "make new stuff from old stuff" i'm sure it would sell.
Seriously though it is good that all the big supermarkets are desperately trying to make themselves look eco by trying to discourage giving away free plastic bags now, but, it's not just the plastic bags is it, it's the packaging and the amount of crap we throw away every day.

I'm thinking of making wool from a plastic bag, basically cutting very very thin strands from a sturdy(ish) plastic bag and trying to knit a bag or something, i have no idea if this work, but i remember a woman doing it years ago from Bodyshop bags. I'll have to google around that idea.
[update]... Oh i am so behind the times on this one, this woman Kristin, has started a business around bags made from discarded plastic bags, flipperty flip.
I think i will have a go at making one though http://www.daisysbags.com/


Here is the Katvig website
Here is a lovely little animation to illustrate how it works, an old forgotten toy gets remade into a blouse. (slightly reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit)
http://www.ecocircle.jp/en/index.html

The local park

Here a couple of pics of the girls in the local park playing on a strange train / bench contraption in our local playground.
The train / bench object, is rather a strange object really in that it's not clear if children should play on it or parents should sit on it, and this isn't just me cos there hardly ever anyone on it.
The only things that do use it regularly are birds cos it's usually covered in bird poo.

It does however, lend itself very well to framing a portrait.

Here is another one of them on the roundabout.

Is it nearly dry yet?

This photo was actually taken a few weeks ago when we had lovely sunshine, and Daisy was indeed waiting for her leotard to dry.

I've just submitted it to my Alamy account, and it has been accepted, though it's not showing up in my account yet.
Here are the photos i have in my Alamy account.               

For those that don't know Alamy is a stock photography library.

Iris cleaning her teeth

Look at these little feet, on tippy toes.

Desperate to get her toothbrush under the water.

Desperate to be a big girl like Daisy.

Vicky's birthday present

This is Vicky's rather late birthday present, as modelled by Iris, just before i wrapped it up and posted it.
I really did rather like this one, soooo stretchy.

Stuff you find on Hackney streets - Toilet

Ooh how many points do i get for a toilet?
It was actually rather clean looking, but still i didn't want Daisy to sit on it.

Other "Stuff you find on Hackney streets" photographs.

Museum of Childhood

We popped into the museum of childhood this afternoon with Lucy and Lex.
There is a big box of smelly costumes on the second floor (be warned they are quite smelly, especially the red indian plaits) but the smell didn't stop these girls.

Here is a really rubbish photograph taken on my rather crap camera phone.

The Kent Countryside with Run & Lisa

We went to stay with Lisa, Run & Floss in the countryside.
We went for a wonderful walk through fields of Barley and along canals, we also walked through a field of nosy cows, and saw lots and lots of sheep and lambs.

We didn't take our buggy with us and instead i carried Iris in the sling or Marc carried her on his shoulders so we had aching backs and feet by the end of it. Daisy was amazing in that she walked most of the way, just some shoulders off Marc or a quick sit in Floss's buggy whilst Floss was walking.

Here are just a few pics of the pretty walk alongside the canal.

biscuit bears

We made some more biscuits today, i let Daisy decorate them with a tube of squirty pink icing.
I turned my back for a few minutes and she completely covered one biscuit in squirty pink icing.

She ate that one.

Felix and Iris

Yet again i didn't take one pic of Floss, but i did take a few pics of Iris chatting up Felix this morning down in Kew, she kept offering him soft toys and then taking them away just as quickly, she thought it was funny, not sure he did, poor fella.

Merry-Go-Round

Here is a photograph of Daisy and Daddy on a Merry-Go-Round somewhere in Richmond.
We went to stay over with Karen, Luther and baby Felix at Luther's parents house down in a lovely part of London near Kew, and a really good fete was going on down there in a park.

Lisa, Run and Floss were there too, but i failed to take hardly any pics of anyone today.

Stuff you find on Hackney streets - Office Chair

Lonely Office Chair
After ballet, we found this old discarded office chair with no base, It was a bit too hot and sticky for Daisy to sit on and when she realised she couldn't sit on it, she didn't particularly want her photo taken, as you can see.
Still it makes a very nice photograph.












Other "Stuff you find on Hackney streets" photographs.

The playground outside Ged's house.

We went over to visit Ged for tea, and cos it was a lovely hot afternoon we all went out for a picnic, followed by a play in a very busy park.

This is the lovely gorgeous svelte Ged pushing a big swing full of children.

We went to the Circus

Bobby Roberts Circus
It was Lucy's idea, we were in the park today having fun in the sun, and then to have a break from the dangers of the playground (both Daisy and Iris fell over and grazed their knees) we walked on the grass around the edge of the circus nearby, in the hope of seeing some of the animals. When we got round to the front and hadn't seen any animals Lucy suggested going in considering the tickets were only £6 each today, rather than £20 normally.

But Lex doesn't like clowns and there was a photograph of a clown on the advertising board, so Lex ran away when Lucy tried to coax her in, she ran to a tree and sobbed, so that put a stop to the idea of Lucy going in. However Daisy then had it in her head that she did want to go to the circus, quite a lot, she kept hugging my legs and saying please, please, please... So i called Marc who was at home and asked if he wanted to come too cos i didn't fancy sitting there for two hours with both girls, potentially causing havok, and he did want to come, so we went.

Both girls loved all of it, they were amazed by the trapeze lady, loved the man balancing on strange pipes stacked on top of each other, loved the elephant 'Anne' who came in at the interval for photos (she was in retirement), they loved the jumping, skipping, balancing troup of five men and two ladies, and the horses galloping around and around the ring.

The clowns were a bit lame, perhaps Lex just doesn't like crap clowns, perhaps if they were better and funnier then she'd have willingly come in.

I think Daisy might like to run away and join the circus now.

(i didn't take that picture by the way, i just took it off their website)

The Party

After much umm'ing and arr'ing about what costume Daisy was actually going to wear to her party, Daisy finally decided she wanted to go to her fancy dress party as 'Princess Tiger Lily' from Peter Pan.
(Previous costume ideas were Wendy from Peter Pan & Stephanie from Lazy Town, amongst probably many others that i've forgotten)

Here are some photographs from the party.

Daisy / Red Indian / Princess Tiger Lily, waiting for her friends to come.

Sam / Pirate, Moya and baby Nuala (did i spell that right?)

Nuala is only 8 weeks.

Clementine, baby Elodie (4m) Nieve (Princesses)

Bubbles

More bubbles

and yet more bubbles

Lex / Peter Pan

Winnie & Lulu (Princesses) and Daisy Red Indian / Princess Tiger Lily.

Liberty came dressed as Gus the cat, yes our old Gus the cat, she won first prize.
Link to Gus the cat

Otto / Robin Hood

Floss / Little Red Riding Hood

Pass the Parcel

Ben / Sportacus from Lazy Town

Things that Grandmas are good for

They are good at playing games with granddaughters

They are good at taking oldest granddaughter to see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, and feeding her.

They are good at taking turns to whip up icing because i don't have an electric one, and it's very hard work.

And of course they are very good at helping to wrap the 'pass the parcel' presents, start and stop the music for 'musical statues', make sandwiches, put snacks into bowls, make tea, pour juice, and many other things along side.

Thank you Grandma.