I don't know about you but for me those special days we celebrate are more about the little things than the big things, it's about the doing and being rather than the stuff.

Now don't get me wrong, for Mothers Day Looby bought me some cute loafers for summer walking and Abigail got me some flowers, a travel journal and 2 Kilner jar mugs that I've been coveting for quite some time.  But our day out to Seahouses yesterday totally surpassed anything that could have been bought or given because I got time with my girls and that for me is the most precious thing of all.

You may know that I recently took my fabulous associate Stacey on to shoot sessions on Sundays and bank holidays so I could take a step back and spend more precious time with my children, more time for playing, exploring, adventuring, more family time.  Of course I'm still editing all of the images myself but the difference there is that I can do that at 11pm at night in my pyjamas if I want to, I think I simply ran out of time during days where I could photograph people without my children never seeing me.

Back to yesterday though and we had the most delightful day out with lunch at the wonderful dog friendly Bamburgh Castle Inn, they do a huge Sunday carvery and I love a carvery as it's something I can enjoy without even a hint of white flour or sugar and no I didn't have the Yorkshire pudding or the gravy!  I can't recommend the Bamburgh Castle Inn highly enough, the dog friendly space is just as you go in right up to the end of the bar and also in a little room behind it, Holly and Petunia loved it although I think that may have been to do with the meaty morsels slipped under the table.  I'd been there before I had Holly and always loved it and can't wait to go back now, especially in summer when you can sit outdoors and look right over to the Farne Islands.

Here's some little moments from our lovely day together -

Looby loves the wild ponies who live between Seahouses and Bamburgh and we always go and visit them when we're up there.  I'd quite like to live in Seahouses if I'm honest but I don't think the kids would be too happy about the daily commute, it's a 6 hour round trip on the bus!!

No trip up to that part of the Northumbrian coastal route would be complete without a visit to Bamburgh, the way the castle majestically sits above this tiny village famed for Grace Darling is quite an awe inspiring sight to see, even on the not so bright and sunshiny days.

Every Mothers day I've had is special since I've had children, even my son who couldn't buy a card or present has been informed he can wash the dishes instead...I fear it'll actually be me who washes them, oh and down with Mr Hallmark, none of my kids got me cards this year, "It's not about the things, mum and its definitely not about spending £3.70 on a card"  You know what, I think they might just have a point and it's probably thanks to me!

and the portraits and mini shoots keep on coming

Dear reader, I have been so busy that I forgot to blog last week or maybe I just didn't have time, one of the two.  So I turned 39 which in itself is a little uncheery, the thought that I'll be 40 in less than a year now quite frankly terrifies the life out of me.

So here's what I've been up to, some portraits and some personal from my birthday weekend away in Seahouses.

I have so many exciting things going on right now,  I'm shooting my first wedding of the year on Saturday and I'm going right through to December this year, 20 lovely weddings all waiting to be beautifully shot, I will take on another 5 this year so if you would like to have me shoot your wedding please do get in touch via my website.

I'm still shooting Mini shoots as well as my "At home with" lifestyle photo shoots and if you want to see even more examples of my work which are posted a couple of times a day please visit my Facebook business page

I'm also talking to a lot of people about how to market their businesses on Facebook through 1-2-1 training workshops and I'll also be putting out 1 video every week to help you get the best bang from your buck as a page on Facebook.  After all, I've been using social media since the very start of my business, I started blogging in 2005, Facebook in 2006 and Twitter in 2008 and I do no other advertising.  I can sit down with you for an intensive 2-3 hour session which could just change your business life and i have the facts and figures to back it up from my own results (did you know that I went from 400 likes on Facebook in September to over 1500 and not by any black hat schemes or like ladders, every single like on my FB business page is a quality like) so if you would like to sit down with me in real life or via a Facetime chat my how to be a Secret Superhero training workshops are currently at an introductory offer of £150 (special rates are available to the ladies of the Inspire Network) and for such a small investment you could see big changes in your business, every single one of the people I've sat down with over the last few months has been able to use what we've discussed to add value to their business, to bring in new business and to make their Facebook page more active, engaging and interesting which all leads to better Edgerank.

and so for last weeks video, you can watch it here -

If you get something out of it I would love to hear your feedback and if you are interested in doing an intensive morning or afternoon of Superhero training please get in touch via my website, Facebook or you can email me at mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com 

and until next time my lovelies, live well, love lots and laugh hard!

Alnmouth, a sunny walking afternoon on the Northumbrian Coast

Yesterday afternoon after a lovely photo shoot hubby and I decided to get away from it all for a few hours, it's no secret that I love going up the Northumbrian Coastal Route, it's a gorgeous road which goes through Amble, Warkworth, Alnmouth and Seahouses finally ending at Berwick, there are so many places to stop, nature reserves, beautiful villages and gorgeous sandy beaches, I'd probably say the most beautiful beaches in the country but then I am a little biased!

We drove up to Alnmouth a quaint little seaside village where I'd spent many a happy summers day at the beach as a child.  When you approach Alnmouth from the south you look over the Estuary and see the houses with their pretty painted exteriors, not unlike the coloured houses of Tobermory.

and so a 3K walk along the estuary and beach, here's our afternoon in photographs

yeah someone got wet shorts!

we spent 3 hours just wandering and taking photos and it was bliss, I feel like I had a mini holiday, if you're on the north east coast sometime soon why not get away from it all just for a little while and enjoy Alnmouth!

Seahouses, a perfect weekend

We've just got back from Seahouses, it's only 50 miles away on the coast of Northumberland and takes us less than an hour to reach.  If you know me by now you'll know I love to get away but it's usually never less than a 3 or 4 hour journey so when I heard about Breakwater Cottage  I had my reservations, I mean we go to Seahouses quite often and I actually have a family portrait shoot on the beach at Seahouses this Wednesday!!  I spoke to the owner of Breakwater though and what sealed the deal was the 50"Plasma TV for hubby to watch the England world cup match yesterday evening,  this weekend was his Fathers Day present since next weekend I'll be shooting a huge wedding.

Breakwater Cottage is a luxury holiday cottage and everything has been thought of, it's quite a large cottage and plenty of room for us to amble about in, the beds gave us the best nights sleep ever and I loved sitting in the back garden listening to the birds and the lambs.

I actually took my DSLR this weekend and used it yesterday to capture some special moments, here's a few favourites and if you fancy snooping on the whole set just click on through to the album on Facebook.


 



 
On a boat to the Farne Islands, we were so lucky to see plenty of Puffins, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Oyster Catchers and the rare Grey seal who all colonise the Farne Islands.


 



 

 

 



 



 
 Back on land and we enjoyed a drink or two at the superb Bamburgh Castle Hotel while the kids played happily!

 
 In the evening Abigail and her daddy had a world cup party while Looby and I went down to the rockpools and beach to explore and enjoy some time on our own.

 



 



 



 



 



 




 



 



 
It really was the perfect day...