SUMMER HOLIDAY: part two

When we go to Cornwall each year, we normally miss my Grandpa's birthday by a few days. This year however we were lucky enough to be down there to celebrate it with him on the day itself. I love my Grandpa. He's awesome.

Here's a few things you need to know about my Grandpa.
* When we were small, we used to beg him to take out his false teeth. We would plead and plead and, when my Grandma wasn't looking (because she always told him not to) he would pop them out. We thought it was amazing and would shriek with delight. That's the sort of thing under 10s think is all kinds of amazing.
* My Grandpa was a Technolo teacher at my senior school. When I joined (a year after everyone else - I was at a different school the first year) the first thing everyone asked me was 'Are you Mr Hobbs' granddaughter?' When I said yes, I was instantly welcomed. Everyone liked my Grandpa.
* He loves my Grandma. Adores her. Next month they celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. They're an inspiration to us.

We spent the day with my grandparents. First we visited Grandpa at the Cape Cornwall Coast Watch Station where he's a volunteer. It was cool seeing him do his thing. 76 and still going strong.

Then we visited my Grandparent's favourite Cream Tea cafe. The scones were amazing, and Josephine loved chasing the little birds who landed at our feet hoping to steal some tasty crumbs.

It was a lovely day for a very special person :)

SUMMER HOLIDAY: part one

Even though we've only been back from our holiday in Cornwall for a week and a half, looking back over the photos it seems like ages ago. The hot sun on my back, the sand between my toes, the freedom to eat as much fudge and fish and chips as possible. 

This year we stayed at my grandparent's house. They live close to Land's End and you can see the sea from every window in their house. It's a beautiful setting, but we couldn't travel all the way to the tip of Cornwall without spending some time in our favourite place - St Ives. We spent two glorious days on the harbour beach. Swam in the sea, saw a seal, collected shells and built plenty of sand castles, that Josephine would squashed instantly. 

Here are some pictures of our St Ives adventure...

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

ps. the towel Phiney's wearing above is a genius beach essential made by my Grandma. It's a tube of (the most awesome) toweling fabric, with elastic at the top, so you can wear it round your neck or your waist when you're getting changed on the beach without flashing everyone. My Dad and my aunts wore it when my grandparents bought them to St Ives when they were kids, and we did when we were kids too. It makes me smile so big to see Josephine wearing it now. It's a family heirloom :)

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"A portrait of Josephine, once a week every week in 2013".

"Chhhheeeeeeeeeeeessssssseeeee". 

Taking part in Jodi's 52 Project.

MEETING BABY ANABELLE: cousins

Before the array of holiday posts begin (and while I actually have a second to blog in between writing for the freelance job I started yesterday) I thought I'd share the sweetest little picture of Josephine meeting her new cousin, Anabelle Sophia. 

The beautiful daughter of Ben's brother and his girlfriend, Belle is the sweetest creature and Josephine already adores her. 

One day this girl will make the bestest big sister ever :) 

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"A portrait of Josephine, once a week every week in 2013".

Pointing with delight at the sight of the sea. I knew she'd adore the vast waters. I knew she'd laugh in the twisting, turning waves. But I thought she'd hate the cold, freezing cold, temperature. She didn't. She strode straight in, no gasps or flinches. Our little mermaid, she belongs in the water. 

Taking part in Jodi's 52 Project.

We're home! It was a glorious week, packed with adventure. I took over 2000 photographs, so be prepared for a slew of holiday posts. Today we're enjoying one last day of utter freedom before the work starts tomorrow. I'll be sure to tell you more soon, but if you hear me starting to moan feel free to give me a nudge and remind me of all the money I'll be earning and the fantastic fun we're going to have spending it...

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"A portrait of Josephine, once a week every week in 2013".

Singing row, row, row the boat in the rocking chair, listening to Mama tell her all about the adventures we'll be having in Cornwall on holiday...

Taking part in Jodi's 52 Project.

Yep - we're off on our summer holidays at the crack of drawn tomorrow morning. We. Cannot. Wait. When we get back, life's going to be crazy for three months (this Mama's secured some serious freelance work that is going to test my multi-tasking skills to the max) so a week by the sea will be bliss. 

I hope you all have a fab week - we'll see you on the flip side folks! xx

COUSINS

Evening picnics in the park with her cousins are pretty awesome for a certain little girl. Gosh, she loves those boys.

Our eldest nephew, Tyler, is her special favourite right now. He adores her and thinks she's as cool as Phiney thinks he is. He'll happily hold her hand (even in front of his little friends - that's a big deal for a 7 year old), play chase with her and go exploring with her. He'll always look out for her, and take care of her. Seeing these two together is the sweetest thing. 

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"A portrait of Josephine, once a week every week in 2013".

Twirling and twisting, faster and faster. So much happiness. 

Taking part in Jodi's 52 Project.

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 :) 

ON THE WALL

I've been the lucky recipient of some pretty awesome artwork over the last month or so. Now I have the tricky decision of where these gorgeous pieces should be hung...

Firstly is a shout out to my sister Dora's brand spanking new Etsy shop, The Wright Art Company. She paints the most incredible landscapes (that one up there being my personal favourite) and has them for sale at insanely good prices. Please go take a look and...you know....buy!! 

Next is the sweetest print from my friend Jenny. I am in love with this. Another awesome artist, this lady has a shop, Little Life Handmades, filled with things you'll want in your house. Check out her blog too if you haven't already. Her baby love, Marlowe, is the sweetest creature. 

Thirdly, I've been wanting this print for so long. I adore the simplicity of it, the modernity and the amazing colour that just pops (this photograph does not do it justice). You should check out Jo's blog and instagram feed too. The girl takes pretty, pretty pictures. When we finally get round to repainting our kitchen, this will be the first thing up on the wall, no doubt. 

Finally, Vertbaudet contacted me recently and asked if we'd like to try out there new downloadable personalised posters, commemorating a special occasion in your little ones life - from their birth date to the day they took their first steps, you can choose whatever you want, along with an array of sweet designs. And the best bit? They're only blinking free! What more could you want?

ps. We're off on holiday next Saturday (Cornwall here we come!) and so I'll be closing the shop for a week or so on Sunday evening. If you were thinking of placing an order, now's the time to do it because I'm offering a cool 20% off in the spirit of all things summer holiday. There's still a few sample pieces (all in perfect condition, but half the normal price) on offer, plus a couple of vintage bits and all the normal loveliness. All of which will be posted out before we leave, of course :) Just enter the code "SummerHoliday20".