'Blanche et pure' by mmarsupilami

Blanche et pure, a photo by mmarsupilami on Flickr.

My goodness it was cold here today. It even had a go at snowing although didn't quite manage it. Apparently we may get proper snow by the weekend though. Better fish out my snow boots then. Although that might be a good idea anyway as it turns out Converse shoes (which I've been living in recently) aren't a particularly warm choice of footwear. Thinking about it I reckon so far we've got away with quite a mild winter so I am sure we're long overdue some snow and ice.

Here is a snowy photo that simply took my breath away. I love the pureness and simplicity. There's not much to it but it still manages to make such a great impact. I would describe this as simply stunning.

Stay warm folks!

'The Visit' by gottanew1

The Visit, a photo by gottanew1 on Flickr.

This photo is amazing - so powerful. It's like a scene from a movie and I could spend ages just staring at it trying to work out what it's all about. It seems like a very sad picture to me. The title is interesting too. "The Visit" - who is visiting? Is he waiting for people people to arrive or watching them leave? I'd love to know what you make of it. What do you think it's all about?

'Room service' by Me

Room service, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

This weekend was a big deal for me as I had my first night away from my daughter since she was born more than three years ago. I wasn't an emotional wreck though - I thought I coped rather well! Anyway, this week the hubby and I will be celebrating being together for 15 years so thought it would be a nice idea to book a hotel for the night and the little one could go for her first sleepover with her cousins. It was a win win situation all round as she loved spending the night with them and we had a lovely relaxing break too. Although saying that we did come to the conclusion that we just like staying in hotels whether it be just us two or with our daughter in tow. It's a nice treat either way!

One thing we did do was order room service for breakfast which was great. I didn't take any photos during our stay. I should have done really but never mind. Therefore I thought I'd show you a picture of the room service breakfast from our holiday in Barcleona last year. Because it's the sort of thing you'd probaby take a picture of with your phone I thought I'd try to Instagram it up a bit in Photoshop. What do you think? I think it works quite well. Ha, I don't need an iPhone after all!

Oh and in case you were wondering, that's apple juice. I wasn't having a sneaky glass of wine to start the day!

'...& her heart fluttered like a thousand butterflies...' by jewelflyt

...& her heart fluttered like a thousand butterflies..., a photo by jewelflyt on Flickr.

I thought I'd give you a quick pregnancy update today seeing as I have now reached the third trimester. I am feeling pretty good at the moment. Tired and achy but I guess that's to be expected however good or bad the pregnancy. To be honest I just feel really, really huge even though I don't look it. I do wonder if the little one is getting a little uncomfy in there already. I'm still being sick when I get up in the morning but haven't got the constant nausea I had with my daughter - thank goodness. In fact so far this pregnancy has been easier than the first time around and here's hoping there aren't any nasty surprises waiting round the corner in trimester three. Now all I have to do is focus on trying to make sure the birth is so much better than last time as well! Easier said than done eh!

Here's a picture which has nothing whatsoever to do with pregnancy, I just think it's so delicate and beautiful. It's really all about the little details such as the texture of the wings or what the butterfly's legs are doing. The soft colours are also so subtle and gorgeous.

Happy weekend to all you lovely people.

'photo-13' by i art u

photo-13, a photo by i art u on Flickr.

I wanted to share this photo with you as it's just so calm and peaceful. What an utterly perfect place to relax. The photographer has really captured the tranquility. I don't actually have many words to put with it but I don't think it matters. I think me waffling on would just spoil it to be honest. Now sit back, clear your head and enjoy the peace and quiet. I'll just nip off and get you a cocktail x

'January sunrise' by Me

January sunrise, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Apparently parts of the UK were able to witness the Northern Lights this week. How amazing. I would love to see them. No such luck here though as I'm too far south. It definitely is some on my things to do list though. In case you were wondering, I refuse to call it "to do before I die" or "bucket list". I think it's pretty obvious you want to do stuff before you die. No need to make your dreams and wishes sound all morbid. Anway, I digress... What I was actually leading to was a photo of another gorgeous light in the sky. I saw this beautiful sunrise the other day and had to try and capture it. I am pleased with the results. I think the silhouette of the tree makes it look even more stunning.

'Steam and Beach Hut at Goodrington Sands' by Matt McNulty

Steam and Beach Hut at Goodrington Sands, a photo by Matt McNulty on Flickr.

On Friday, if you recall, I posted a rather sad looking photo of beach huts that I took in Devon last week. Well in interests of fairness I thought I'd show you an image of how fantastic Goodrington Sands can look. I mean a beach with beach huts and steam trains - no wonder I was a teeny bit excited to be staying there (although I did know that the trains don't run at this time of year). I love this picture because the train looks beautiful, the huts are colourful and the sky is bluer than blue. I think we may end up going for another visit one of these days!

'like mother, like daughter' by manyfires

like mother, like daughter, a photo by manyfires on Flickr.

I love my little girl so much and the past few years as a stay-at-home mum have been the best of my life. I'm happy to say she's really excited about becoming a big sister. I know I'll love this new baby just as much but I do worry how it'll change the relationship I have with my daughter. I hope she'll still feel as close to me and won't resent the fact that I have to look after a baby as well.

I think this mother and daughter photo is great. I want to take or have taken some pictures like this of us. I think all the matching colours are rather cute. I'm now off to look for more gorgeous mum and child shots now as I'm feeling all soppy.

'Packed up for winter' by Me

Packed up for winter, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Apologies for this photo. I usually like to start the weekend with something bright and happy but I just had to share this one with you. Earlier this week we had to make a trip down to Devon. We were staying at a place called Goodrington Sands in Paignton and must admit I got a little bit excited when I found out that there were going to be beach huts there! However, when we got there this is what I discovered. The huts have obviously been packed up for winter and were being stored in a nearby car park! How terribly sad. If I had a beach hut I'd be there all the time summer or winter. Anyway, ever the dedicated beach hut photographer I thought I'd take a few snaps anyway, just to let them know they were still loved.

Happy weekend everyone - I hope your weekend isn't as cold and lonely as this picture looks.

'Winter Wonderland' by famewhore

Winter Wonderland, a photo by Famewhore on Flickr.

As I type this I am looking out of the window at a very grey day. It's rainy and miserable. It not actually that cold outside but I would prefer it to be cold and sunny than this. I wanted to talk about the weather today as I was wondering if anyone knew if it was meant to snow here in England this winter. As I've mentioned before I'm not overly fussed but the little one is starting to wonder if it's coming at all. Plus I am feeling sad for all our snow shoes sitting in the cupboard unloved and unworn.

Here is a beautiful snowy picture. I love freshly fallen snow like this. This was taken in Vancouver but it is so much like the snow we get here that causes everyone to panic! A photo like this gives me a tingle of excitement about snow and I know if I drew the curtains one morning to reveal this my daughter would be excited too. What I really love about this picture though is the street lamp in the top left corner. It really looks like a beautiful shining star.

Now let's just sit back and wait for snow so I can then blog about how annoying it is and how I can't wait for it to go away!!

'Marbles and sunlight' by Me

Marbles and sunlight, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Most of this morning was spent making a marble run out of old wrapping paper tubes. I would like to say that my daughter and I did it together but it turned out to be harder to make than I thought and she got a bit bored to be honest. I persevered though and I think it looked quite cool in the end. And it worked! Later this week I think we'll decorate it and make it all pretty. She'll definitely be up for that!

Whilst playing with the marbles I couldn't help but take a few photos of them as the sunlight was beautiful again today. I wanted the pictures I took to be more about the light than the marbles themselves. I think I have achieved that. The marbles are pretty as well though.

'Little hay rolls' by Lomoody

Little hay rolls, a photo by Lomoody on Flickr.

I've not really got much to say tonight. Been a productive but quiet weekend. We've got lots of jobs done round the house including putting together flatpacked furniture. Well I say "we" but I must admit it was all my husband's handywork. I hate putting together flatpack furniture! I'm not exactly the queen of DIY. I did put up some nice pictures of beach huts in my bedroom though.

Here's a picture which I thought was rather interesting and really well composed. The processing on this is great too. Lovely colours and tones. But mostly I love the fact that it kind of looks like the hay bales are rolling down the hill.

Hope you had a great weekend and have lots of lovely things planned for the week ahead.

Untitled image by elseachelsea

Untitled, a photo by elseachelsea on Flickr.

I watched the film Mamma Mia for the first time recently and I must admit I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if I would as I'm not particularly into musical films or the songs of Abba but it was a real feel good film that had me smiling lots. The best bit of it though had to be the Greek scenery. I've been to Greece once and loved it there. I'd really love to go again especially after watching the film and now after seeing this gorgeous photo. I automatically recognised this as being somewhere in Greece as the buildings are just so typical of the country. I think it would probably be quite hard to take a photo of this view that wasn't lovely but this one really is extra special. The colours are so fresh and also so calm and peaceful and the composition is just perfect. Yet again I've managed to find a picture that I would love to transported into.

Happy weekend everyone!

'My new toy' by Me

My new toy, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I've been having lots of fun this week playing with my new camera. I've been after a decent instant camera for a while and for me it really had to be Polaroid. As well as actually using it to take photos I thought it would be nice to use it as a subject for a photo. I took a few against a wall indoors but they weren't particularly impressive. Then this afternoon I noticed beautiful sunlight shining through my bedroom window and I could see the perfect picture in my head. This is the result and I think it actually came out better than I imagined. It needed no processing afterwards as all the conditions were just perfect. The only thing I did do was make it black and white as it was pretty much black and white anyway. This just made it that little bit more striking. Hope you like it!

'4 Days in Southwold 26' by vintage 1953 & wackymoomin

4 Days in Southwold 26, a photo by vintage 1953 & wackymoomin on Flickr.

Eleven days into 2012 and I've not posted a beach hut photo yet. Let's change that now. I love this one. I think it looks really bold and dramatic. Great colours, great compostion and fantastic lighting. That sky is really beautiful and so well captured too. Really puts me in the mood for a spot of beach hut photographing myself.

'[012/365] ~ A bike of Roses' by ♥ Huo Zen ♥

[012/365] ~ A bike of Roses, a photo by ♥ Huo Zen ♥ on Flickr.

My post tonight is going to have to be a big apology to my dearest blog. I can't believe I forgot our two year blogoversary this weekend. It was on Saturday and not only did I forget I didn't even post that day. It's funny because over Christmas it kept popping into my mind that I'd been blogging for two years and I thought it was quite exciting. I can't believe it's been two whole years now. Hobby's often come and go with me but this has been something that I've never grown tired of. And reading other people's blogs is just as important as writing my own. I really feel I've got to "know" some amazing and inspirational people through blogging.

Therefore I thought my photo today should be of a big bunch of flowers to say sorry to my lovely blog for forgetting such an important date. While looking for the perfect picture I stumbled across this one. I think it's great. I guess the reality of it is that it's some kind of flower retailer or supplier but I've made up my own story behind it. I like to think that there was a boyfriend out there who was feeling really guilty about something (forgetting an anniversary perhaps) and is trying to say sorry in a rather overly romantic way! I wonder just how many roses there are there in there.

'Crayons' by Me

Crayons, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Ours was a rather relaxing one. It started with taking our three year old to the cinema for the very first time. We were a bit nervous she might get freaked out my the dark and noise and everything but she loved it! Can't wait to go again! Trying not to think about how expensive it was for the three of us though. When did trips to the cinema get so pricey?

Also this weekend we had lunch with friends, made gingerbread men, bought shoes and I got to have a fabulous and much needed long lie-in. A great start to 2012.

Here is another photo of mine from the archives as this weekend I also got to do some more clearing out of photos from my computer. My favourite part of this is the light. I don't really remember taking this photo but by the looks of it it was a gorgeous sunny day.

'.' by serendipity corner

., a photo by serendipity corner on Flickr.

Here is a great weekend style photo that I stumbled upon today. It has a really nice chilled out vibe to it. I imagine this was a long lazy lunch with good friends, good food and lots of gossp and giggling. I love how the photo is taken directly from above. It's really clever and really effective.

Happy weekend everyone. I hope the first full weekend of 2012 treats you well.

'"Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life." ~unknown~' by IslandPhotoBug~Cori

"Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life." ~unknown~, a photo by IslandPhotoBug~Cori on Flickr.

I've been having a good old clear out recently and I must admit it feels rather good. I've had so much stuff to sort through. That included my shoes and I even - shock horror - got rid of a few pairs. Now, whilst doing this clear out I realised that I no longer own a fabulous pair of red shoes. Criminal! Everyone should own a fabulous pair of red shoes. I used to have some red boots that I loved but they broke and I did have some great red party shoes but I must have put them away damp or something as when I opened the box they kind of looked a little mouldy. I do have quite a nice pair of red flats but they hardly count as fabulous.

I think I need to purchase myself a pair of shoes a little bit like the ones in this photo. I think this is a great picture. Not only are the shoes wonderful and very striking but I love how this is composed. The shoes standing on some very plain work office type boxes make are a great contrast. To me it conjours up an image of someone at work in a very sensible black suit but making a statement by wear these bright red shoes with it. Fabulous!!

'Boracay Island, Blue Days in Paradise' by paynepat44

Boracay Island, Blue Days in Paradise, a photo by paynepat44 on Flickr.

Urgh, what a day it was today. I should have seriously stayed indoors. At one point whilst we were out I swear the rain was horizontal. I got so unbelievably soaked - although for some reason because I was wearing a hat I didn't really feel as wet as I actually was. Luckily I'd taken my daughter out in her pushchair today which we don't use a lot these days, so she was all snuggled up nice and warm and dry under the raincover. Lucky thing.

So here's something beautiful which I hope will make me forget about the rain for a while. What a place. I could definitly sit there for an hour (or day) or two right now. The colours here are superb. Love all the different shades of blue. And it's such a crisp and clear photo which works so well with these vibrant colours.

Sigh..... please let the weather be just like this tomorrow.

'Roses' by Grant Hamilton

Roses, a photo by Grant Hamilton on Flickr.

Well I finally had a play with my new Polaroid camera today and I loved it. I only took two shots as I didn't want to waste the exposures but I've a feeling I might get rather hooked and start spending a fortune on film! The first picture was rubbish to be honest with you. It was of a scrabble board but it was out of focus and my daughter put her thumb on the picture as it was developing and it ruined it anyway. The second was a picture her and it was great! Sadly I can't share this with you as I don't like to feature her face here so I'll show you another lovely Polaroid picture not taken by me.

I think this is beautiful. I love the contrast of the red and the turquoise - two of my favourite colours. Taken with a different camera this could have had a completely different feel to it. It could have been really bright and sharp but because it's Polaroid it's a bit more warm and fuzzy which is just as awesome.

'And off she went' by Me

And off she went, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

So have you made any new year's resolutions? I've been thinking about them and haven't really made any as such. I'm not really good at resolutions at new year. I often make better resolutions with myself on my birthday as it kind of feels more significant. Or quite often I'll just resolve to do something and then start doing (or not doing) it there and then. I guess that in 2012 I want to just be the best mum I can to my little girl and to my new baby. It's going to be such a change having two children and I really want to get it right.

On a personal level I guess the one thing I want to work on is my photography. I know it won't be long before I have a million and one other things to be thinking about but I really don't want photography or my blog to fall by the way side as it's turned out to be something that's rather important to me. I'm sure I'll be snapping away at our new arrival though so expect me to post lots of cute photos of baby feet and such things!

Here's one from the archives. It's a cute picture I took of my daughter at Bodium Castle in Sussex when she was just 11 months old. She's never been one to sit still as soon as she was able to get moving she was off.....