Hello everyone, welcome to week #74 of the Black and White Photography Project. Thank you so much to those of you that joined in last time.
This isn’t the most exciting photograph I’m sharing with you this week but it was a wonderful moment. We were at a National Trust property and headed off the beaten track slightly to kick the last of the autumn leaves. POD stopped and turned around just as the sun beamed through the trees.
This is the first year we’ve participated in the Portable North Pole (PNP) and we’re already huge fans. POD on the cusp of turning five and still believes in Father Christmas but it’s great to keep the magic alive by creating something special. If you’re not familiar with the concept, PNP is a magic console used by Father Christmas and his elves that enables you to send carefully crafted videos to loved ones.
Having always had sensitive skin, I’ve learnt the key to keeping flare ups at bay is to moisturise as it’s the dryness that causes the itch. I suffered with awful eczema as a child but thankfully the days of coal tar baths, emollient and steroid cream are a distant memory.
Much has changed since then too and while POD is prone to eczema, for the most part we’re able to manage it. Summer is the worst time for her with sun creams, chlorine and sweat adding to the irritation. With thinning of the skin and tissue a side effect of long term steroid use, we try to avoid topical corticosteroid creams although that’s not always possible.
You’d think a CD with a collection of 13 lullabies and songs would just be for babies and children. But the recent Slumberland release is just as enjoyable for mums and dads too. Songs like Edelweiss, Moon River and Dream A Little Dream especially conjure up fabulous memories from my childhood. Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel), an old Billy Joel classic, is another favourite.
If ever there was a time to make an effort, it’s at Christmas. Dressing up on the 25th December is just as much a part of the festivities as giving presents to loved ones, feasting on delectable food and loafing on the sofa. Seeing POD’s face when she discovers Father Christmas has been is magic. But I’m not sure it’s as exciting as sharing her birthday with baby Jesus!
POD was born at 10:46am on Christmas Day 2010. The past couple of years she’s has an ‘un-birthday’ party in the Summer, so she has a full day devoted to her, although we make sure she has a great birthday too. This means leaving a room free of Christmas decorations, separating her (birthday/Christmas) presents and having a cake. As any little girl would on her birthday, she always has to have a great dress too.
The weeks seem to fly by at this time of year. It’s always busy and that’s before we’ve got ourselves organised for the festive period and POD’s Christmas Day birthday. Thankfully help is at hand from DreamToys, as they’ve teamed up with a panel of leading toy retailers, to pull together a list of the top toys for children this Christmas. With a Meccano robot, sing-along Care Bear, interactive Tracy Island from Thunderbirds and a 3D art studio in the mix, the Dream Dozen features an array of toys that will keep children immersed and entertained.
Welcome to the Alphabet Photography Project and letter K! Thank you to everyone that joined in last week.
It seems so long ago since we were in France but it was only a few weeks ago. One of the places we visited while we were exploring the Opal Coast was Wissant. At the beach, we were greeted by hundreds upon hundreds of kites and kite surfers too. I’ve never seen anything like it before and I’m sure unlikely too again. Just fantastic.
We’ve had such a great time reviewing Megableu Games recently. First up was Creepy Hand which is based on the truth or dare concept. It’s designed for children aged 7+ and 2 or more players although there are plenty of questions suitable for younger children too. There was plenty to keep POD occupied and we discovered if she got to change her name, she’d definitely be called Bernard! Ghost Hunt Evolution involves shooting ghosts and bats in a dark room with help from Billy Bones. It’s suitable for aged 5+ and 1 or more players.
Hello everybody, welcome to What’s The Story for w/c 30th November. Thank you to everyone that joined in last time.
This photograph was taken this weekend when POD was at Pizza Express for a birthday party. Having loved making pizza at home recently and loved it, she really enjoyed creating one herself in a restaurant. She’s wasn’t best pleased when the chef took her creation away from her to be cooked but she was all smiles when it was ready. It was incredibly tasty too although there wasn’t much sharing going on!
Last month we reviewed two excellent games from Megableu – Creepy Hand which is based on truth or dare and Ghost Hunt Evolution which involves shooting ghosts and bats in a darkened room. Both are really great fun with the highlights (while playing Creepy Hand) definitely the POD Father’s cow impression, POD pretending to be a gorilla and their arm wrestle! You can see our review of Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt Evolution here.
