Busy, busy, busy

Well, it's been 12 days since my last confession... but no ordinary 12 days. It included birthdays for both offspring (we didn't plan that very well did we) and a half term holiday, predominantly with husband in absenteum. The calendar of events for the 12 days reads like the contents page of one of those guides to "1000 things to do with kids before you die". A trip to London, cinema visit, Chester Zoo, at least 3 National Trust gardens, 2 indoor play barns (aka torture chambers for parents), a party for 17 six year olds, 2 clothes shopping trips (with kids in tow)... and that's all that what remains of the functioning part of my brain can remember. For some reason this period of frenzied activity coincided with my decision to seriously reduce my wine consumption, so instead of being able to kick back each evening with a deliciously cold glass (or 3) of chardonnay, I've been irritiably sipping coke, brewing tea and finding it difficult to get to sleep without the aid of an alcoholic sleep aid. On the upside I've had more energy, been clearer headed and the Wii fit tells me I've lost 2lbs!

Looking back on the activities of the last 12 days I am no longer surprised that we are absolutely knackered, to the point of functioning like inefficient and grumpy robots by about tea time and struggling to answer simple questions, never mind the multi-tasking challenge of chatting to cashier, packing shopping and keeping an eye on daughter in the supermarket. Thank goodness something like normal service resumed with the return to school today - although husband is absent again and there's still another birthday party and sleepover to brave at the weekend! However, I am much energised by the prospect of visiting the Focus on Imaging exhibition at the NEC this week - a nirvana for any one keen on photography. I'll be bursting with ideas and enthusiasm and somewhat lighter of pocket when I get back.

I've just finished loading, reviewing, deleting and editing the hundreds of photos snapped since my last blog - the collage at the top shows the best of the crop. These pictures serve to remind me that however exhausted we find ourselves, we are truly blessed with 2 incredibly funny and wonderful kids and I would not swop this mad life for anything.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Shy snowdrops & elusive dog

Well, we still haven't had a snow event in Wincham but we had another powdering on Wednesday night and in case that was it for us this winter I decided to go in search of snowdrops in snow. Rode Hall near Congleton was resplendent with snowdrops and daffodils at this time last year and it's slightly higher than Wincham, so could have more of a snow event than here. And although we weren't exactly knee deep in snow drifts at Rode Hall, there was quite a lot of the white stuff, almost too much, as many of the snow drops were a) struggling to push their heads through the surface and b) foiled by their natural camouflage (i.e. white on white). These factors combined with the cold weather kept all but the most foolhardy visitors away - we were the first to leave our mark on the pristine white footpaths, a good hour after opening time. But it was far from being a wasted journey. It was magical to explore the gardens in such wintry conditions, snow creaking under foot (isn't that a great and unique sound?!) and I did come away with some lovely images. Little groups of snowdrops in sheltered nooks and crannies (I really must ask a gardener why crab and mussel shells were used as mulch around their base - other than offering some great contrasting colour), and early blossom flowers and daffodils wearing white bonnets of snow.

And I've enjoyed some wintry walks with Daisy. I've made it my mission this last week to try to get some shots which really show her character out on our walks - this is much harder than it sounds. She moves at the speed of light, has no particular destination in mind (in fact a previous dog trainer concluded "that dog lacks focus") and is either camera shy or is getting her own back on me for all the times I've tied her to a fence. The net result is a lot of shots of dog just going off camera (cursed shutter delay on compact cameras), blurred dog or dog's hind quarters. Never mind actually going for a well composed shot with background interest! I lined up one perfect shot of her looking back at me, standing on a narrow, snowy pathway lined with tall, golden grasses and low, raking sunlight and shadows, only to find a huge splodge of mud smeared across the lens from her last mad dash past me. Anyway, here's the best of the bunch but must try harder.

Oh - and the young swans were back, posing at the lake-side whilst keeping a wary eye on Daisy - very wise.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Snow?! What snow!!

Well... we have had a dusting of snow and I've rushed out with my camera just in case that's all we get this winter, but I am so disappointed that we've missed out on the "snow event" suffered by the rest of the country (you can tell that I am no longer a daily commuter for whom snow is a complete nightmare). I want the kids to experience the kind of snow that we did and I also want to get some winter wonderland shots - I'm still holding out for snowdrops nestling in snow this year. On each weather forecast Cheshire seems to sit tantalisingly along the edges of any areas of snow and I find myself blaming the presenter for not giving us any decent snowfall for a change! However, even a dusting dramatically changes familiar landscapes and I got a few bleak and quite striking images of Pickmere Lake.

I shouldn't complain really - our meager amount of snow brought in some extra business - I've been photographing a beautiful old hotel and its grounds and it gave me an idea to do a mail shot to other hotels and halls in the region - although the snow has now thawed and I'm back to haranguing the BBC weather forecaster. More snow is forecast overnight and tomorrow and the snowflakes on the weather map did appear to be right over Wincham, but I won't be springing out of bed tomorrow morning as I can't face yet another disappointment (for me and kids - who have long ago stopped believing the weatherman anyway.)

Perhaps I should adopt Daisy's outlook on life - even the most insignificant amount of snow makes her daily outings a fantastic adventure. As long as there's enough to rub her nose in, roll in and make the cow pats stand out more, then she's in doggy heaven!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!