THE SHOWHAWK DUO PHOTO SESSION: the bristol harbour festival

Ever since I attended The Nursery in June, I've been taking this photography malarkey more serious and last weekend I had my first paid gig - shooting awesome twosome The ShowHawk Duo on the SS Great Britain stage at the Bristol Harbour Festival. The guys had asked me to capture them in action, as well as the crowd and the amazing surroundings, and I have to say I'm really pleased with the results. 

I can see myself doing this professionally, for sure. It was so much fun and in 40 minutes I took more that 500 pictures. Tomorrow I'm doing an engagement shoot with my cousin and her new fiance and I am so excited. Watch this space...

You should most definitely go check out this video from their set at the Festival, it was so good. The crowd tripled, at least, when they started playing. Thank you guys for putting your trust in me - I hope you're happy with the photos :) 

ROW THE BOAT: songs to move to

I could write a whole post on how important music is in this house, but I'll save that for another time. Because today I want to talk about the songs you sing to your kiddos. I need some inspiration.

Right now Josephine's favourite tune is Row, Row, Row the Boat. I must sing it thirty times a day. And over the weekend Phiney began to sing it back to me. It's amazing to hear and so cute to see her rocking with her doll Jenny or one of her teddies.

It's all about songs with actions for Josephine. The Wheels on the Bus, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Incy Wincy Spider are all sung round here, but we're getting a little bored of these old favourites. So, I'd love to hear the tunes being rocked in your house. And I'm sure Phiney would appreciate it too. I'm not sure she's too keen on listening to me make up new verses anymore...

ps. apologies for my singing!
pps. now I've worked out how to use Vimeo, go check out this adorable video of Josephine saying 'hello' if you haven't already. I know a lot of you had trouble viewing it when I uploaded it using Blogger :)

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Having Ben home for a week was complete bliss. All three of us enjoyed every second of fun, games and lounging about with each other. Sure, the constant downpour of rain and the freezing temperatures (one day it was the same as it had been on Christmas Day apparently) put a stop to the picnics, gardening and walks along the canal we'd planned, but the snuggles on the sofa and lazing in bed more than made up for it.

Plus it was a week of firsts for Phiney. Knowing what a wiggle bum this little one is, we knew she'd love her bouncer as soon as her legs were long enough to touch the floor. And, boy, did she. To begin with she looked a little unsure, but as soon as the music started the girl began to dance and show us her moves. It was brilliant and she's been bouncing in it every day since. Only moving and bouncing when music is played. When Papa's around it's old skool hip hop. When Mama's in charge it's Rhianna and Whitney Houston. If you didn't know before, Ben is way way cooler than me. But in my books, you can't beat a bit of cheese when it comes to shaking your booty and having a dance.

Next up was some food. Food? This girl is growing so fast I can't believe we're already here. She's five months next week. Insane. Anyway, we always thought we'd like to try baby led weaning and over the last few weeks it has become more apparent with every mouthful we ate, that Josephine was getting very interested in food.

There hasn't been any meals yet, and we don't plan on starting those for a good few weeks, but there's been plenty of experimenting. Baby led weaning is all about our little ones learning about food. The tastes, the textures and smells. It's about giving them some food and leaving them to explore. Because we're not particularly organised we haven't bought Phiney a highchair yet, but her borrowed Bumbo complete with tray served us perfectly well.

Day one: A tree of soft broccoli, some skinless cucumber, a piece of avocado and a chunk of strawberry. The cucumber was apparently too boring for words and after a quick sniff was returned to the tray. The broccoli's strange texture occupied her for a while and she was licking it like a lolly pop with a quizzical look on her face. The avocado and strawberry? Unsurprisingly those got munched. Not entirely, but she certainly had a nibble.

Day two: Ben decided to try more interesting mixtures of flavours. On the menu (all homemade of course - Ben's been so excited about getting to this stage and making her first meals) was Tzatziki, houmous, a broad bean, pea and mint paste and a tomato (skinless and seedless), basil and onion concoction. We dolloped some on her tray and she went nuts. Scooping and licking the food off her tray like a cat, and "mmm"-ing all the way. She loved every. single. mouthful. What a joy to behold. But then, with us as her parents, the girl had to love her food. Ben and I revelled in this beautiful sight. Our first lunch together, snacking on the same pulses but with a couple of pitta breads thrown in for those of us with teeth. Since then there's been some yogurt and sweet potato mash too, all gobbled up with delight.

Yesterday Ben went back to work and his girls missed him so. We're not whole without him here. But when he walked through the front door last night, Phiney's face lit up and the biggest smile flew across her face. Papa was back, and our house became a home again.
  

ps. don't forget to enter the giveaways and claim your discounts. More info here.

This week’s been a bit of a funny one. It seems to have dragged at work and then gone super speedy in the evenings, leaving me a bit confused as to what the day is but very happy that it’s now Friday.

Things to smile about this week

1. My floral daps. I found them in the sale in Office’s kids section. I may not be able to wear them for another 6 months but when the spring arrives, I will have very happy feet.

2. The i-Touch shuffle function. Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones followed by some classic Prodigy. Last night I was B’s assistant in the kitchen as he baked stuffed aubergines and we danced and sung as they cooked. Kitchen discos are so much fun.

3. Perfecting the mattress stitch. I knitted up some practice squares and spent the evening doing it again and again, feeling very happy with myself as each attempt got neater. Thank you to the awesome Meghan for your knitting advice.

4. Yummy treats from my husband. B stopped in Waitrose on the way home from work on Tuesday and bought me a cookie topped with Smarties. Edible surprises are always the best.

5. The fabric selection for my first ever quilt. Kathryn’s beautiful creations have inspired me and this weekend I’ll be making a start on my own. Wish me luck.

ps. I hope you all have a spookily magical Halloween on Sunday x