Iris the baby museum

Marc took these pics of Iris a couple of days ago whilst i was at work.
She insisted on the blanket as a sort of den and she told Marc
"I'm a baby museum"
(i think she meant she was a musician)

Whatever the logic behind it, she is one crazy little lady.

In memory of the snow

The snow has now long gone.
I'm actually glad, though it was very pretty it really made living in the country very different from living in London.
I couldn't get to work for three days, and even if i had made it in they had chosen to close the Town Hall anyway.

But now that the snow has all but gone from a few fields away up in the distance, i can look at these photographs and reflect on how lovely the snow was on the one sunny day when we took Issy the dog for a walk.

Another use for a plastic bag.

These photographs were taken when we had snow all about and it was unusually sunny, in fact it was a beautiful day.
The school was closed as was my temporary work in Wells, so we went for a lovely walk.

Daisy loved it, she really does love the snow, but Iris really doesn't love the snow, as you can see.

The girls had plastic bags over the top of their gloves so that they could pick up snow without getting freezing cold soggy gloves, and we ended up putting plastic bags over the top of their two pairs of socks inside their welly boots too.
I can in fact confirm that plastic bags work very well inside your boots in snowy weather.



I have lots more pretty snowy photographs to follow.

Paper Lanterns in France

These photographs were taken over Christmas when we were still in France.

Emma brought these paper lanterns to France so that we could all light one and make a wish and let them all float off into the night sky.
They were really cool.

This is Emma and Chris (Marc & Emma's uncle Chris) lighting the first ones.

I think that's a close up of Chris but it's hard to tell, it is definitely the back of Daisy, looking about 15 years old, not 5!

Here are three lanterns floating off into the distance, very pretty.

Here are the two of us holding our lanterns, once you light them you have to wait for the heat to build up and then when you feel it pulling upwards you can let go.
Yes i did make a wish but no i'm not going to tell you or it won't come true.


Uncle Paul waiting to let go of his lantern.

Oh the weather outside is frightful

and the portable gas fire that my dad bought us is really quite delightful, i have it pointing at me right now from the doorway into my little office, yes Dad it has moved to the middle floor, and there is lots of ventilation around, no closed doors etc...
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.
Lyrics are here

Yes we have snow everywhere, much like the rest of the UK.
This was our garden this morning and it still looks pretty much like this except our footprints are everywhere.

It looks like a snowy paradise for snowy minded children like Daisy, who loves it in the snow, trouble is she only has one pair of gloves and they are not waterproof, i guess it's a good thing that we have to come back in to dry the gloves.
(Note to self, ask for gloves for the girls next Christmas)

The Pear Tree, with no partridge.

Four gold rubber rings

Oh i spoke to soon, there is Daisy trying to be a partridge.

The lovely snowy playhouse.

I don't remember an ariel and a sky dish up above our waterbutt last time i looked.

The holly tree/bush thing.

Iris in front of the holly/tree bush thing.

Our Nativity Scene

This is our home made Nativity scene, which is down in the window of our shop, with some sparkly lights above it.
It's been constructed from various different types of toys, because we didn't have an actual nativity scene, although i notice you can actually buy a Playmobil Nativity set, which probably costs a fortune.

Jack Frost visits France

We woke up to a lovely winter wonderland one morning whilst we were out in France.
I ran outside to take some photographs in my dressing gown but soon realised it was bloody cold out there, so ran back in double quick.

Chocolate Father Christmas

These are the Christmas stockings that Grandma Bonjour made for the girls, and as you can see they are stuffed to the top with presents from Father Christmas.
Can you see the chocolate father christmas' poking out the top?



I think i can safely say that Iris' favourite present for most of the morning was her chocolate father christmas, she loved it, and ate a fair bit of his head and neck, when i asked her if she wanted to open another present, she simply asked "Is it chocolate?"


By the way Grandma, we left the chocolate father christmas' behind somewhere in your house by accident, boo hoo.
Thankfully Iris has forgotten all about it, well that is until she see's this blog.

The Ferry Crossing to France

I'm going to slot all the good shots from over Christmas into this little window on the 30th December.
Starting off with these few pics from the Ferry

The girls posing outside our cabin.

The girls watching the sea.

Marc battling against the winds.

My best christmas present

The girls' Christmas presents are highly predictable, and i will give you a brief run down tomorrow, but it basically consists of pink things and dolls and hot water bottles etc...

My best Christmas present is this, a clothes drying rack thingy that is at the very top of our very breezy stairs.
This is the first lot of washing we've tried, so we have no idea how it will fair, but i'll keep your posted if you're in anyway interested.

It is obviously a time for old pics

My dad (Grandad by-the-sea) sent me through this photograph of Daisy playing with the wheel from a boat called the Sola Gratia apparently, the wheel is up in Nana & Grandad by-the-sea's hallway.

This pic must have been taken during October half term.

Those girls in warmer times.

Marc took these photographs of the girls back in warmer times, but they never went up onto the blog, so here they are now.
If you haven't guessed at what that is, then it is an upside down washing basket of which the bottom fell out

That Sloe bloody Gin

This is mostly a note to myself to get going on the Sloe Gin making.

I have had Sloe's in the freezer since the Visiting The Hamiltons post at the beginning of October, but have yet to make the bloody stuff.

My dad has sent me this recipe which i think is to go into an empty (clean and freshly washed out) 4 pint milk container.
Dad is that correct?
Which makes sense because 1lb of sloes to 4 pints would be similar to the below recipe of 400g of Sloes to 1 litre bottle. (1 litre would be about 2 pints.)
My dads recipe doesn't use so much sugar though.

Recipe taken from this website.
For one empty 1 litre bottle:
1) add approx 400g/14oz sloes (to occupy about half the bottle). Remember to cut or prick the sloes before bottling.
2) add approx 150g/5oz ordinary white sugar (this is about a wine goblet in volume).
3) top-up with gin (about 500ml/1 pint).

Must start some Sloe Gin Mon or Tues.

My beautiful big girl Daisy

Daisy is getting so tall.
When i go in and peep at her whilst she's asleep in her Ikea kid sized bed, she nearly touches the bottom, well she doesn't but it won't be long before her feet dangle over the edge.

I needed somebody to sit in whilst i did a test before one of the shoots i've recently done and Daisy willingly sat in, like a brilliant little model.

Here she is in her joke shop Red Indian Girl precious Princess Tiger Lily dress from Peter Pan.

Blog Headers

Yes i know this header is a bit naff, but i wanted to do something a bit christmassy and i don't have the time to do anything better, so count yourself lucky that it has changed at all.

I will come back i promise

I'm just a wee bit busy.
A wee bit busy working.

I have been busily shooting photographs of people, and then tweaking them, and then taking orders and then delivering them.
Which is fab.

And i've also been working part time for Wells Town Hall, which is amusing, not such fun or anywhere near as profitable as photography but, it's work, and we really need the money.

But i will return with pictures and news very soon.