PODcast

New photography projects

There are three new photography projects kicking off on PODcast from May. They’re just for fun but and will hopefully allow all us budding photographers the chance to explore our creativity.

The What’s The Story? Linky is all about sharing the story behind a photograph. These new projects focus on developing particular skill sets as well as looking at photography in different ways and learning new techniques from inspirational photographers.

The Alphabet Photography Project

The #alphabetphoto project will be every Wednesday from 14th May, kicking off with “A is for…” and working through the entire alphabet. The theme can be interpreted in a different way each week.

It might be an image of an object (ie; M is for mango), an object that resembles a letter (ie; a car wheel might be O), an adjective to describe a scene (ie; Q is for quiet) or a letter created from props.

“E is for…” might be a photograph of the London Eye

or “T is for…” might be tunnel. This one just happened to have POD racing through it!

The Macro Photography Project

The #macrophoto project will be live every Saturday from June. Macro photography fascinates me so I’m looking forward to experimenting with close-ups, seeking inspiration from the more experienced and sharing what works.

The B&W Photography Project

Tuesday will be the #bwphotoproject which is all about experimenting and improving black & white photography. The emphasis will be on discovering what images work well in black & white and how to achieve the best results.

Photographs with varying contrasts and textures will no doubt feature – as will images of POD! The B&W photography project kicks off in June.

Want to join in?

The macro, B&W and alphabet photography projects are all designed to help us improve our skills as a collective. The posts can be set up with Linkies if enough people are interested in getting involved. Please let me know in the comments.

Linking up with the Mad Mid Week Blog Hop at Super Busy Mum, Share With Me at Let’s Talk Mommy and #PoCoLo at Verily Victoria Vocalises.

#PledgeOneHour

A study of 1,000 parents recently found 40% get to spend less than an one hour a day with their children. As a working parent, that used to commute to London 5 days a week, these findings don’t come as a surprise. What does is nearly three quarters of those interviewed stated the main barrier is access to ideas and resources.

We set up our own business in 2012 so we could spend more time with our daughter. This lifestyle change means we see more of each other as a family during the week and have fun together most weekends.

We’re regular visitors to National Trust properties which provide the perfect opportunity for POD to run off her excess energy and work through her #50things. She adores being outdoors exploring and in turn learning about nature and her environment. When the weather works against us, we find indoor activities to occupy ourselves.

Weekend Box Club is a subscription service which delivers creative, green and healthy activities for parents and children to enjoy in the post (review on the blog soon). It’s an inspired idea and we’re already fans.

The www.PledgeOneHour.com website has been set up to provide free resources for parents encouraging more quality time together. The site contains loads of free activities from Weekend Box, the National Trust and Project Wild Thing.

There are simple, child-friendly recipes, arts and crafts, great outdoor exploratory activities and the National Trust’s 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 3/4. It’s a great site and I’m sure will help those in need of some quality time together. Good luck!

Disclaimer: We did not receive payment for this post, we’re just supporting a great initiative #PledgeOneHour

Spring at Alice Holt Forest

We always enjoy the Alice Holt Forest which is located near Farnham in Surrey. Managed by the Forestry Commission, it offers much in the way of family fun whether exploring by foot, bike or swinging through the trees with Go Ape. My mother and father-in-law had not previously been so we visited when they last stayed.

POD received a scooter for her Christmas Day birthday so Alice Holt provided a good opportunity for another practice. It was short lived though as POD’s not quite mastered steering yet! She did opt to keep the crash helmet on for a time though.

The smiles returned when POD spotted the first of the giant play structures – the 3D Maze. She had much fun inside with Daddy crawling around after her.

A little further along there was the Timberline Play Area which had a circuit that included a balancing beam, a scramble net

and a climbing wall. Although designed for older children, POD decided she wanted to give it a go. She only needed help with her footing once and

reached the top super fast. Here she is 6 foot up wondering how to get down the other side. She did brilliantly although she’s always been a climber – of furniture mostly!

The Habitat Trail is specifically designed for families although there are longer routes too. There’s a spiral staircase inside a tree trunk, an owl that’s back can be scaled, a bridge guarded by snakes, a bat and a moth to be climbed and a Giant’s Play area.

POD was happy spending time with her Grandparents and exploring today. She sought out a stick, which later became a broomstick, and examined a few fir cones en route.

But there was a fair amount of running and playing hide and seek with Daddy too.

For the first time in a long while, we got a photograph of the three of us together. We all spent time larking around here – it’s always too tempting to re-create that scene from The Shining!

In the Playwood play area, POD got to climb a pirate sheep, have a go on a swing and whizz down a slide before driving a wooden tractor. Then it was back home for a wonderful roast lunch and a sneaky doze in front of the television!

Linking up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill, Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse and What’s The Story? here on PODcast.

What’s The Story? | 14th April 2014

Hello everyone, welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 14th April 2014.

Thank you for joining in last week, so many wonderful posts again. I’ve shared these posts in the #whatsthestory community on Google Plus. It would be great to tag you in there each week so if we’ve not found each other yet, feel free to hook up with my Charly Dove profile (or the PODcast page).

If you’re new to What’s The Story? it’s a photography based Linky which enables you to share the stories behind your photographs. It’s open from 6.30am every Monday through to the following Sunday.

To join in all you have to do is share a photograph and the story behind it. You can write as little or much as you like and your photo/s can be from any time – old or new. You can link up a old post too if it’s relevant.

Feel free to use the What’s The Story? badge or include a link to PODcast in your post – I’m happy to share it in return. Please do take the time to comment on some of your fellow bloggers posts when you can. It’s always worthwhile checking back later in the week too.

Have a great Easter, see you next week #whatsthestory

Silent Sunday

Project 365: Week #15

It’s been a good week for pretties. The RHS Secret Garden Sunday event showcased a wonderful display of blooms and how nice to see colour appear in the garden. With POD not at school yet it was a usual working week for us although we enjoyed outdoor fun after nursery a couple of times. Welcome to Project 365: Week #15.

Day 96

After larking around at Hatchlands Park last Saturday afternoon, Sunday saw the RHS launch their Secret Garden Sundays event in London.

Combining local and independent food producers, with everything you need to know to grow your own, this series of events has been created to get us growing, eating and celebrating the best of seasonal British produce. Afterwards we headed over to a second birthday party which POD described as the ‘best party ever’.

Day 97

A surreal journey in the car today. Firstly stopping to let a pheasant cross the road then passing through a village to where a pony stood grazing on a green! Once home I noticed a couple of Freesias had opened. POD watched Frozen again.

Day 98

The usual routine from today so I just grabbed a few moments to capture a rather pretty Freesia bud.

Day 99

The portfolio review I missed at the Photography Show last month was re-arranged for today. It took place at Tattershall Castle which is a boat near Embankment. Although slightly nerve wracking receiving feedback from an experienced photographer, it was a useful session.

Afterwards I walked back to Waterloo along the Southbank taking in views of the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and many street artists. With it being school holidays and sunny, it was a popular place to be!

Day 100

An interesting image to mark 100 days of taking a photograph every day!

Day 101

On Friday evening we discovered more dandelion clocks in the garden. Most were a challenge to blow but POD was hopeful this one would require less effort!

Day 102

This little blue bud is only about 2mm wide and spotted purely by accident. It makes for an interesting close-up. POD and I spent the morning on a play date where she made biscuits and dressed up as a fairy. She looked adorable in an apron!

RHS Secret Garden Sundays

The Royal Horticultural Society launched Secret Garden Sundays last weekend. Combining local and independent food producers, with everything you need to know to grow your own, this series of events has been created to get us growing, eating and celebrating the very best of seasonal British produce. What’s great about these events is that they appeal to everyone.

There was a huge array of plants and flowers as you’d expect from the RHS. From sweet smelling Lilies and these incredible Tulips

to potted roses, mysterious Auriculas and these perfectly formed Ranunculus.

Primulas, Hostas, Nerines and air plants could also be found along with some unusual varieties. Live trees, citrus and bay trees were on offer too as were a plethora of bulbs, seeds and perennials. You really were spoilt for choice!

If you fancied learning how to grow your own chilli and tomato plants, the RHS Growing Together Club were on hand to teach you how. The National Vegetable Society and the Herb Society also offered guidance. As did Young Hort, a new initiative created by young horticulturalists for young horticulturalists.

Katie Spragg’s collection of ceramic tableware and porcelain jewellery was great as each piece tells a bizarre yet true story. Like the fox that lived on the 72nd floor of The Shard to the penguin that is a soldier in the Norweigan army! There were many other gifts and gardening related products available too.

I wish I’d had the time to make my own garden mosiac. Such a great opportunity and it was wonderful to see so many people beavering away on their individual designs.

Demonstrations covered a wide range of subjects such as learning which plants and flowers work well in small gardens, how to grow things without having a garden and how to make a bouquet of fresh Spring flowers. Children could have a go at planting a broad bean seed while the adults learnt about runner beans!

As well as the flowers, the plants, the gifts and the demonstrations there was also a wide selection of food. From the finest British charcuterie to cheeses, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free food, pies, breads, cakes, jams and chutneys.

Plus fresh juice, coffee and tea to wash it all down. If you fancied a rest there was always the Mezzanine Cafe which offered a bird’s eye view of the hall.

The RHS Secret Garden Sundays take place on the first Sunday of each month at RHS Lindley Hall, Vincent Square, London SW1 until September. A special Christmas event will take place on Sunday November 2nd.

Linking up with Mammasaurus for #HDYGG and Verily Victoria Vocalises for #PoCoLo.

PODcast is a Finalist in the MAD Blog Awards, please vote for us. Thank you 🙂

Exploring Hatchlands Park

We always enjoy Hatchlands Park with its parkland and ancient trees. Owned by the National Trust, it’s one of the nearest properties to us along with Clandon Park.

The house was built in 1756, replacing a Tudor house on this estate and was designed in the Palladian tradition. Today the mansion is a family home, containing tenant Alec Cobbe’s collection of paintings and fine furniture. Also on display is the Cobbe Collection, Europe’s largest collection of keyboard instruments associated with famous composers.

Hatchlands Park re-opened for the season this month. Although we visited on a day the house wasn’t open, we could still admire it’s beauty – POD asked if we could live there! As we were heading towards Wix Woods, we could still see the temple and an ancient tree with hundreds of daffodils and Spring blooms beneath it.

We came across lots of beautiful cows with shiny coats en route. They kept their distance (this photograph was taken with a 250mm lens) but POD loved them. Initially she wanted to play with them but we managed to distract her attention by talking about where milk comes from and showing her where the cows go for a drink.

We’d purposely not taken the buggy with us so it was great to see POD having a race to the Wix Woods gate with Daddy. She won.

They then thought it would be highly entertaining to hide from Mummy behind the gate while holding it shut!

POD has always been a climber and adores clambering onto trees as a result. The Great Wix Wood provided the perfect opportunity to do this and make silly faces with Daddy. She loved this tree!

We then headed over to the Wizard Wix’s Willow Warren which is a natural adventure area for children. The she took advantage of the stepping stones, the willow tunnels and admiring the sculptures including the wonderful totem pole. She also got to see a bird grabbing a bite from one of the many feeders and watch some older children build a den.

She requested Daddy follow her on the balance beam where we spotted Wizard Wix himself.

Just up from the Wizard Wix’s Willow Warren is Little Wix Wood where there will soon be the most wonderful display of bluebells. Last year we even spotted fairies much to POD’s excitement. As we’ll be back soon, next on the agenda today was more tree climbing and looking for trolls.

POD found a big stick too which doubled up as a wand although she didn’t manage to turn this tree into a frog.

With the rain clouds fast approaching, POD hitched a ride with Daddy to the Tea Room. We made it to cake just in time! POD took it upon herself to bow to an invisible Prince while we were there. It was an impressive bow with much arm swirling – Disney would have been proud!

After re-charging we had a good look round the stable

before exploring the NGS Quiet Garden. The formal gardens at Hatchlands are open when the house is so we’re looking forward to seeing Gertrude Jekyll Garden and the house. There’s also a wildflower meadow we’ve not seen yet – cowslips can be seen in Spring and orchids in the Summer.

After displaying superb balancing skills, there was just time for POD to grab a side saddle piggy back before we headed home.

Linking up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill, Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse and What’s The Story? here on PODcast.

If you enjoy PODcast, please vote for us in the photography category. Thank you 🙂

What’s The Story? | 7th April 2014

Hello everyone, welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 7th April 2014. Thank you very much to everyone that linked up last week, there were almost 50 posts which is awesome. So many faves too!

Thank you too to everyone that nominated PODcast in the MAD Blog Awards. I’ll thrilled to be a Finalist in the photography category and there’s a post here focused on why I love photography. I’d really love it if you could vote again before the 24th April.

Have a great week #whatsthestory

Silent Sunday

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Visiting Mayfield Lavender Field, Banstead

A wander at Frensham Little Pond, Surrey

Summer activities at Barracudas

New photography projects

#PledgeOneHour

Spring at Alice Holt Forest

What’s The Story? | 14th April 2014

Silent Sunday

Project 365: Week #15

RHS Secret Garden Sundays

Exploring Hatchlands Park

What’s The Story? | 7th April 2014

Silent Sunday

Adventures

Visiting Mayfield Lavender Field, Banstead

A wander at Frensham Little Pond, Surrey

7 reasons to love Barracudas camps