Mippy Moo at half past two

Sitting down with Lewis a few weeks ago we listened to Bobby McFerrin's "Simple Pleasures are the Best" album - he thought it was great that so much music could come from a few people with no musical instrument to speak of.

This is one of my own simple pleasures - lunchtime with Mippy when she's smiling down the lens barrel!

As easy as falling off a log

Contrary to perceived wisdom you can make portraits with a wide angle lens, and from above a child's perspective. Greg is looking fairly cool and composed here, as we play on 'the dragon' in Denny Wood. I found this picture in my out-takes as I was tidying up some images on my computer last night.

I seem to remember it was me that fell off the log first!

Grown up Fun

Taken on Monday night with my "Umm Chums" - the photography cohort. Sometimes it's great fun to just get away from the screaming rabble, and fool around at something frivolous, just for the sake of it! I can vaguely remember doing stuff like this at art school...

Arty

Never happier than when drawing pictures of cars (or trucks or lorries...) Lewis has got carried away here with his winter scene. A Nissan pick-up with trailer full of logs, ready to be stacked into our log store!

Slaving over a hot stove

Tonight's blog posting is goin up early as I'm going out tonight. This was Miranda's choice of photo - she's sitting on my lap shouting "...dinner, ....dinner!"

mippy (you'll never guess who wrote this!)

La claire de la lune

Walking the donkey this morning we had to follow a narrow line along Shore Road to avoid the Spring tide, lapping at our heels. This is a bit later in the day, but clearly Greg and Lewis were as mad as hatters, throwing themselves in the heather when we were out at Denny Wood. Miranda was doing her best to join in the fun but was a little out of their league.

Back on form

Well the bump on his head doesn't seem to have left any lasting damage. However we did some drawing this afternoon and it seems to have improved his draughtsman skills no end! We were planning on doing some painting too but the time ran out.

Tonight we all played dominos on the floor in front of the fire, so were all feeling nicely toasted now!

Sometimes it hurts

This afternoon sitting on the settee with Greg was a reminder of the role we play in life. I was nursing his head, as he'd had a nasty accident in school, and his head was blooming. His head on my lap and the uncertainty of any lasting damage.

A few weeks ago a work colleague suffered a similar bump to the head and was less fortunate. We hang by a thin chord.

A Touch of Americana

Our cousins across the pond have no shame when it comes to sending cheesy Christmas portraits to their friends and relations. This is our practice session this evening, which I have to be honest was quite fun

This is what happens when you spend your day producing equally meaningful corporate tosh for the festive season....

Tonight we listened to some great music on the internet by an old friend of mine - "He's going to be famous one day...." says Lewis!!!

Now I am Two.

I've been away for a few days so nothing new to post other than Mippy has learned how to read! Well OK, more like read out loud in 'almost words' a vague story line....

She sees Greg struggling his way through sentences with a book on his lap, and then tries to emulate his performance! We are now getting lots of individual words, and even small sentences, sometimes surprisingly accurately formed. "Happy Birthday to you" being one of them....

I should have mentioned earlier that this year for the first time when we sang HBTY to Mippy on the w/e, it was with Lewis' musical accompaniment - what a pleasure that was!

Last night by contrast I went to see Joshua Redman at the Anvil - what a top night out!

Ballerina

I found Lewis' birthday card for Miranda on the mantelpiece, so I thought it would make a nice posting for her birthday. He'd also drawn a small digger on the inside with the words "Dig for excitement" next to it!

The simple message inside said

Happy 2 Birthday Mippi

I love you

Little Fishes

Bathtime fun just before we had "The Mousehole Cat" for bedtime story. Greg and Lewis always enjoy this book, and Miranda it seems intent on exploring the taste of Stargazy Pie..!

The weather here too has been very stormy today.

Raise a glass!

It's almost Miranda's second birthday, and we've had a visit from Caroline's Mum and Dad to celebrate. Too much going on to remember to use my camera unfortunately, (and it's been a very dark and dingy day anyhow) so we'll have Mippy doing the honours with her teaset, as the picture to set the scene!

The Pain!

There was a loud thud and lots of screaming pain as Lewis came to terms with having fallen akwardly on his left hand this evening. There appeared to be no movement and we thought he'd broken his arm - the pain was extreme...

Fortunately there was no damage, and things susided with time and Mr Injured-Pride slowly gained his composure

A reminder to us all we are not immortal or indestructible.

The cost of loving!

This little visit to the supermarket was quite expensive as I had to buy everything in Mippy's shop, and I wasn't allowed to leave until I'd bought it a second time.

She's starting to enjoy roll play, hastened naturally, by Greg and Lewis example. I hope they don't ban carrier bags as it would make Miranda very unhappy!

What's on...!

Apart from being asked "What's on the blog Dad?" the other question I seem to get asked every day is "Who's on your phone today!!"

Whilst I don't update my phone image every day I do try to keep a nice slideshow of representative slices of life on my mobile, and this one's Greg brushing his teeth...

This phone starts just before Mippy was born, and has an interesting storyline.

Tea for two!

What with Greg trying to persuade me to have a glass of wine and a bowl or three of nibbles, now Miranda's latest favourite game is 'Teatime' ...and one cup is just never enough!

King of the Pixies on his throne!

Gregory at Denny Wood from the weekend, with rather dirty trousers. He'd been playing football earlier in the day, and has taken to doing dramatic saves in a goalie fashion. Quite a sight to behold I can assure you!

This was us catching the last few rays of light on a winter's afternoon.

Labour of Love

Not the usual sort of photo for a posting on the Brown Clan blog, I'll grant you. But this is a very real aspect of family life....

Lewis had seen a 'limited edition' china model of a farmer with his Land Rover, costing £450 in a magazine and had decided he wanted to make his own. Great initiative... only we're clean out of storage space... our house which seemed so full of empty rooms all those years ago when we moved in.... is now FULL!

So the compromise was a recyclable model, and like all decent conceptual works of art, the photograph is all that remains of the creation...! This I am told is the first of a series - watch this space!

sk8r dude!

It's my favourite time of year...

To begin with it's dark in the morning so the kids don't wake to early, and we can almost smile when we are forced to accept the day has begun. (The stair gate at the top of the stairs will go soon and that will be one less irritation to contend with)

My bike ride out over the forest was first class a cold headwind was burning my energy, but the autumn colours were fantastic.

After lunch - a delicious soup of yellow peas with homemade savoury scones, I took the boys out for a frolic in the forest whilst Mrs Mippy slept, and Mrs Mischief did some gardening...

Our walk was only slightly marred by those anarchist tossers in red and black jackets, exercising disregard for law and order in our fine countryside.... when are the Police going to get off their perch and do something about this?

The Incredible Hulk

I did tell Lewis that I wanted a photo of him tonight as I getting tired of my two other subjects! Well we got distracted, what with guitar practice and Paddington Bear stories and the like...

Greg must have read about five books tonight, before I had to say "OK enough already!" Caroline told me that he's been reassessed in school and he's gone up three or four 'bands' in his reading - well great to know they do things regularly!

Greg for his part is hugely chuffed, and it's done wonders for his self confidence. That didn't stop an ugly incident in the garden earlier when Lewis deprived him of 'big bother' company when his friend was round to play. All I heard was Greg screaming at him "I hate you ....etc etc"

At bedtime I asked what it was all about " Oh nothing..." he said, "Lewis wouldn't let me play in his game!"

Menyoor

Greg popped into my workroom tonight with a piece of paper in his hand. "Look Dad I've done your menu for tonight..."

tmuto sald
wine
letis and tmatos
olvis
blacbrey and apl piy

This all his initiative, ...as we'd been role playing restaurants last night, and he was my waiter! No help with the menu or the writing - what a star.

Ishy!

When we go to the park, and have done the swings and the slide Miranda usually says "ishy, ishy!" which I have now come to recognise as the rocking fish. So as I've been in London all day, here she is from last week giving ishy a work out...

Tonight Gregory read "Little Beaver and the little Echo" to me for bedtime story - what a champion reader that boy is turning out to be. He takes some very big words in his stride, although often gets his b's and d's mixed up - which naturally remind you just how primitive his skills still are at present...

Noddy's sixpences!

Tonight we had a Noddy story for bedtime read. It had some very big words for a little boy to tackle, but Greg read the story beautifully. He's mission focussed, and I can't get over how much progress you can achieve at times, and conversely....

Lewis too has been making a lot of effort it has to be said, writing a nice piece about Shackleton's boat The Endurance tonight. He's got his sights set on an OA, but slightly dejectedly he came up to me and said "I've made a few mistakes, ..I probably won't get an OA"

Fruit bat

Devouring orange at lunchtime, I had to call it a day at four!! Oranges that is not photos... She certainly loves fruit, and still goes hunting in the undergrowth for blackberries when we're out walking.

Time :: Capsule

Since we're on a nostalgia trip, this is one from my neg archive that I found looking for pictures of the Isle of Skye. This was Caroline's first camping trip with me (with anyone I think?) from the days when she'd do anything for me. We camped in the foothills of the Cuillin mountains on Skye, and the wind was howling.

The tent we'd borrowed from my brother Chris. I think we had to tie the tent to the car for fear of it blowing away....

Hey them were the days....

If I could save time in a bottle....

Could almost be our clan at Llantephan, but it is in fact the other Brown Clan from about 35 years ago. (This is me, Chris and Joanna)

There's a marvelously iconic feel to this image, which I guess must have been shot on transparency film. The file has newly been scanned by Chrispy Strudel, who's still looking for excuses to use his new Coolscan. Notice how the emulsion is degrading if you look closely.

Tonight we've been down to Barry and Janis' for a bonfire and fireworks. It's been a fantastic day again, and tonight it was quite warm despite being dark and November.

Peek a Boo to you too!

Hiding from me as I stalk her with my camera, Mrs Mippy is no match for my superior hunting skills.

One day when I am older I shall remember this as one of the halcyon days, although in fact it was merely a shard of time when the spark ignited a reaction.

Photography, don't you just love it!

Mippy's Truckstop

Today Greg is helping me write the blog.....

Miranda is playing with Lewis' pick up truck on Mum and Dad's bed, and she's looking very cheeky today. Dad took this photo at lunchtime when I was in school. Today I had lessons with Mrs Broderick, and she taught us all about being friends with other people, and being nice to other people...

I'm enjoying school and singing is my favourite activity!

Tonight I've just been reading Gregory Ghostgum for Dad

Love from Greg