Abigail, not known for sitting around and lounging about has decided that this year after finishing her GCSE's that she's going to do the National Citizen Service, or NCS, in fact she's already signed up for it, but what actually is it?  It seems teens know the most about it so I took some time to ask her some questions about it last week.

What is the National Citizen Service?

"NCS is a government backed programme established in 2011 to help build a more cohesive, mobile and engaged society. By bringing together young people from different backgrounds for a unique shared experience, NCS helps them to become better individuals, and in turn better citizens. 

NCS is open to 16 and 17 year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. The two to four week programme, which takes place in school holidays, includes outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event.

At a time of huge political uncertainty, where division is more evident than togetherness, NCS is a powerful tool to ensure the next generation see more in their similarities than differences.

In a nutshell, the programme:

1. Puts young people through a series of challenging activities to take them out of their comfort zones and develop their strength of character.
2. Provides a progressive journey that hands over more responsibility to young people as the programme progresses and develops leadership skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
3. Enables young people to connect with their communities through social action. 

To date: 

1. Almost 400,000 young people have taken part
2. More than seven million hours of community action have been completed
3. For every £1 spent, NCS’ 2016 summer programme delivered between £1.15 and £2.42 of benefits back to society

NCS is amazing value for money. The whole experience including food, accommodation and travel costs just £50 and bursaries are available on a case by case basis. Support is also provided for young people with additional needs."

Okay, so that's the official blurb but I asked Abigail why she would want to spend her summer holidays doing this, it is after all 4 weeks out of a teens life and that means they're going to lose a lot of sleep, you know how they love sleeping in until 4pm.

She told me though that it's going to be something else she can add to her CV, I joked that she might already have enough things like working for Unicef and being a youth MP and leading the debate in Parliament last November, seriously my CV is never going to be as impressive as that though.

She also told me that they spend time at an outward bounds type of place where they can do rock climbing, abseiling, basically a week of adrenaline fuelled activities and the kind of thing she'd never get to do with me because my alias is Scare D Cat.

So that's basically the first stage which is called Adventure (the course is split into 4 weeks and 4 distinct stages.

Stage 2 is Discovery and this is where your teen will learn new skills, things they can add to their CV but also fun things, I noted photography and editing, I wonder if I can get her trained up, I even read that it might help you learn skills you could use to start your own business.  This stage takes place in a university style setting so she's going to be staying in dorms with friends, in fact she's sharing with one of her best friends who's also doing NCS this summer.

Then we're on to Stage 3 which is Social Action so they're going to be in teams in the community making a difference to other people's lives, this makes me so proud as a mama that she won't just be spending the summer sleeping!

Finally we have stage 4 which is Celebration and this is where our beloved teens celebrate their achievements and in doing so they unlock cool rewards, discounts and even get exclusive access to the best volunteering opportunities.

I have no doubt in my mind that the NCS is going to add so much value to Abigail's life and when Looby is the equivalent of year 11 (obviously being home educated we don't have the same structure) there's no doubt that I'll be encouraging her to do it too.  They're both very different teenagers but the NCS caters for that and it's basically the teens who are in control of the things they want to do (with a little guidance).

I think as a parent school holidays can be so costly so £50 for all of the travel, accommodation and meals is quite simply the best use of a parents money this summer, I can tell you from my experience a summer of bored teens at home is a costly experience for the Bank of Mum.

I'm really looking forward to Abigail doing the NCS this year, we'll be going on holiday when she's finished her exams so it's not like she's going to miss out on that and then she'll be off on her special adventures for the rest of the summer.

To take part in the NCS teens must be at least 16 years old by the 31st August in the year they're doing it so they can essentially do it when they're 15 as long as they'll be 16 by the end of August.  Looby's birthday being in September means she'll be nearly 17 by the time she does it.
There are still places available for Year 11s to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity this summer. To sign up now, go to the NCS website. use this link

This is a collaborative post with the NCS.

Why I don't live with my mum by Abigail Charlton, aged 14.5

I moved out of my mums house to live with my dad and grandad in the autumn of  2014, this was after my dad had already left about 2 months earlier. It was not an easy decision but I can say I would do it again because it has been the best thing possible to ensure I retain a good relationship with my mum. 

I love my mum unconditionally and forever! It was difficult to leave at 13, knowing that it was hurting my mum. Even though I sort of hated her at that time it didn't mean that I didn't feel guilty for leaving her. However I am so grateful that she allowed me the choice to go wherever I was happiest.

I'd spent 13 years on top of my sister, brother and mums' toes always feeling cramped so when the opportunity came to have my own space, I took it! The most difficult part of moving out for me was not seeing Laura (my younger sister) as much as I wanted to. In the beginning I was so happy to be away from her, as being so close in age was very difficult particularly when you're both teenagers! 

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss going home to my mum and talking about my day, or chatting with Laura before bed about school and gossip and stuff like that! I miss playing sing star and screaming down the stairs at my mum to turn the radio down as she blared music whilst making tea.  Truthfully I miss having a mum to come home and cry with after a hard day. I never realised how much girls need there mums up to now, because you never realise what something means to you until its gone.

Living with my dad has been fantastic though, I've got my own room and space to breath! Space to scream at the world for sucking but also to dance around my room! My relationship with Laura is also better as she has her own space, however I often worry that she hates me sometimes for leaving her. She denies it but I was always there for her as a sister and friend but also as an outlet to scream at! I rely on her just as much as she relies on me.  Overall, I'm glad I left my mums house 2 years ago.  

To finish I would like to say that if any parents are out there with children who want to leave home to go live with there dad or mum, I think you should let them (obviously that has exceptions), because at the end of the day, though it may be unbearably hard to begin with they will come back to you in one way or another because children and young people need their mums and dads no matter how much they deny it.

My darling Abigail, watching you leave was the hardest thing I've ever done as a mum but to let you go was to set you free to find yourself and it worked, when you left you were angry and cross and you hated me on the outside but I always knew that one day we would have the best relationship and I am so proud of that, we laugh together and sometimes we cry together, we talk about everything, some things we do just to freak out your sister, heehee  I will always love you and I do miss you every day that I don't see you but I hope we make up for it in the times we are together, I'll never stop being grateful that you are my wonderful amazing Abigail and I am proud of you every single day, I love you so very much.

Why I am protective of my Mum, a guest blog by Abigail aged 14.5

After last week's blog, I wasn't sure what to expect from my dear daughter this week, she's obviously a teenager with a lot to say and whilst she feels she doesn't have the time or energy to blog herself I'm quite happy to let her publish a weekly article.  I'm not going to lie, there was a sharp intake of breath when I read this one and I totally understand why she feels the way that she feels, I should also say that we talk about this stuff often and it's only going to be time, and time itself that is going to heal things and make them better, I know one day she's going to meet Mr France and I hope that when she sees he's not a fly by night that she'll learn to trust him but I appreciate how difficult it must be for her to see both her dad and me with new people in our lives, one thing we do agree on though is that it is right that we were apart.

Over to Abigail - 

"If you hadn't heard my mum is dating Mr France, Mr France won't have it easy getting my approval. My siblings and I are very protective of my mum, however, neither of them are as protective as me. 

In my lifetime I've seen my mum feel heart broken too many times. I swore to stop it happening as much as possible. Luckily my mum respects my opinion and if I don't like someone or feel that they are going to hurt her I will tell her to steer clear. I have done it before and will do it again. My mum is a hopeless romantic which is both her best and worst characteristic.

It's important to say however that thus far Mr France has been given my approval but my opinions change like the weather and are not permanent (remember that Mr France).  I have wholeheartedly accepted that my parents have split up for good, what I have not accepted yet is the fact that they have both moved on and found other people, other people that I will have to get to know".

For children with parents who split up it must be agony to watch the people who love you and care for you separate, to see people you thought loved each other not love each other anymore, I can imagine it's heartbreaking, especially if you are a teenager who's only just formulating their own identity and don't forget that it's families and the people around the kids who do give them their identity and shape their personalities in the formative years.

To Abigail...

I can tell you, I love and adore you Abigail and I know you had to go through so much hurt and heartbreak yourself to get to this place you are in, you and I we have great times together and a relationship where we can discuss anything and everything, you are brilliant beyond brilliant my darling girl, in getting to this point in my life I have had to forgive myself for the hurt you had when your dad and I parted and there is still much to do.  Please don't think that you, Looby and Iain aren't my entire life and I wouldn't let anyone into my life unless I thought they were the best kind of person, the kind I'd want to introduce you to one day, someone worthy of meeting my amazing children, the most amazing teenagers on the planet.

Today On "My Mum" A Blog by Abigail Aged 14.5

My lovely daughter of who I am supremely proud and adore more than cake and chocolate (no, really, it's possible) asked if she could write a guest blog for me, I could hardly refuse and so here it is, please if you ever meet me, don't ask me to repeat the dance....

"It is universally accepted that all teenagers will come to a time where they hate one or both of their parents. I am not one to break this norm however, I may have reached this period earlier than most! It seemed that the second I turned 13 I began hating my mother with a passion.   

Now at 14, almost 15, I am taking this time to reflect. What would have irritated and agitated me a year ago I now laugh at?  This laughter and mockery has become what I have begun calling "Today on my mum" moments. These moments are so full of embarrassment and surprise that it would be a crime to deny them to the world any longer! 

For the first time, you will all see how truly bonkers and weird my mother really is, though I expect many of you will not be surprised. 

To begin let's delve into what I have decided to call "The unfortunate tale of a mother in Scarborough"

It was a lovely day, we were just coming to the end of our activities (and money), so decided to go for some ice cream at a very well-loved ice cream parlour before a longish trip back to Newcastle. 

It's important to note that during the day I and Laura had been repetitively performing a small dance that we found online. It was super simple! Remember that! This dance was super simple and could've been performed by a goldfish! 

We managed to get our mum to 'perform' the small dance.I regret my choices! It was going fairly ok until the final move, a simple move. "Put your arms out and pull your body forward" is what we said to do. My mother did not quite do this, and so, in the full view of the ice cream parlour and the passers-by, she, with confidence, did a very large thrust. Not the move we had expected! What followed was a chorus of shrieking plus uncontrollable laughter! We were subjected to many, many worried looks. The only words I could think to say were "ah, today on my mother" which only fueled the fire and caused more laughter. I can safely say she has not thrust lately.  

That day also stuck out for another reason as in the car on the way home I happened to ask if she had taken her medication, she hadn't! Funnily enough, though I didn’t really care! This was the first time in possibly 10 years I had seen my mum actually laugh! Not a forced laugh but a genuine, heartfelt laugh. Of course, I was worried that she hadn't taken her medication but it was more of an afterthought! Now she is the happiest I've EVER seen her and I'm very much looking forward to having many laughs with her in the future. 

This was the first true "Today on my mother moment" (and arguably one of the best yet!). 

I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt we've had and that you’ve become just a little bit more aware on the weirdo that is my mother! 

Yours, a very opinionated and often stroppy teenager, 

Dear Abigail, a letter to my daughter...

Dear Abigail or as I like to call you, Amazing Abigail, 

I've never written a letter to you before and while I wrote a fairy story to your sister, that just didn't seem appropriate for one who is as amazing as you.

You are 14 years old, you have the whole world before you, you are beautiful on the inside and out, you want to change the world, you tell me this in no uncertain terms, "What is the point of living if you can't change the world?" you recently asked me.

We haven't always had the most amazing relationship, when you were born it wasn't too long before I was diagnosed with postnatal depression and though I still loved you with every inch of my body, my mind could not process all of the thoughts and emotions I was supposed to feel,  as a small child you did most things early, you walked at 10 months and by 2 years old you had your own opinions about everything.  You would get up in the mornings and demand a never-ending supply of books to be read right through until bedtime and when you went to nursery a year early you thrived because of your curious nature and quest for knowledge.  I cannot recall the number of times we watched the Cat in the Hat on perpetual replay.

You are a polymath, you are brilliant at so many things, you got all of my brains (mostly specialised but occasionally useful), all of your dad's brains, your dad's athletic ability, my creativity plus a handful of something extra, something really special.  You have my gutsy determination combined with your own massive quest for the knowledge of everything.  You want to be a barrister now but it's not so long ago you were considering a career in theoretical physics, I'm fairly sure some children choose fireman or hairdresser but not you, you have always aimed high and over excelled in everything you do.

When your dad and I parted and you moved out it was the saddest day of my life, I know you went so you could have your own bedroom and I'm so in awe of the relationship we have now, I just adore you, my darling girl, I believe you can achieve anything you want to but you just have to slow down a little and enjoy the journey, your constant quest to get to the next step might inhibit your ability to enjoy the present so always remember to smile and be in the present for we just don't know what is around the corner.

Whatever you decide to do in the future and no matter where life takes you always remember I love you, my heart is happy every time I think of you, I want for you to be happy in everything you do, no matter what it is even if you, later on, decide to run away with the circus (just don't become a killer clown).

So remember this, for now, and forever, be brave, be brilliant, and most of all live a happy and beautiful life which makes you smile in your heart every single day.

First Day of Secondary School...

There are milestones as a parent that you brace yourself for, first words, first steps, first day of nursery, reception and then one day when you've been through a million milestones and a myriad of life stages you eventually get to the day when your last baby starts at secondary school, it's the weirdest feeling, my children pretty much are independent people of their own being, Looby could have gone to school on her own today for the first time, she didn't of course, dad and sister Abigail (now in year 9) came to take her, good for me because I got photographs of my girls together on their first day back, something I wasn't sure would happen this year, a sadness of my daughters not living in the same house but a happiness that for the most part they'll be together at school every day and though I'm sure Abigail will claim that she won't admit that Looby is her sister I know in my heart that she'll look out for little Looby.

When Abigail started at St Mary's she was ready, she'd been ready for 2 years, always looking ahead, always wishing to be older, hurtling through life at 100 miles an hour but Looby isn't the same, she and I have taken the slow and winding path through her childhood, it's still full of wonder and magic and unicorns, she's still at her own inner stage where she feels if farming doesn't work out as a career she can always be a unicorn.  I hope that sense of magic and wonder never changes, she's my crazy girl, my baby, my bouncy happy little one, she's the one where she actually does practice being happy and hopeful and grateful and helpful every single day.

Of course I brace myself for the teenage years, in just a couple of weeks she's going to be 12 and I know that hormones and milestones play a huge part in changing children, particularly girls, beyond all recognition between the ages of 11 and 13, it's obvious when Abigail and Looby are together, if you met them and didn't know there was only 16 short months in between their ages you would think they were 3 or 4 years apart.

So today, while I go off to photograph a wedding in Yorkshire I'll be thinking of my little one, so grown up in her slightly too big uniform (you mums will know "she'll grow in to it) with her 2 huge school bags negotiating a school four times the size with quadruple the amount of students and teachers than Benton Park and I'll be hoping beyond all hope that when I get home tonight she'll say "It was a good day today mum, I can't wait to go back tomorrow"

Welcome to September

I woke up this morning to a myriad of photographs of cute little people all dressed in smart new uniforms tentatively heading to school, some returning to new year groups, some starting new schools and the smallest are starting school for the very first time, it's a momentous day for a lot of you and I can't help remembering past years with Iain, Abigail and Looby.  This year of course Looby goes to St Mary's although she doesn't start until a week on Thursday and at the moment she's off in the sunshine with Abigail and dad, oh sunshine how I crave thee!

September for me has always been the start of a new year after taking the summer off with the kids, I didn't do that of course this year as I've been busier than ever but there's still been time for fun, holidays, travel assignments and so this week is mostly about catching up so I am up to date, thankfully a lack of sleep last night means that I'm currently about 5 minutes into that state which we like to call "Up to Date"

I can't but help reflect on things in the past year but I don't want to dwell and I've already posted my reflective September one year on post but I was talking on Facebook about some stuff yesterday - 

1. I've only got 9 days left and then have to have a routine again, bohemian living is going to have to be much more restrained. (boo)
2. I've just bought the rest of Loobys uniform for St Marys (OUCH)
3. Iain is 19 on Sunday, nothing can make me feel older than that!
4. I've been a singleton for a year and I didn't even think I could manage a week.
5. Holly Bobbins is 15 months old, she's been with me for 10 months!!
6. In one whole year I've never stayed out past 1am or been to a nightclub though I was involved in accosting a celebrity after a comedy gig.
7. I need to get out more in a social way though I'm terrible, much like Hannah Hauxwell and mostly end up just staying in watching classic movies with Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn and eating noodles with my dog.

8. My main goals in this year are to increase the amount of travel writing/photography assignments and to keep growing my family portrait business so that it continues to thrive

9. I want to take Looby away for lots of adventures this year, some with Holly Bobbins of course but I'd also like to take her to some European cities to experience different cultures and see amazing sights together.

10.  In this next year I'd love to meet new people, and I want to say yes to more things, seriously if you're out there reading this, send me your ideas and requests, after all that is said and done I seriously think it's got to be my time to shine now hasn't it?  I'm so done with the harrowing life experiences ;)

Maybe I just need to find someone who'll come and eat noodles with my dog and I whilst we watch classic beautiful movies starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant?

One thing I've learnt from all that has been and gone is to never get complacent, never make too many plans for you just never know what's around the corner (good and bad), I've never really been a planner, I'm absurdly spontaneous (and very sparkly) which I guess can make me a great friend but also impossible to pin down and deal with at times.  I'm the kind of person who can get up in the morning and be in Inverness by the afternoon if the mood takes me, I'm an unstoppable force when I get something fixed in my mind, some call it madness, I call it creative spontaneity with a little added sparkle and it's something I will never ever apologise for again.

Be brave, be bold, reach for the stars and explode like a giant flower bloom into a glorious and memorable September.

Dancing through life?

It's been said dear reader that a change is a good as a holiday, does this mean that a holiday is as good as a change I wonder?

Whatever it means I am happy to announce that I am going on a short midweek Easter break with my girls (that's Abigail, Looby and Holly) to the Berwick holiday park, Looby is utterly excited, we last stayed in a caravan in August and had a brilliant time, she loves caravans for some strange reason and to be honest I'm just happy to get a bit of a rest so we're going in the second week of the Easter holidays from the Monday to the Friday, I forsee lots of walks along the beautiful beaches though I shall not be partaking of any of the Haven nonsense, I have a great excuse, Holly can't go in any of the facilities, just the grounds and the Caravan, a perfect way to avoid chavvy children who stay up way past their bedtimes high on too much sugar and run amock.

Whilst I fully recognise it's not a 2 week trip to Majorca I am hoping that the girls get some kind of enjoyment out of it and hopefully soon I'm going to book our summer holidays where I think we're going to go to Keswick because it's the most dog friendly place in Britain apparently and you know it's all about the dog, about the dog, no woofles!

Over the course of the weekend I've managed to see 2 musicals, namely Annie and Into The Woods, both of them I loved for different reasons and I have decided that life would be wholly better if we all lived in a musical, I had planned to sing and dance my way through the week but after waking up with a huge headache I might have to start tomorrow.  No sooner had I got Looby off to school did Holly and I run back to bed and slept until 11, I love that I have a dog who could sleep quite easily until lunchtime!  At least when we did get up we went for a stomp although it was a little on the windy side for both our likings and there were moments when I feared we'd blow away, have you ever seen a beagles ears in the wind, she looked like a little helicopter ready to ascend to the skies.

This week is about getting back on track with writing and blogging and also I'm going to try and make some new plans for things to achieve this year and then obviously I better work out how the heck I am actually going to achieve them (always helpful).  Maybe Holly and I should do our own reviews of dog friendly pubs/coffee houses and holidays?  She certainly likes to get away on high days and holidays...

Germs, Christmas Lights and photo shoots

Good morning dear reader, you find me full of germs and other yucky things this morning after I was floored with a White Christmas related cold, yes it's true, when I started watching White Christmas last night I felt fit as a fiddle but by the time it ended I was sneezing my literal head off and so this morning I am hot, full of cold, have a huge headache and I'm sure there's a teeny tiny person sitting in my throat dancing on razorblades!  It's lucky that I am up to date with work and I am also staying home with Abigail today anyway as she's done something to her arm (her right arm) so she's having a day of rest from school and we're going to try and go to the walk in centre to see what she's actually done with it!

Yesterday I found myself completely up to date with work so it feels ok to be ill, I don't feel horribly guilty about it in the way that I sometimes have in the past but it does need to sort itself out and go because I have a super busy weekend with photo shoots in Jesmond Dene tomorrow and Sunday, and also Durham on Saturday.  Really looking forward to the 4 photo shoots in Wharton park, Durham as I don't get there nearly enough anymore and I have lots of lovely Durham clients, I'm always happy to go to Durham when I can find the gaps in my diary, sometimes it's easier than others dear reader!

What else is on the schedule today, well it's the annual Christmas light switch on in Newcastle this evening and somewhat of a tradition for Looby and I, we haven't really missed a year for about 5 years so I am going to stuff myself full of cold medications and vitamin C and we'll hopefully get there as it's always such a festive highlight in our Christmas calendar, singing along en mass to Christmas songs can make even the biggest scrooge feel just a little festive.

So that's your lot for today dear reader, it's been quite a quiet week and I love that, I'll be quite happy to have many many more of those thank you very much!

Have a totally top-tastic Thursday everyone.

Headaches, Freedom of Speech and 34% off at Philomena's Boutique

Wow it's 11am already and I'm still in my pyjamas dear reader, tartan pyjamas non the less!  The truth is that I woke up with a huge headache so I've just been bumbling around this morning and not attempting anything too energetic.  I've had this recurring headache for most of the week so I can only assume that it's wholly stress related.  I actually can't wait for the Christmas break this year so I can just spend the 2 weeks at home with my children.

Speaking of my kids, hello to Abigail if you're reading, we went out for dinner last night and she said she skim reads my blog most days but it's not got enough appeal for 12 year olds so just for you Abigail "teen angst, hunger games, mocking jay oh my life is so bad I could cry and everyone hates the world and I hate the world and no there's nothing wrong with me"  There you go, that should appeal to you and any other tweens or teens looking in.

The truth is that I really don't write my blog for anyone but me, it's just kind of an accident that 15,000+ people a month happen to read it, I know it's helped lots of people in similar situations to mine over the years though because I get the emails and the comments and I don't intend to stop writing any time soon, freedom of speech is probably the most important civil liberty we all possess whether that be speaking out about a personal situation or something political you feel must change, i'm actually so proud of Abigail being on the Youth council and I think she can run for a seat in the youth parliament next February, destined to be the next female prime-minister that one!

oh and if you are here to read the exciting news, well 6pm today is the start of my festive shopping weekend where you can win 2 of my framed and mounted art prints, more news of which ones in tomorrows blog post which will be all about this Christmas shopping weekend but just to whet your appetite if you are a lover of my fine art prints get yourself over to Philomena's Boutique and when you are checking out enter the discount code CHRISTMAS and you will bag yourself a whole 34% off just for this weekend, tell your friends, your family, do all of your Christmas shopping and you'll also be entered into that competition to win both of the framed and mounted prints.

There are more ways to win and more ways to save but at the risk of crashing severs I'll just leave you with that first offer until tomorrow.

May your thirsts be quenched with the fabulous flavour of a festive Thursday.

Bathroom Painting, Frozen Christmas Jumpers and other miscellaneous items!!

The house decoration started in earnest yesterday with some painting of the bathroom, and the painters and decorators of the world need fear nothing, I am quite possibly the worst at painting in the world, thankfully though after 2 coats on the wall that bit is done and I'm doing the second coat on the coving and bathroom door tonight.  Looby helped to paint last night when I got home from Slimming World and for that I am so grateful, apparently she likes painting, maybe she has a future career as a painter and decorator, actually don't tell her that or she'll be horrified that I would suggest anything other than a farmer!

So, I've been thinking about helping you all with your Christmas shopping, it's no secret that I am, well a bit of a bargain hunting shopaholic so I thought I would try and post bargains that I find and then that's your Christmas sorted really, I keep filling my Amazon basket, at the moment it's got 3 very expensive games in it for Iain, lets hope they last him longer than a day!

Mandy's Christmas Bargain - Olaf Christmas Jumpers which start at £5, yes the cheeky snowman from frozen has his own selection of Christmas Jumpers for sale on Amazon and they start at a fiver which is cheap at half the price!  If Olaf doesn't take your fancy, I honestly think you won't find a better selection than the second link and they're all so much cheaper than I've seen on my travels.

You know I mentioned Fenwicks Christmas Window a couple of blog posts ago, well on the official Fenwicks Facebook Page I noticed that there's a big thing on Friday when it's unveiled at 5pm, and yes of course Looby and I will be there, we may even manage to drag along Iain and Abigail if she's here that day.

Sad kitty news as Abigail is moving Cupcake the cat to her dads, it's only fair really as it's her cat and she pines terribly for her on days she's not here, she also doesn't like anyone else apart from Abigail and I suspect that she's always wanted to be a lone cat, I will miss her but much like Abigail I'm rarely her favourite person.  I do think though that if we are down to just 2 kitties and 1 part time woofy that we may have to consider some new paws in our house, probably just a kitten though as Petunia is the best dog in the world and I am definitely not a 2 dog lady!

This morning I am off to my Inspire Network meeting and we've got ourselves a Christmas showcase so I am taking along some exclusive framed prints which are going to make perfect and excellent home gifts for Christmas, what I don't sell will go on my wall and I may even do a giveaway so if you would like to win one of them stay tuned for more news, if I sell them all don't worry, I will get more frames and still do a giveaway very soon!

More bathroom painting this evening, more catching up with work this afternoon but I am nearly there now, just a couple of album tweaks and I will finally be caught up for the first time in forever to pinch some lyrics from Frozen, well everyone else does so why not?

May all of your Wednesdays be wonderful!

For 24 hours only - Pre-Order a digital copy of UK Cityscapes for only £2 instead of £5

For one day only dear reader you can pre-order a digital copy of my forthcoming UK Cityscapes book for just £2, the regular price is £5, only 100 copies are available and the offer only lasts for 24 hours so pre-order your digital edition of UK Cityscapes today!



If I can sell 100 copies in the next 24 hours I'll be nearly half way to my crowd funding target and there are still 31 days to go. I really need your help to do this, if you missed why, you can catch up here

If you're wondering why I'm not off hopping and leaping and bounding through cities right now it's because I have a full week of work this week, portraits, pre-wedding shoots and consultations as well as it being my beautiful daughter Abigails 12th Birthday

She was pretty delighted to receive her very first pair of Dr Martens, purple ones too!  She also got new brogues, new Converse and a brand new electronic keyboard (yes that's 3 pairs of footwear, it seems my passion for shoes has passed to both daughters even though this one says she is not a girly girl, one day I think she'll rebel and all she'll want to wear is pink!  Abigail of course has already travelled to some of the cities with me as has Looby and that for me is a wonderful thing, I think that probably goes to making up some of the adventures we've had on our travels so far.  I love going to cities and travelling even when I'm on my own (and I actively try to deal with that anxiety I still get when someone is walking behind me) but it's always fab when you can share the experience, I can't wait to share more cities with them in half term and then the summer holidays, I'm even hoping hubby will be able to come along to some cities, I think that's how the stories are created, it'd be easy to just turn up to 69 cities, take one photo and then sneak away without anyone seeing you but I don't want to do that, I want to truly experience each city providing enough images for a blog post and chapter of the book about that city.  I think it would be really hard to get a feel for a city in an hour, who knows though, I may find cities I want to escape from as soon as I get there ;)  I don't believe that though, I think there's beauty to be found in each an every one of our cities, definitely there are some where it's not immediately visible but it's only by exploration you get to see it.  I guess that's a bit like people really, you can't just take people at face value, you have to see what's inside them to have a true knowledge of their inner selves.

So Happy Wednesday, Happy Birthday to Abigail and I am off to buy a big 12 year olds birthday cake (as opposed to a 12 year old birthday cake which wouldn't be very nice at all really)

Dear Fuji, I love you, That is all

It's been another heavenly gorgeous spring day and my flu is just about gone so I got to go out with my Fuji X-Pro1 coupled with the 35mm f1.4 to do some testing, shall we call it Testography dear reader...maybe not!

I'm lucky in that I had Abigail with me today who's also now thoroughly recuperated and she yayed (or rather she didn't) at the news that she would be going back to school tomorrow.

I should say before I go any further that if you have stumbled upon my blog looking for a very geeky blogpost about the technical workings of the X-Pro 1 then you should probably click away now, there are far better more qualified people out there to do such illuminating blogging, what I will say though is that it's a system which is so removed from anything you already know if you usually shoot Canon that you might just fall in love with photography all over again, I can't wait to take it in my kit bag and use it to shoot kids portraiture, I'm excited about shooting portraits with it at my next wedding, it's a whole new adventure, I'm not ready to ditch my Canon just yet, I still love the yumminess of my 50mm f1.4, my favourite lens for the last 7 years, I'm onto my second one because of that pesky place I like to shoot called the beach!

So here's just a few of my photos from today -

oh and if you're wondering, I'm usually Ms Flash the hell out of everything, well in your face EX600, I didn't buy a Fuji flash, luckily I've spent the last 8 or so years of my life watching the light, learning how to use light with or without a flash, my old assistant used to call me the human light meter which is suppose is a little geeky but hey I'm a little geeky too!

My daughters are such great people to photograph though to be honest it does usually take a whole lot of bribery, I remember the Christmas Card shoot, my daughter said "you've had 10 minutes mum, work with what you've got"

Spring is always signified for me by the arrival of the humble Crocus and the not so humble tulip

Heaton Park in spring, well yes, I know it's not technically spring unless you're a meteorologist which I'm not but I'm calling spring!

Jesmond Dene was also sparkling in the sunshine today, we had a lovely walk

and oh this evenings light, well it was just splendid, Looby was wearing her riding helmet even though she wasn't riding, she was actually roller booting and using it as protective headgear, it works for me!

and so my splendid photography day was indeed splendid, next on my list to add to the 35mm f1.4 are the 27mm f2.8 and the 18mm f2.0, I'm surely going to take over my own world of fabulousness this year, I might even start shooting in Jpeg...