'Orphaned Chicks, Vigur, Iceland' by _Zinni_

Orphaned Chicks, Vigur, Iceland, a photo by _Zinni_ on Flickr.

And here ends another busy and fun weekend. I am often asking my little girl what her favourite bit of the weekend was just to see what she's been enjoying. When I asked her today I was sure she was going to say bouncing on the bouncy castle at her friend's party but instead she said it was eating gingerbread men with her Grandpa. And likewise if you were to ask me what my favourite bit was you'd probably think it was going out with friends on Saturday night but there's actually a moment today that really made me so happy. My husband, daughter, son and I went to Costa Coffee for lunch and even though we had a big table between us somehow at one point we were all snuggled up happily on the small sofa and it was so nice. I love moments like this that make me realise just how lucky I am.

Here is a suitably snuggly photo which is sure to make you say "Awwwww". These chicks just look so soft and cuddly. The fact that this picture is called "Orphaned chicks" does make me sad though.

'Buzz' by Me

Buzz, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Happy weekend everyone. Hope you're all up to lots of fun stuff over the next two days. It appears to be birthday season here at the moment and we're celebrating two more birthdays with friends this weekend.

Here's a photo I took in July which has nothing to do with birthdays but it does remind me of sunnier and warmer days. Perhaps the weather this summer wasn't so rubbish after all.

'Bear Cloud' by johncavacas

Bear Cloud, a photo by johncavacas on Flickr.

In my last post I told you about the view I used to have of the CN Tower from my apartment window in Toronto. I therefore thought today I would show you just about how much of the tower I could see from the window. In fact in might not have even been this much. It was just the top.

This photography is just so dramatic. It looks like something even more spectacular than just a rain cloud. The photographer has pointed out that this cloud does in fact look like a bear just about to pounce on the CN Tower! This makes it an even more fantastic capture.

'Untitled' by Eiimeon

Untitled, a photo by Eiimeon on Flickr.

I instantly loved this photo when I saw it because of the obvious things like colour, composition and the fact that it's of Paris. But it also made me smile for another reason. It made me all nostalgic for the time I lived in Toronto. The biggest landmark in Toronto is the CN Tower which can be seen for miles around and we were lucky enough to have a view of this tower from our apartment window. I say we had a view but it wasn't quite a view as such. Basically if you opened the window and stuck your head out far enough you could see the top of the tower. That to me counted as a view though and felt very lucky to have it!

'Up & Away Part 1' by danishdynamite

Up & Away Part 1, a photo by danishdynamite on Flickr.

Today a weight was partially lifted from my shoulders and I can begin to try destressing a little bit. I now think a few evenings of chill out time are in order. Just need to find the time for that!!

I thought this photo would demonstrate a weight being lifted. Not sure I feel totally like a hot air balloon floating through the sky but this is such a fabulous photo I thought I'd better share it. Of course I love the blue sky and the colours but most of all I love the amazing angle. I am guessing it was taken from another hot air balloon and not the ground. Whichever, I love it!

'Heart' by Me

Heart, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I've been neglecting this blog again and I am actually rather annoyed about it. There's just so much other stuff taking up my time at the moment. I have so much to do but not enough time to do it and it doesn't help that I am all stressed out and worrying about lots of things too. I really should make the decision to take a break from this blog but to be honest I don't want to. This is my happy place where everything is peaceful and pretty. Where I can celebrate all the good things in my life. I wouldn't want to let that go. It's also a way of making sure I continue taking lots of photos as I don't seem to be doing as much of that lately either. Here's one I took though. Hope you like it.

'Untitled' by lucia and mapp

Untitled, a photo by lucia and mapp on Flickr.

Here is a photo that I am sharing with you tonight for no other reason that it's so pretty. I have lots of things I should be doing right now but am easily distracted. And pretty things are very distracting you know! You can almost breathe the cool summer air in ths photo. Oh to be sat outside on a beautiful summer day like this with a good book and a glass of pimms. Anyway, back to reality. Too much to do and not enough hours in the day!

'Missing the Olympics' by Me

Missing the Olympics, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

This is just a fun little photo I took today as I am actually still missing the Olympics and Paralympics. I can't believe how much of an impact it had on me and how much it affected the whole country even. I saw a clip of a race today and still got all excited about it even though I know it was actually a couple of weeks ago and I knew who won it! These little mascots were reduced to £2 at the local toy shop so I just had to buy them. They will make me smile every time I see them!

'24th August (237/365)' by chrismartinez.co.uk

24th August (237/365), a photo by chrismartinez.co.uk on Flickr.

Did you all have a lovely weekend? I had a brilliant one full of good friends and family. This included a 4th birthday party and then a 40th birthday party on Saturday and a house full of relatives today! I must admit I am shattered. You'd have thought my children would have been too but apparently not so. It took ages for my daughter to get to sleep both nights this weekend. Although she was the last to get up this morning and that never usually happens!

I love the selective colour in this vibrant picture. The sunflower looks so striking when the wall behind is just in black and white. Hmmm, I bought some sunflower seeds a couple of months ago. I never got around to planting them though. I wonder where they are.

'82/365' by vanessa.paxton

82/365, a photo by vanessa.paxton on Flickr.

Here is a fantastic bright and happy imagine to start the weekend with. The sky is actually looking a bit like that here right now which is always a good way to start the day. Especially as my darling kiddies were both wide awake at 6 o'clock this morning. I know that's a normal time to get up in many households but for me it's a little bit painful. I also love the colourful kites in this picture. Makes me want to go kite flying myself!

Happy weekend everyone!

'monkeys on the bed.' by sarah_wood

monkeys on the bed., a photo by sarah_wood on Flickr.

I always wanted a girl. When I was pregnant the first time around I told everyone I didn't mind what I had but I knew deep down that I wanted a girl. I know I would have loved a boy just as much but I couldn't imagine my baby not being a girl. We didn't find out the sex so when I was handed my beautiful baby girl in the delivery room I was so very happy and automatically fell head-over-heels in love. Having a daughter has been everything I ever hoped for. She's amazing. A brilliant little best friend.

When I got pregnant the second time we decided to find out the sex. Hand on heart I didn't mind what I had this time around and was thrilled to be expecting a boy. I did have a few wobbles about it though. I only knew how to be a mum to a girl. How would I cope with a boy? Are they really different? Would I love him the same? Well that little boy is now four and a half months old and I can't imagine what life was like without a son. Why was I worrying? I definitely have two little best friends now!

When I was looking for a photo to go with this post I stumbled across this really fun one. It's such a beautiful carefree image. You really get a lot of energy from it. And I bet the mother and son had a brilliant time jumping on the bed.

'Instagram Little feet' by Me

Instagram Little feet, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

When I had my son I was really looking forward to taking lots of adorable little hands and feet photos. Turns out it's not as easy as it looks to get the perfect cute shot. Funnily enough my favourite pictures have been taken on my mobile phone. I love this one of his bare little feet. Don't you just want to give them a tickle?

'Olympic Stadium from the Orbit' by A.W. Martyr-Ickes

Olympic Stadium from the Orbit, a photo by A.W. Martyr-Icke on Flickr.

Well that's it. London 2012 is over and it makes me sad. I can't believe just how much I've enjoyed both the Olympic and Paralympic games. I must admit I was rather nervous at the start of the Paralympics. I was a worried that it wouldn't be as exciting as the Olympics but if anything it's been more so. I am just amazed at what the athletes have achieved. Who knew you could ride a bike with one leg, play football with no sight or swim with no arms? The term 'disabled' doesn't seem quite the right word to describe these amazing people. They are all perfectly able human beings. And the best thing has been watching it with my three year old daughter. She's been thoroughly into the Paralympics and it's been a fantastic opportunity to talk about disabilities with her. She is so not fussed by how many limbs people have, how they speak or whether they are in a wheelchair. She sees them all as just people. Children are fantastic aren't they?

And here's a fantastic photograph of the awesome Olympic Stadium. I really do kick myself for not applying for tickets. I hope I make it to the stadium one day for some reason or another. I wold love to have look around.

'Poolside' by dphock

Poolside, a photo by dphock on Flickr.

Well today was indeed a very hot and sunny one. The day started with a trip to the swimming pool as we decided we should take our son swimming for the first time. He definitely seemed to enjoy himself and he wasn't at all phased by the water or by people jumping in near us and splashing us. After that it was picnic time in the park which, surprise surprise, ended up with us eating 99 ice creams.

This post really needed a swimming pool photo to accompany it and I love this one. I love how it makes me feel really hot and I totally love the colours. What fascinates me most though is how exactly the shot was taken from that angle. Apparently it was shot from a hotel room. I imagine this is a picture that was flipped upside for effect but I still don't get how such an awesome angle was achieved.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the weekend and have lovely sunshine where you are too.

'Orange' by Me

Orange, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Hooray! It's the weekend and it looks like it's going to be a hot and summery one. I imagine it will be the last weekend like this in a while so I really want to make the most of it. We have absoutely no plans yet so let's just see where the weekend takes us! I would lay money on ice cream being involved somewhere along the way!

I took this photograph this morning. My husband bought me some lovely colourful flowers yesterday that appeared to have "Photograph Me" written all over them. I seem to take a lot of flower pictures so I like the fact that I've taken this from an angle I've never tried before. My favourite bit is the colour though. It just looks so bright and vibrant because of the wonderful sunshine we had today.

Happy weekend everyone!

'Untitled' by Heartbeatbox

Untitled, a photo by Heartbeatbox on Flickr.

This photograph is a perfect example of minimalism. At first you might look at it and think there's not much to it (and you'd be right) but I bet it took a lot of thought to get the angle right. And it's not an obvious colour combination but the orange and turquoise just work so well together. I'm actually wondering what this is a small corner of. It looks to me like a boat but I'm guessing it must be a building. Any suggestions?

'School Bus Top' by Todd Klassy

School Bus Top, a photo by Todd Klassy on Flickr.

My daughter won't be four until October so she's not old enough to start 'big' school this year. I was a bit gutted about this at first as she seemed to have lots of friends who were of the same age and ability going up to reception class when she'd have to stay at pre-school for another year. I felt she was getting a little left behind. I have sinced changed my mind. She's a bright little girl already so hopefully she'll be super bright by next September. She'll have another year to gain more self confidence too. Also, and most importantly, I've realised I'm not ready to let her go! She'll be doing a couple of full days at pre-school this year but I can't say I'm ready for her to be at school all day every day. The past four years have just gone by so quickly! I'm going to make sure I enjoy the next year of semi-freedom with her as much as possible.

Here is a very fitting photograph to accompany a post about school. I don't think it needs much explanation. Yellow and blue is such a great combination and you know how I'm a sucker for a bright blue sky!

'Instagram Battersea Power Station' by Me

Instagram Battersea Power Station, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

This photo is just a snapshot taken on my mobile phone from a train window but with a bit of Instagram treatment I think it actually looks rather cool and dramatic. I love the look of Battersea Power Station so took a picture with my phone on the train into London purely for Instagram purposes. Trouble is, it turned out to be really rubbish and due to the speed of the train there was no chance to take it again. Therefore on my way home I was determined to take a better shot. My homeward bound train however was packed and I was facing the wrong direction. I wasn't going to let this stop me though so after elbowing the person next to me and looking a bit daft I turned round and got this picture. I was rather chuffed. I hope you like it too and it was worth me becoming the annoying person on the train! There's always one!