The Weekend Edition

I have been firmly attached to my camera all weekend. It’s love all over again. Things are really starting to fall into place now with the whole manual thing and I’m thrilled. I shot manually all weekend and I can’t believe the difference it has made to actually understand how to use my camera. Amazing. I can’t wait to find out what the next two weeks has in store for us.

Anyway… enough gushing about the course!

Oh the sunshine we’ve had! It makes such a lovely change to those strange snowy skies of last week don't you think?

We spent Saturday at Wisley gardens in Surrey – a truly fantastic place for children and only a short drive from home. We went with old friends, bumped in to old friends, watched butterflies in the tropical greenhouse, drank hot mint tea outside in the sunshine, watched the children get very muddy indeed and topped it all off with a lovely pub lunch. Pretty much the perfect Saturday.

Yesterday was quieter. A walk in the woods. A bike ride. Some teaching practice for me. A roast dinner for us all. Lots of playing and stories, colouring and chatting.

The children are getting along famously these days. After a period of quite challenging sibling rivalry from my darling boy, over the past couple of months he has blossomed in to this incredibly doting, caring and considerate big brother. Sure there are still a few pokes and prods and shoves here and there, but there are more good times than the bad. And mostly, they play together, engage with each other, love each other.

Looking at the pictures Lila seemed to spend a lot of time dressed up, in cupboards or on the floor this weekend. Over these past few months she too has blossomed – into such a strong little personality. She’s most definitely a toddler now at 16 months, a real little girl. She talks incessantly, uses so many words and is learning more and more each day. For the record, her favourites of the moment are ‘beed book’ (read book), ‘more ninna’ (more dinner), ‘nack’ (snack), ‘bebe tiss’ (kiss baby) and ‘Olla’ (her beloved brother). She calls for Olla from the minute she wakes to the moment she sleeps and trails around behind him all day long.

Tantrums have started too. They’re still at the amusing phase of theatrical flinging herself on the floor, trying to hide away from the coat I’m trying to get her into, or the nappy I need to change. Like I said, entertaining at the moment but I shiver at the thought of the twos that we have to come. Gosh they can be horrid, as well as delightful in almost equal measures.

And the week ahead? Working, mothering, houseworking, more working, practicing, studying, blogging, photographing. I’m exhausted already and it’s barely begun. But you know what? I’m loving life right now. LOVING IT I tell you.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Ax