'Witchy Duck' by Sofia Katariina

Witchy Duck, a photo by Sofia Katariina on Flickr.

It's Halloween! Hope you've all been having a spooky time today. I've noticed a lot more people this year dressing up and doing halloweeny things. It's almost like Halloween is becoming a proper national holiday. Not a lot of dressing up has gone on in this household though as my daughter's decided she doesn't like dressing up any more. However, she did wear halloween socks and I've got black nail varnish on so we're joining in a bit!

This is a fun halloween photo. I love the bright contrasting colours. The best bit is definitely the duck's eyes. I love how it's looking up at the hat as if to say 'what the heck is that on my head?' Happy Halloween everyone!!

'Under the pier' by Me

Under the pier, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Here's another photo from our lovely day trip to Eastbourne a few weeks ago. I have always wanted to take an under the pier shot and it was so accessible here that I just had to go under and take a few snaps. I love how there's so much going on. So many beams and legs holding it up. I guess there'd have to be really but when you're walking along a pier you don't really think about what's under it. I think this photo works best in black and white too. I think it looks dramatic and interesting.

'San Francisco - Transamerica Pyramid' by GlobeTrotter 2000

San Francisco - Transamerica Pyramid, a photo by GlobeTrotter 2000 on Flickr.

San Francisco is one of the places in the world I really want to visit. It looks so vibrant and interesting there. This well observed picture was taken in San Francisco and I think it's really fascinating. I love the contrast of the two different types of architecture. Out of the two buildings I prefer the older one as it's far more gorgeous to look at. This photo is also rather clever as it makes the buildings look the same height. I am guess though that the pyramid one is much, much taller!

'Little Pumpkin With Fallen Orange Autumn Leaves' by D Sharon Pruitt

Little Pumpkin With Fallen Orange Autumn Leaves free creative commons, a photo by Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr.

Well here ends our first half term at pre-school and you know what it’s been a wonderful week. My daughter and I have been really busy going out and about and also spending some quality time with each other. We also got to spend time with friends we don’t see as often as we used to simply because all our children are at different pre-schools at different times so our weekly timetables are just so different.

The highlight of the week must have been a trip to the local fire station. It was a really interesting visit and it’s always fun climbing in a fire engine and spraying water with huge hoses!

I picked this photo for you tonight as it’s just the most autumny, orangy, halloweeny photo I could find. What a fantastic burst of colour. I love those little pumpkins as they’re just really cute.

Hope whether you’ve been on half term or not you’ve had a great week and have an even more fantastic weekend.

'Bangkok in a rainy day HDR' by fturoy

Bangkok in a rainy day HDR, a photo by fturoy on Flickr.

Well it rained lots today. I don't mind too much though. In general this autumn has been rather lovely weatherwise. It's been quite warm and dry really. I love that I haven't had any expectations for the weather when it come to autumn. I'll wear a jacket for example and be really pleased when it gets too warm and I have to take it off.

This is a fantastic rainy day photo. I love how the rain just looks relentless and so heavy but people are just carrying on as normal. I don't know much about the weather in Bangkok but I am presuming it was hot too when this was taken. The rain has been captured so well and I almost feel I should be putting my umbrella up. Great photo.

'Four windows' by sollyth

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Four windows, a photo by sollyth on Flickr.

This is one of those photos that I find hard to explain what exactly it is I like about it. I'm just some how drawn to it. I think the combination of the colours and the bright sunlight are great. I also want to know more about this building. What does the rest of it look like? What's the scenery around it like? I guess mostly though I just like being nosy. I am intrigued about what's in the apartments and who lives there. For example, what are those stickers on the windows? Is it a child's room? And what's that I can see in the window below? Is it a rolled up rug. So many unanswered questions. And I guess I have just explained what I like about this photo after all!

'Sleeping Beauty' by Me

Sleeping Beauty, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I have a rather big announcement to make. I am pregnant! Baby number 2 should be arriving some time at the end of April. I’ve been dying to share this on my blog but decided to be good and wait until after my first scan. I must admit that even though it was very much planned the whole thing does still seem rather surreal. I can’t believe in six months I’ll have a newborn baby in my arms! I am very excited though and looking forward to becoming a family of four.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you may have noticed that I’ve used this photo on here before. Apologies for this but it’s one of my favourites and I was having real difficultly trying to find a photo to accompany this post. I decided to use this one of my daughter as a baby again as I just love it and I know that when the new baby arrives it will have the camera pointed at it A LOT. I hope he or she doesn’t mind!

'Birthday' by yuliaphoto

Birthday, a photo by yuliaphoto on Flickr.

Just a quick post from me tonight. I've had a fantastic weekend celebrating my daughter's birthday but I must admit I'm now shattered. I've chosen this photo as our house is currently full of balloons and this is a fantastic balloon picture. I love all the bright colours and how the photographer has perfectly captured the texture of the balloons. I also noticed that this is my 500th blog post and that's got to be worth celebrating with a great big handful of balloons!!

'Afternoon stroll' by Me

Afternoon stroll, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I want to dedicate this post to my beautiful little girl as this weekend she'll be turning three. I can't believe time has gone so quickly. How is she three already? It seems like only yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital. But what an amazing three years it's been and I am so proud of the little girl she's become. She's so bright, funny, happy and kind. She makes me so incredibly happy and I know my husband feels the same.

Now I have to get ready for all the things we have planned to celebrate. I must admit I'm really excited! Definitely more excited than when it's my own birthday!

Here's a photo of the birthday girl herself which I took back in the summer. Nothing like a nice afternoon stroll in the sunshine.

'Day 29: 20 Stops' by Steve Moraco

Day 29: 20 Stops, a photo by Steve Moraco on Flickr.

This image really demonstrates how photographs can be rather deceptive sometimes. When I saw this I actually gave a little sigh and thought what a lovely place to work. I'd love a space like that to be work and be creative in. The lighting in this is just so bright and airy. I love the flowers in front of the window and the pictures and books on the shelves. And what a lovely green view out of the window. But then I took a second look. Hang on, that's not exactly the beautiful view I thought I was looking at. It's actually a big apartment building covered in graffiti. And in front of that another not so pretty urban building of some kind. So perhaps the reality is that although room itself looks rather nice, this isn't such a relaxing and peaceful place to work. I still think this is a gorgeous photo though!

'Iceberg bay' by Bogdan Ionescu

Iceberg bay, a photo by Bogdan Ionescu on Flickr.

This photograph was taken in Antarctica. What an amazing place to look at. It looks so surreal, almost like a different planet. Lots of people like to think they are well travelled these days but the must be just a relative handful of who get to see scenery like this.

I like this particular photo as the shape of the ice is really interesting. I like how it can be so smooth and rough at the same time. And the colour here is great too. I love how the sky is almost pink. This is a beautiful photo but I bet it's a thousand times more spectacular in real life.

'What a view' by Me

What a view, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

So what did you do this weekend? We went up to Beachy Head in East Sussex and I must say it was truly breaktaking. It was a beautifully sunny day and the views from up were stunning but what made the whole experience even more amazing were the paragliders which were up there. I've never been up close to people paragliding before and as much as I'm not sure I'm brave enough to actually try it myself I can totally see how magical it must feel. The whole time I sat watching them I just felt so calm and peaceful. I could have stayed there for hours.

Here is a photo I took of one of the paragliders with Eastbourne in the background. Technically or artistically it's not one of the best photos I took that day but it probably my favourite as it shows exactly how fantastic the view was.

'like doll' by asya baranova

like doll, a photo by asya baranova on Flickr.

Hello all, I trust you had a lovely weekend. I thought I'd show you this photo tonight just because it's really pretty and girly. I love this vintage look. In fact I'm often tempted to buy little boxes like this when I see them in shops but I never do get one simply because I just don't know what I'd do with it. Well now I know. You buy a case like this so you can take pretty pictures of it!

'Red and cream' by Me

Red and cream, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

My husband's been buying me flowers again. No particular reason, just because... He's so sweet like that. I think it helps that he passes a really lovely flower shop on his way home from work. The staff there must think he's always apologising for something but I know he's just being nice. That's just the kind of guy he is. I'm a very lucky lady.

Don't forget flowers always mean photos! I took lots of photos of my latest bouquet and I like this one the best. I think the contrast between the cream and the bright red is great. It makes me smile.

Hope you all have a lovely smiley weekend!

'North Greenwich Towers' by Kevin_Mitchell

North Greenwich Towers, a photo by Kevin_Mitchell on Flickr.

I find this photo fascinating because it reminds me how much development has happened in the Docklands area of London over the past decade or so. I remember a time when there was only one tower at Canary Wharf and it really stood out on the London Skyline.

I think this photograph is very dramatic. Just look at that amazing sky. It really is on fire! But that's not my favourite thing about this image. I love how tiny the apartment buildings look in front of the tall skyscrapers. They look like tiny toy houses. Such a mesmerising picture.

'Breakfast 11.26.08' by C. Strife

Breakfast 11.26.08, a photo by C. Strife on Flickr.

Last week I really fancied a fast food breakfast so I had one at Burger King. Sadly it really didn't live up to my expectations and it has left me really craving a McDonalds breakfast. I know that will hit the spot and this photo isn't really helping matters. I think I might be drooling. I like this particular breakfast photo because of the lighting and the tone of it. It really reminds me of getting a sneaky early morning McMuffin on my way out for the day somewhere. I'll let you know when I do end up getting my desired sausage and eggs McMuffin, hashbrown and orange juice. Mmmmm...

'Sheffield Park' by Me

Sheffield Park, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

My daughter has been going to pre-school for over a month now and I must say that the school run is fast becoming my favourite part of the day. Not because I'm eager to get rid of her but because it makes me so happy and proud seeing her so enthusiastic about going to school. She really loves it and we've never had any issues with her not wanting to be left which is great considering her and I have hardly been apart for nearly three years.

I love picking her up after school as well. She looks so grown up coming out of the classroom in her uniform with her backpack on. And of course she'll often be holding whatever piece of artwork she's made that day. I love hearing what she's been up to and who she played with. She's gradually learning all the names of the people there. It really is a whole new and fantastic experience both for her and me.

This is a photo I took of my daughter and my husband at Sheffield Park Gardens in Sussex. It's a really pretty place and this was a fantastic photo opportunity. I like how well it works in Sepia, it looks really peaceful, which to be fair, it was.

'Heaven ...' by Chris of the World

Heaven ..., a photo by Chris of the World on Flickr.

Wow, this photo really is a photo of Paradise isn't it? I thought I'd post this today as a complete contrast to the cold and snowy picture I talked about yesterday. How blissful would it be to be there right now? My favourite thing about this is the colour. I love the amazing colour of flamingos and this has been captured so beautifully here against the fantastic back drop of the sparkling turquoise sea. Sigh.....

'simple abundance' by freeplaylife

simple abundance, a photo by freeplaylife on Flickr.

I can't believe I was kicking leaves in flip flops complaining it was too hot on Monday. Autumn has now arrived! It's not too cold right at the moment but I know I'll be needing my gloves soon. I'd better dig them out this weekend so I can keep them to hand. (To "hand", gloves, get it?, LOL, I'll get my coat.....)

Anyway, here's a lovely photo of someone wrapped up in their gloves. I feel all warm and snuggly just looking at this. The soft colours make this a very warm photo even though I bet it was very cold when it was taken. I also really like the detail of the snowflakes that have landed.

Have a happy and warm weekend everyone!

'207/365' by F3NRICH

207/365, a photo by F3NRICH on Flickr.

I was thinking two things this evening as I went to post on my blog. Firstly, I could do with some more bright colours on here and secondly, I really fancy a jaffa cake. So ta-da here is a perfect photo for covering both of these thoughts.

I love the bright sparkly pink bokeh. I also think it’s very imaginative. I mean why would you think to push googly eyes into some jaffa cakes and take a photo? But it turns out to be a great idea. It made me smile anyway.

Oh well, can’t sit around here talking about jaffa cakes when I could be eating some. I’ve got a real thing about them at the moment. And the best thing about them is that according to the box they’re only 46 calories each! That’s practically a health food! Oh and the orangey bit has to count towards one of your five-a-day surely.

And may I please ask that no one be clever and comment here saying that they’re actually really bad for you. Please let me enjoy my chocolate treats in complete denial!!

'Pretty tickets' by Me

Pretty tickets, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

This is another one of my favourite pictures from our visit to the Bluebell Railway. These tickets were on display in the little museum they have there and I couldn't resist taking some photos as they were just really cute and colourful. Don't think the orange train tickets we have now would make such a pretty photograph. Now there's a challenge eh!

'Arched people' by Miodrag Bogdanovic mitja

Arched people, a photo by Miodrag Bogdanovic mitja on Flickr.

I wanted to post this yesterday but the internet wouldn’t let me. Grrr, modern technology.

So.... after a Saturday which was so busy with shopping and then a 3rd birthday party I thought we deserved a chilled out Sunday. I thought it was exhausting just watching a group of toddler’s jumping on a bouncy castle so I have no idea how my daughter worn out my daughter got. Actually, probably not worn out at all knowing her!

Anyway, because we were chilled out in the garden I even managed to find time to sit and read my book in the sunshine. Because I am a bit of a tube/London/walking geek I am currently reading a book called Walk The Lines where the author, Mark Mason, walks the entire length of the London Underground. Told you I was geek but I found I’m finding it fascinating!

As you'd expect I had to accompany this post with a London Underground themed photograph. I love this one because of the composition. I think it looks like it was set up but I’m not sure if it actually was. And you know what I really think it should be? It should so be an album cover. Do you see what I mean? It looks like a an album cover for a really cool band.