'Few things make me happier' by Vanessa Rae

Photo credit: Vanessa Rae on Flickr 

I can't believe we are nearly half way through February already. This month is flying by which is crazy after January felt like the longest month ever. I didn't blog for the first week of this month because I couldn't think of anything to say other than moan about how cold I was feeling and how I am so over this winter weather. But this week I think we have seen a few sneak peeks of spring and it has really lifted my mood. Monday for example was a gorgeous day. I wore a shirt instead of a jumper and I even had a window open in the house at one point. It's gone back to being cold again now but somehow it doesn't feel as bitter. And I loving that it is getting lighter in the evenings. It is still dark early but ever week when I pick my daughter up late from some after school club or other I notice it is not quite as dark as the week before.

So roll on spring. I am not even dreaming of summer just yet. Just an end to the freezing cold weather and being able to leave the house without having to wrap everyone up in many layers and hats, scarves and gloves.

This photo is so dreamy. It is like a flash back to a lazy spring or summer day. That sunlight is simply beautiful. And it goes to prove that backs of flowers can be just as interesting to look at as their faces!

'quiet' by 55Laney69

Photo credit: 55Laney69 on Flickr

What a lovely sunny Sunday morning it is. And it's a sunny Bank Holiday too. Let's hope the nice weather continues. It's a great time of year for Bank Holidays in this country. We have three all within a matter of weeks. So here is a bit of prettiness for a beautiful morning. This is such a lovely photo. It makes me want to get outside and run through fields or something. I hope you are all having lovely weekend.

'Mother's Day tulips' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

A Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mothers in the UK and in any other place in the world that celebrated Mothering Sunday yesterday. I hope you had a lovely day. I had a really wonderful time and felt very spoiled. My five year old daughter is so sweet. She chose her present for me all by herself. Apparently she had her heart set on getting me a vase to put flowers in. She dragged her daddy round lots of shops on Saturday and fell in love with a glass butterfly vase which she really wanted to get for me. I tried photographing it today but was really not happy with the shots I got so here is a close up of the beautiful tulips that are currently sitting in it.

'Spring is on the way' by Me

Spring is on the way, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Spring is on the way. It really is, I can feel it. It had it's chilly moments but today was a beautiful day. The gorgeous sunshine made it a perfect day for getting some painting done at home so while hubby did that I took the kids off to the park and they had a great time. My daughter was chuffed because she found daisies to pick and these little flowers we spotted really made me smile. My daughter was sad when I said she couldn't pick them though. Here's hoping for lots more lovely days like this, especially over half term week!

'Rustic love' by **mog**

Rustic love, a photo by **mog** on Flickr.

So how has 2013 been for you so far? My year has started well - had a lie-in, got the Christmas tree and decorations put back in the loft and had a yummy meal at Wagamamas. Hopefully the rest of the year will be just as good! I am missing 2012 a little bit though. It felt like even though there were a lot of ups and downs it was an amazing year. However, I couldn't put my finger on why. I know it was the year my son was born but it felt like more than that. Then I read a post by Simone at Honey and Fizz and it all made sense. This was the year that my family became complete. We love our daughter so much and if we only had her we would still be very happy, however we knew we wanted two children so when our son came along everything just fell into place. I look forward to all the fun things we'll get up to in 2013 as a family of four.

Oh and today was also very dry and sunny which after all the rain we've been having has got to be a good thing. Therefore the blue skies in this lovely photo seem to be the best photo to start the year with.

Happy new year!

'Bright flowers' by Me

Bright flowers, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I wanted to post this photo of mine today as these flowers are just so damn colourful. I need a bit of colour to brighten up what has been a very grey, cold and wet few days. You've got to love the British weather. In my last post I said give it a few weeks and it'll really feel like it's winter but actually I only needed to give it a few days. I'm now not sure if I'm brave enough to check the weather forecast for tomorrow. Perhaps, I should just accept that I'll probably be all cold and soggy for the foreseeable future! Anyone fancy a hot chocolate to warm up?

'A corner of my home' by Me

A corner of my home, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I love reading blog posts where the blogger has posted a little snapshot of a corner of their home. I like seeing all the little detailsand it makes me really want to see more. I thought therefore that I might like to try a few shots like this. This is one corner of my home that I like. It's probably nothing special to look at but the things in it make me smile. I love the flowers. Hubby is often buying me flowers He does it for special occasions, to cheer me up or just because he thinks I might like some. I love this lamp. There is no story behind it, I just think it looks rather stylish. But my favourite bit is the photo. It's such a special image of my husband and my daughter just going for a walk together. She was only eleven months old but already was so good at walking. Proud mummy!

'kỷ nịm 1 năm cầm máy :)' by [TroJan]

kỷ nịm 1 năm cầm máy :), a photo by [TroJan] on Flickr.

Happy weekend everyone. I hope yours is as bright and colourful as this very summery photo. It makes me want to grab a blanket and sit in the sunshine, except that's probably not a great idea. Even if it is sunny this weekend it'll be freezing cold out and even if it's not freezing cold the grass is sure to be damp. Ah well, indoor picnic it is then. We've had one of those already this week and it's almost as good as an outdoor one!

'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.

'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!

'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.

'just two of us' by kennymuz

just two of us, a photo by kennymuz on Flickr.

I think this photo is so cute. I love the colours, the sparkle in the background and it really does look like a mother or father and their child. You do actually forget for a moment that they are just daisies. Well I did anyway! I also wonder whether, like me, this photographer has a child who is constantly presenting them with things they find outside during the day. That reminds me, I really should clear out my handbag as there is currently a small collection of little stones in the front pocket. I'm not exactly sure why!

'Oxeye daisies' by Peter Daems

Oxeye daisies, a photo by Peter Daems on Flickr.

I am sharing this with you tonight because I am totally jealous of it. For some reason this summer I have started to notice just how many of these daisies there are around. Whenever I see them I really get the urge to photograph them. Trouble is they seem to like growing by the side of the road on grass verges and roundabouts so not exactly a practical place to stop and take photos. I therefore wish I'd been able to take a gorgeous picture like this. It's such a sunny image. I love how the sunshine has been captured and I love the warm red tones. Perhaps one day I'll take a picture like this myself. Until then I'll just stick to photographing the many little daisies I find on my lawn.

'Little flowers' by Me

Little flowers, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I am posting this photo tonight because I love it and what make it even better is that it is one of mine. As well as thinking it's really pretty I also love the story behind it. Basically my daughter is always presenting me with things she picks up when she's out. Usually I end up with a pocket full of twigs and stones but the other day when I got home I realised I had these pretty flowers (as well as an assortment of twigs). I popped them in a little shot glass and what do you know a really pretty display just waiting to be photographed.

'Balance' by v.lemieux

Balance, a photo by v.lemieux on Flickr.

Well it's Sunday night but it may as well be Friday as we still have two days of weekend ahead of us - hooray! And look at me, I've managed to blog everyday of June so far. OK so it's only the 3rd June but it's a promising start.

Here is a fantastic photo. As usual when it comes to flowers I know nothing about the types. I just know what looks pretty and this is a very pretty photograph. I imagine this was just a rather ordinary bunch of flowers but the photographer has made it look really special. The colours and tones are beautiful.

'Werra' by HaN2T

Werra, a photo by HaN2T on Flickr.

I must apologise to my little blog for neglecting it this past month. Unfortunately, I've just not had the time to spend on it. Well I say unfortunately but it's not exactly been terrible using the time looking after and getting to know my new baby boy. I do miss blogging though so now it's June I am going to make sure I post more. I hope you'll still be visiting.

Here is a lovely image to start the month with. Also here in the UK we're about to have a super long Bank Holiday weekend so another reason to celebrate with a pretty photo. And a camera and flowers, what's not to love!

'Tulips' by Hannah Klosowska

Tulips, a photo by Hanna Klosowska on Flickr.

I am featuring this lovely tulip photo tonight as I'm unable to show you my own. I bought tulips for myself the other day and hoped I might photograph them - like I always do when I get flowers. Unfortunately I must have bought a bad bunch as they never reached their full potential and didn't end up being very photogenic. Perhaps, I should have seen that as a challenge but I thought it would be nicer to show you this great image. I love all the soft focus. I would say I love the colour but that's too obvious as tulips are beautiful whatever colour they come in. I do, however, like the angle this was taken at. It really shows off the flowers.

'Instagram roses' by Me

Instagram roses, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

It's going to be another Instagram photo from me today I'm afraid simply because I've not been taking a lot else at the moment. I am still finding the whole Instagram concept a fascinating project because I only have it on my iPad and not my mobile phone. That means I am only really able to take pictures around the house. It's making me look really hard at every day things and try to find beauty in things around the house and things we get up to at home.

Here are some beautiful roses my husband brought home for me the other day when I was feeling down. I was feeling rubbish so he surprised me by taking a half day off from work to look after me. And he came home with pretty flowers and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Seriously, he is the best husband in the world.

'Instagram tulips' by Me

Instagram tulips, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Well I've finally done it - I've entered the world of Instagram thanks to a super awesome birthday present of an iPad. I've been wanting to join in this craze for ages as I love the concept - micro blogging through beautiful photos - and the photo effects are fantastic. As you obviously know by now photography and blogging are my two great hobbies so I'm pleased to be able to get involved with this.

Here is one of my Instagram pictures. I never get bored of playing with the effects and finding new and interesting things to take pictures of in my everyday life. I'll no doubt post some more of my photos here in due course.

'Magnolia' by Me

Magnolia, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I love magnolia trees. They're just so pretty and also I feel nostalgic looking at them as we had one in the garden when I was a child. There's a gorgeous magnolia just round the corner from my house which I would love to photograph. I feel a bit funny about it though as it's obviously in someone's front garden and I'm not sure if the owners would appreciate me pointing my camera at their tree. Luckily though at Nymans the other day I spotted a magnolia tree in the grounds that was equally beautiful and I got to take loads of pictures. I think this one is my favourite. It shows off the pretty pink flowers and the bright blue sky whilst still being quite soft and subtle. I can always look at this on cold winter days and think of spring.