Pet Parade Play Garden from Flair

There have been lots of discussions around pets in the Dove household over recent months. POD asked for a dog several times a day in the lead up to her Christmas Day birthday. Thankfully we didn’t crumble as she received a rather splendid toy one that barks, walks and has a lead so she’s happy. One of her best chums getting a real puppy was the icing on the cake. POD loves cats too and there are plenty in our road for her to chat to. She knows she’ll never have one of her own, as we’re allergic to them, but that’s what makes the Pet Parade Play Garden from Flair a little bit special. And it’s provided POD with the opportunity to perfect her rather superb miaowing skills!

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Capturing morning at Newlands Corner

Having enjoyed the wonderfully serene Frensham Little Pond last month, the mist surrounding Newlands Corner offered much of the same. A well-known beauty spot, near where it’s thought Agatha Christie ‘disappeared’, Newlands Corner is part of the North Downs and boasts some of the best views of the Surrey Hills. Even with the morning mist lifting you could still see for miles. While I look back at our years in London with great fondness, there’s something to be said about breathing in fresh country air. Newlands Corner is the ideal spot to blow away a few cobwebs or pretend to be Tinkerbell (as POD did recently) and it’s popular with dog walkers too.

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How To Make A Chinese Dragon Mask #BostikBlogger

As a #BostikBlogger, we received another excellent craft box this month and decided to make a Chinese dragon mask. This was a first for us although five year old POD loved the idea of making something she could actually wear! There are many elaborate creations out there but given we’re not skilled cardboard designers, we opted for a rectangular box we could adapt as a base.

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The B&W Photography Project | Week #87

We saw POD in her first Stagecoach performance on Saturday – she was a fairy in Peter Pan. I took a few photos of her in the garden when we got back, one of which was her launching herself off her playhouse into Daddy’s arms. What struck me looking back at the images is how much she’s grown up especially since she started school. Not just as a person either, she looks so much taller all of a sudden. This photograph was taken in the latter part of last year when headbands round the forehead were commonplace. She even used to wear one at bedtime, aptly named ‘the bedtime headband’. Makes me thankful to have a blog so we can look back and remind ourselves of moments we might otherwise forget.

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A taste of Borough Market, London

We lived in South East London for some time, twelve years in all. London Bridge was our gateway to central London but located just a stones throw away from there is Borough Market. It’s changed a lot since we moved to Surrey in 2010 and if you’ve not been before, you really must pay it a visit. I got to experience it again recently albeit briefly, thanks to a travel and street photography workshop. A small group of us had an incredible day being pushed out of our comfort zones. From freeze framing London buses and capturing strangers to a lot of camera tinkering. One on one time with the photographer was invaluable and she quickly recognised the kind of images I love to create. Taking in Borough Market was certainly one of the highlights location wise.

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Win an Easter bundle from Hotel Chocolat

There’s chocolate then there’s the melt in your mouth, shut your eyes to savour every mouthful kind of chocolate. Hotel Chocolat always falls into the latter category with their iconic Easter collection offering something for everyone. From giant Easter eggs, milk chocolate eggs and extra thick eggs to dark as well as white chocolate variants. Or perhaps you fancy a Scrabbled Easter Egg, a Caramel Easter Egg Sandwich or a Nibble & Peck?

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Peppa Pig Holiday Collection from Character

POD has been learning about the Great Barrier Reef at school over the last few weeks. Suffice to say its resulted in her asking lots of questions about the ocean and when we’re going on holiday! POD really enjoys travelling regardless of whether we’re on a plane, in a boat or on a train. She seems to relish that almost as much as the holiday itself. Journey’s are certainly made easier as she has such a wonderful imagination. Just this morning she was describing how the Rice Krispies on her spoon was an island of Krispie people!

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The Alphabet Project | Z is for zoological

Welcome to the Alphabet Photography Project and letter Z! I can’t believe we’ve reached the end, the last few weeks seem to have flown by. This was the third series of the Alphabet Photography Project so it’s been 78 weeks in all. Thank you so much to everyone that’s joined in – especially this time round but also in previous series. It’s been a great way to think a little bit more creatively about what we capture and I’ve loved that about it.

We visited ZSL Whipsnade Zoo not that long ago (post coming!) and I’m always impressed with the work they do. They (and London Zoo) are committed to promoting zoological and conservation research which encourages the public to engage with wildlife. This photograph for example was taken at Cheetah Rock which is a 4,000m² £1m exhibit where the only thing separating you from the animals is glass.

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Exploring the New Forest

The weekends can get busy if POD has classes or parties but we love to explore the great outdoors whenever we can. More often than not deciding where we go at short notice and just going with the flow. One such occasion was a recent visit to the New Forest – somewhere we’ve often talked about going but never quite made it to. It’s a beautiful part of the country and luckily for us, located just an hour away from Surrey. The magnificent New Forest National Park in Hampshire is 571 km² (over 200 miles) making it the perfect area for a day out. It’s a haven for walking, horse riding, cycling and there are a number of watersports on offer too.

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