'English Countryside' by Time Photographic

English Countryside, a photo by Time Photographic on Flickr.

Well that's it for another summer. I know 1st September isn't officially the first day of autumn but to me it always feels like it. This summer - and I use the word summer losely - has gone so quickly. I'm not sure I'm ready for pre-school to start again or to fish all my big jumpers out from the back of the wardrobe. I've hardly even worn sandals at all this summer and I usually live in flip flops. I am now clinging to the hope of a late summer in September like we had last year. Although the only down side of that is that it's dark at 6 o'clock so no long summer nights sitting outside. I usually get quite excited at the thought of gorgeous autumn leaves, brisk walks in the winter sunshine and copious mugs of hot chocolate. Maybe it's the mood I'm in right now but all I can think of is getting colds, getting drenched in the rain and not being able to play outside.

Argh, this post has got a bit depressing so here's a gorgeous summery photo to cheer me up. I love all these vibrant colours. And check out the beautiful blue sky. I could really do with a few days like this before summer is really through.

'Flying Artists' by MiaElliott

Flying Artists, a photo by MiaElliott on Flickr.

This afternoon my three year old and I settled down to watch the paralympics and I must say it was rather exciting cheering on the British athletes and watching them scooping up lots of medals. We watched the cycling and the swimming and although she did ask questions - such as 'how are they going to swim with the crutches?' - my daughter was actually more interested in what countries everyone came from. I think this is event is an excellent way of talking about disabilities with little children though.

Here is a fantastic photograph that was taken at the opening ceremony last night. I love all the bright colours and umbrellas are always a great subject for a photo in my opinion. The photographer must have had a fantastic zoom lens as the stadium is huge!

'60/366 Artist Brush' by Kris Oneal Photography

60/366 Artist Brush, a photo by Kris Oneal Photography on Flickr.

I love nail varnish and painting my nails. I go through phases where I do it constantly for months and then stop because I can't be bothered or I want to give my nails a rest. Until Saturday I'd not actually painted my finger nails since my baby was born forut months ago. However, I now feel I am entering a pretty nails phase! The weekend saw me in dramatic black but today I am embracing the last days of summer with a pretty lemon colour on the ends of my fingers.

I am feeling inspired by this gorgeous photo though. I love the different ways the sparkles are shown here. And the turquoise, pink and purple are fantastic colours too. I now feel I may have to wear some sparkles this weekend.

'Untitled' by pbloxb

Untitled, a photo by pbloxb on Flickr.

Well here ends another August Bank Holiday weekend and I've had an fantastic few days. It's also made me think back to this time last year when I had literally just found out I was pregnant. In many ways this past year has flown by and what a busy year it's been. We spent today with the same friends we did last August Bank Holiday and I couldn't help but be amazed that this year I was there with a very grown up little girl and a four month old baby boy! I am so proud of my beautiful children.

Anyway, I could ramble on about my kids all night but you're probably more interesting in looking at this simply stunning photograph. I'm always wondering if I'll run out of beautiful images for this blog but judging by this photo I found today I don't think that will be a problem. Enjoy!

'Top of the carousel' by Me

Top of the carousel, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Hello all. I hope those of you who are in the middle of a long bank holiday weekend are having a great time. Personally I'm shattered. We had a busy day yesterday which mainly involved shopping and housework, then I was out with friends last night and today we went to visit friends in London. And the fun doesn't stop there as we are seeing more friends for a barbecue tomorrow. All worth being tired for though. I do like bank holidays.

I haven't taken any photos this weekend so here is another one I took in Brigton last weekend. I love that bright blue sky.

'*' by frontdrive34

*, a photo by frontdrive34 on Flickr.

Isn't it funny how time really does go so much quicker as you get older. I remember when I was at school the summer holidays seemed to last for months but this school holiday seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. Talking of time flying by my baby boy is now four months old. Definitely not a newborn any more. And my daughter is nearly four. Where did the toddler years go? And don't get me started on turning 35 this year. How did THAT happen? Right, I'm off to watch a programme about clubbing over the years. I just know that's going to make me feel old. My best clubbing years were in the 90s.

Anyway, don't rush off without stopping to have a look at this great photo. I like it became it's colourful, summery and interesting.

Happy weekend everyone!

'Enid's Coming At You!' by BubsyBarr

Enid's Coming At You! [Explored 28/07/2012 #1], a photo by BubsyBarr on Flickr.

I just had to share this photo with you as it's simply stunning. I don't have much to say about it other than "Wow!". I've seen the Red Arrows a few times and thought they were great. Once I watched them whilst sitting on top of a hill. This meant I could actually see some of the display at the same level as me which was very cool. I would love to see them again some day. Not sure I'd be able to take a photo as awesome as this though but I'd probably give it a try.

'View from the Brighton Wheel' by Me

View from the Brighton Wheel, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

In a previous post I showed you a photo I took of the Brighton Wheel which we went on at the weekend. Well today I thought I would show a view from the top. I have always loved aerial photos of beaches - especially ones with lots of coloured beach umbrellas - but I never thought I'd get the chance to actually take one of my own. I am really pleased with this one. I have enhanced the colour and contrast to make it a very bold and summery photo but to be honest in my eyes this was what the beach looked like. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the sea was green. We've not had a lot of days like that this summer so it's good to make the most of them when they happen!

'dusk and summer.' by brittnay

dusk and summer., a photo by brittnay. on Flickr.

It was such a weird day today. One minute it was sunny and the next minute it looked like it was going to pour down with rain. It meant I kept changing my mind about taking the kids to the park for a picnic lunch. In the end we decided to go for it and it didn't rain. In fact by the end of the afternoon it was really hot and sunny.

I love picnics. Such a lovely way to spend some time outside. Of course picnics with two children aren't quite as relaxing as they were when it was just me and the hubby . Or even when it was just me on my own with a really good book.

This is a really perfect lazy summer photo. I love the light and how you can see the sunset peaking through the trees. I sure could do with an afternoon relaxing like this.

'Brighton Wheel' by Me

Brighton Wheel, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

We went to Brighton for the day today and sure enough when we got there my mood instantly lifted. The weather was gorgeous and we had such a lovely time playing on the beach and wandering along the pier. The highlight of the day had to be our trip on the Brighton Wheel though. I have been wanting to go on it for ages so I'm pleased we finally got round to doing it. My daughter loved it too. In fact she now wants to go on the London Eye. Even my four month old baby quite enjoyed looking out of the window.

Here is an upward shot of the wheel. I love how I managed to capture the sparkle on one of the cars. And seriously, isn't that such a beautiful blue sky?

'Le temps des vacances' by telomi

Le temps des vacances, a photo by telomi on Flickr.

Hello again weekend, lovely to see you. It's been a busy and not completely unstressful week which was a shame because I was on such a high after last weekend. Barbecues, great friends and The Olympics - how could it not have been brilliant? Anyway, hopefully this weekend will be just as fantastic. We're hoping to squeeze in a little trip to the beach. That's got to be a mood lifter surely.

I love this beach picture. It's so simple but there is still loads going on in it. And the delicate colours work so well here.

Happy weekend everyone!

'Southwold Beach' by katlightner

Southwold Beach, a photo by katlightner on Flickr.

I'll tell you what I've been neglecting over the past few months - my Polaroid camera. I was so excited to finally get one that worked but I think a combination of things has made me lose interest a bit. Firstly, my son was born and he's been keeping me very busy. In fact I don't take as many photos as I used to with any camera, not just the Polaroid, I simply don't have the time! Actually that's a bit of a lie. I am still taking A LOT of photos. They're just mainly of my children. And secondly I finally got onto Instagram and it's kind of filling that instant photography section of my life. I know it's not the same at all though so I really need to pull my finger out and get good at taking Polaroids. First step is buying some more film.

This is the photograph that inspired this post. It's a lovely example of that lovely warm vintage feel you get with a Polaroid photo. And of course it's Southwold beach with beach huts do what's not to love. In fact Southwold was the very first place I took a Polaroid photo. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with the results. Hopefully one day I'll go back and get it right.

'Sea Stars And Mason Jars...That's What Dreams Are Made Of' by AngieTanksley

Sea Stars And Mason Jars...That's What Dreams Are Made Of, a photo by Angie Tanksley on Flickr.

I'm sharing this photo with you tonight just because it's pretty and I love everything about it. I love the different textures, the interesting viewpoint, the colours, the starfish, the pretty jar and the fact that it makes me want to go to the seaside. It's a lovely relaxing photo which is great as I could really do with some chill out time right now.

'Pink' by Me

Pink, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was brilliant. The weather was fantastic and we had friends over for barbecues on both the Saturday and the Sunday. We also got very caught up in the excitement of the diving and 5000 metres on Saturday night. And on Sunday evening we watched the closing ceremony and said goodbye to the Olympics. Going to be weird not watching that all day now. Roll on the Paralympics!

This is another pretty flower photo I took. Summer is coming to an end now so won't be long before all the summer flowers are gone. I need to snap a few more while I still can.

'LEGO Olympics 2012 Team GB syncro team' by Bricks for Brains

LEGO Olympics 2012 Team GB syncro team, a photo by Bricks for Brains on Flickr.

I have been up in London all day today so sadly didn't get to watch any of the Olympics. I'm making up for it now by watching a bit of diving. It was interesting being in London today though. I predicted chaos but the capital does appear to be really well organised.

I promised if I mention the Olympics again I would feature a suitably sporty photograph. I love this one. I think it's really fun and clever. What impresses me most is the colour of the swimming pool. It really does look like it's actually under water.

Hope you all have a fun weekend!

'Illumination [explored]' by Sherrie St. Hilaire...

Illumination [explored], a photo by Sherrie St. Hilaire... on Flickr.

OK, so I'm still totally engrossed in the Olympics. Today was all about the BMX bikes and once again my daughter had her dinner in front of the telly. I nearly forgot to make her dinner yesterday as I was so gripped by the cycling in the Velodrome! Normal meals times will resume next week when I will no doubt be back to being uninterested in anything sporty. Although there are the Paralympics soon...

Yes, this is a post about the Olympics but once again the photo hasn't got anything to do with sport. It's just really, really pretty. I love how this is so crisp and sharp but at the same time has such a dreamy feel.

If I waffle on about the Olympics again I promise I will actually use a vaguely sporty photo. Now there's a challege as I don't really know anything about sports photography!

'Story fairy' by Me

Story fairy, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Books have always been an important thing in this house. I've always loved them and now my daughter does too. She has loads and I love buying them for her. We always go to the library every three weeks and we have our favourites we borrow time and time again. In fact there have been times we've loved a library book so much I've just had to buy it. My daughter loves reading books as much as she loves hearing them read to her. She is always reading books to her baby brother and to be honest he is totally mesmerised by her. Of course she's not actually reading the words, after all she's only three. But that's my next challenge. I really want her to be able to read a little bit by the time she starts big school next September. She's doing well with her words and letters so far so fingers crossed.

I love this picture of my daughter. You can't tell because he's not in the shot but my little boy was actually lying on the floor next to her listening to the story. I also can't help but smile at the fact that she's dressed up as a fairy princess. So pretty.

'colorful daisies' by _poseidon_

colorful daisies, a photo by _poseidon_ on Flickr.

I was going to post this photo last night (daisies again, I'm sorry) but I got so engrossed in the Olympics on the TV I kind of forgot. I can't believe how many gold medals Team GB won yesterday. They really did our country proud. It did make me roll my eyes a bit though after all that sporting awesomeness to switch over and see the British football team losing on penalties. I'd expect nothing less! Hee hee. I think I'm actually going to miss the Olympics when it's all over. Who'd have though that from little old very unsporty me?

And no, this photo isn't anything to do with sports or London 2012. It's just a bright and colourful photo that that I really liked and makes me feel a little summery even though it's rain outside again!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.

'Welcome to the Olympic Torch' by pallab seth

Welcome to the Olympic Torch, a photo by pallab seth on Flickr.

Something very weird has been happening to me this week. I've found myself being all interested in sport. I am so enjoying watching the Olympics. I guess because it's in London I'm more interested in watching it as a piece of British history and as I am at home quite a lot during the day anyway I get to see lots of events live. Just today I've found myself watching, and in some cases glued to, judo, rowing, cycling, volleyball and gymnastics. Even my daughter is taking an interest. Her favourite event so far has been the diving. She was very disappointed when I said that we counldn't watch it today as there wasn't actually any on.

So to stay with the Olympic theme check out this awesome photograph of the Olympic torch. What a perfect capture. I am sure I don't have to explain what I love about it. It's all just fantastic.

'Untitled' by koreline

Untitled, a photo by koreline on Flickr.

I have found another one of those photos that looks like it has a story behind it. The girl in this photo is wearing a pretty dress and is eating juicy watermelon pieces. It's a summery picture but I can't help thinking it has a rather sad feeling to it. I bet I'm completely wrong though. It was probably taken on a lovely day and there's no story to go with this at all. It's fun to try and delve deeper into photos though sometimes.