Saturday's Post really

Saturday had been an almost perfect afternoon on the beach; sunny, warm and idle. We'd walked for a few miles but now we were passing a hour watching the waves breaking rather heavily at Keyhaven.

Caroline had been at a training course, and we were just about ready to come back when Miranda decided that she'd had a little accident, well quite a big accident really. A quick clean up and I thought I really needed to rinse her debris before getting back to the car, so I tootled down to the water's edge and a huge wave appeared from nowhere and broke over the top of me. What felt like a ton of water, and I was bloody soaked! Looking at this photo which I'd taken earlier, makes me laugh, what a muppet. Didn't laugh at the time though.

Wait a minute Mr Postman!

Our day began this morning with Miranda wanting to play Post Office. I've seen the kids playing this game with her and thought it was about time I joined in.

She was soon bossing me around, berating me for not knowing what I was supposed to do, but it soon all became clear (as mud)

There was a time with Lewis when I felt like I was aware of all the things going on in his life, and it's a reminder of how far things can move on when you blink.

On the flipside, we had a nice walk in Rans Wood this afternoon. And whilst Lewis and I busied ourselves taking photographs, Greg and Miranda entertained themselves quite happily playing one game after the next.

Superman and Spiderman

I found this pic of Lewis and Greg in my out-takes recently and thought it was too good to miss - taken on the beach at Lepe.

Lewis has been practicing for 'talent show' in school, and I've been encouraging him to do one of his guitar and vocals pieces, but he's a bit shy. When he plays at home he's full of confidence but unfortunately peer pressure is putting him off

Extension of a Man

She has very good taste, our Mip! Asked to choose a CD produced this fine Donny Hathaway number - his last before his untimely demise at the age of just 33. I'm not sure if her choice was inspired by his music or maybe it was the knowledge that he has a daughter called Lalah... who knows?

I,m listening to Teddy Pendergrass - Only You

Cute

One of those butter wouldn't melt moments! I was taking this photo I could tell it had potential, and as I was dropping down to their level the kids mimicked my actions. Unfortunately I'm not as young and agile as I once may have been, and as proceeded to go lower rapidly shooting two or three frames, caved in and hit the deck....

Age, manual focus lenses, cantankerous kids; I can take them all in my stride!

Jurassic Coats

There was a thick frost this morning when we awoke and the sun was shining, so we decided to head down to the coast for a blow. We walked from Kingston near Corfe Castle along the ridge down to Kimmeridge. The tide was out and we rummaged around in the rock pools before heading back along the coast to Chapman's Pool. Staggering views over the limestone pavement below, but the path was very muddy in places;  the final climb of a few hundred feet almost vertically, and in darkness was fairly challenging. Still Miranda managed the 10-12 miles admirably, in conditions that would have finished off most adults. Greg carried two large stones with fossils embedded back from the beach at Kimmeridge just to show his determination!

Our return trip home accompanied by the amazing sight of the wolf moon....

Double Bubble

We found this 'his and hers' matching swings hidden away near Norley Woods. Not a great shot but it was fun doing two together. The sun was very low in the sky and very bright, and it's unbelievably wet underfoot despite being close to freezing all day, with ice everywhere...

Miranda Panda

Miranda's been talking to Macca Pacca on the Tombiblyphone about her blanket - seems she can't find it and was most concerned. I can hear her jabbering just outside my workroom door sometimes, and I swear she's been taking magic mushrooms most of the time, because I can't work out what she's going on about.

Talking about Magic Mushrooms I went to a party yesterday and someone had painted space invaders on the side of a building in a seedy part of London that used to be a mecca for all photographers - Farringdon; it brought back all the memories...

Laid back

I was reading a Paddington story at bedtime, and a certain Roman hero's name made an appearance. Gregory pounced on it and started telling me a whole lot of stuff about the guy and how he'd not helped his former hero....blah de blah!

"Greg I'm trying to read a story, and you're trying to tell me the history of the Roman Empire, c'mon this is really serious..."

Two minutes later, and he's rolling around on the floor again when I tell him what's happened to Paddington Bear now!

Life's a game of give and take

At tea time I was invited to join the kids for a starter of pasta with a delicious tomato sauce that Lewis had prepared, cooked and served up. He even fed Miranda when her interest was waning.

His garlic bread was pretty fiery too - payback time!

Beach Babes

Yesterday at Calshot, although it wasn't bikini weather! Lewis managed to take a whole card full of pictures, and of course by today he was ready to post them on his blog. Patience, none of it!

Weegee

Lewis has been nagging me to do some photos in the darkroom, but is a bit of a work-up. But I'm getting a bit rusty, and there's a reason I do mainly digital photography -    t  i  m  e ....!

Anyhow today we've been playing with some of the treasure trove of cameras in my vault, and Lewis took a real shine to my MF cameras with laterally inverted images, doesn't he just look the part.

This afternoon he took my old Nikon digicam out, as I managed to fix the battery chamber problem that took it out of commission. Nice to see it get a new lease of life.

Book Worm

Greg was still reading his story in bed when I popped in after putting Miranda to bed. I left him to have 5 minutes longer, whilst I got on with a few things....

A 'while' later he appeared on the stairs and I thought something was wrong. "Is it OK if I turn the light out now?"

He'd read the whole book.

When the rain stops

Miranda has been learning to get herself through the night dry, and last night she managed to wake up and get to the loo (and back into bed) without incident. Small beer maybe, but the sense of relief, even happiness that this brings is enormous...

Story Time

Another of my more successful attempts at getting the three kids in the same frame agreeably! Nice pool of light on Miranda, helps focus our attention on the intimacy of story time.

Lewis very pleased tonight because his boat design won the Year 6 speed test at Puttles Bridge today. He borrowed the design from Ellen McArthur, and added some polystyrene to help the buoyancy. It was only yesterday I was berating him for spending more time adding graphics to the outer surface of the boat than concerning himself with the performance. He's a winner!

This is what I am trying to record too

Parallel Lines

Really impressed with Lewis' singing tonight as he belted out 'Every breath you take' and I tried to get a candid photo with all his expression, but he spotted me first! He was very excited tonight as he's going on a school trip tomorrow to a local river where they are conducting scientific tests! They have all made boats and will be testing the buoyancy and speed capability etc of their vessels.

Act your age

I took Miranda for a bike ride down Shore Road this morning, as it was lovely and sunny. We stopped at the benches and Miranda did her usual 'ice cream' routine. I noticed her pick up some small sticks off the ground and was curious what they were for. She disappeared and was gone for some time at the picnic area. Eventually she reappeared and from some distance I could see her turning her head away from me. As she came closer, I realised this was because she was pretending to smoke a cigarette, and didn't want me to see... Needless to say, no photograph and I hope I never do!

Slowhand

He's getting into Eric Clapton at the moment, and this evening's songs included Cocaine and Wonderful Tonight, but he's also working on Lay Down Sally. He seems to enjoy those rootsy songs with a gravelly voice. I'm looking forward to him asking if he can play in assembly again, his Headmaster will freak!

Must do some more recording when I get a chance!

Neighh....

There seems to be no end to the horsey activity that we can enjoy thanks to Lewis' inventiveness. Miranda is following Lewis over the jumps, which he made earlier!

It was amusing to hear Greg fantasizing about cars just before bedtime (Top Gear book in hand), and Lewis belittling the tripe being applauded. How things change with perspective!

Another misrepresentation

Another on of those images I'd better load before the relevance disappears. Miranda in her school production costume, and doesn't she just look angelic!

I'm listening to Erik Friedlander's live performance of Block Ice and Propane

Blithering bumbollards

Shot this image on Christmas Day, but it was pipped to the post by a more boozy record! We've had some more snow today, just when we thought it was all beginning to melt; so lunchtime we sat in the study playing 'mobile phones' as the flakes dropped down. We had some remarkable 'conversations' including one with Gran who was up a tree in the garden. Miranda is so bizarre on occasions, I can't even begin to remember the tone of the language...

Just have to put in a plug for Bar Kokhba Sextet  - Lucifer (Volume 10 of John Zorn's Book of Angels)