Happy Easter!
Maybe I’m a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to Easter but there is no Easter bunny delivery in this household. Yes the kids get Easter eggs (not from us I hasten to add; that’s what grandparents are for!) but I have not even tried to pretend that there is an Easter bunny and the usually inquisitive 4 year old hasn’t asked any awkward questions. I am prepared to keep the magic of Santa Claus alive for a little while longer so it’s not all bar humbug in this household.
Anyway, in the lead up to the holidays, the kids have been busy with some Easter craft activities. Ava’s Easter bonnet was thanks to a lazy Sunday at our friends recently. It’s creation was inspired by the following You Tube video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFwCkoai5T8 It took a lot of self discipline on my part not to try and direct its creation. I would say less is more but try telling that to a 4 year old!
Benjamin’s Easter chick was made at Toddler group . Our toddler group craft team are a very talented bunch!
And no Easter would be complete without a couple of home decorated Easter eggs. I found the following website invaluable for reminding me how to blow out the eggs – http://www.wikihow.com/Blow-Out-Eggs A plaster is a must when piercing the holes on the eggs!
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What does this button do?
‘What does this button do?’ aptly describes my ability to use my DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera or at least it did until I recently attended my first photography class; a Beginners Digital Photography course with Fab Photography.
Andy and I had long discussed getting a ‘proper’ camera. Up until now, we have been more point and shoot type photographers and to be honest I’m not totally convinced that just because we have the equipment, means we have graduated far from this level of usage, yet. We undertook a certain amount of research to come to our purchasing decision. I canvassed opinion from my photographer friends on Facebook so in essence we had some qualitative market research amongst our peers. Andy trawled through a multitude of retail and photography websites and conducted a site assessment at Jessops (where would he go now?) to get a hands on perspective. Once he had decided what he wanted, he invited me for a test drive too. We’ve always been Canon people (in the way that some people prefer Coca Cola and others prefer Pepsi; I dislike both!) so to be honest any recommendations for other brands were likely to fall on deaf ears. In the end we plumped for a Canon EOS 650D and we’re pretty pleased with it so far. A bit like getting a new car, up until the course, I hardly dared touch it, let alone take pictures with it, for fear of damaging it or more likely putting it on some setting that I could not recover from.
The course itself was too much presentation and not enough practical application for me. I would have much preferred to have been presented with a series of exercises and given some practical tips on how to take the best photographs. In fact the only tip I do remember, because we were given an exercise, is that when taking a photograph of someone/something where the light is behind them/it, turn your flash on to fill in the light (examples below).
Unfortunately, we were largely shown a series of PowerPoint slides and then after a couple of hours, we were sent out on our own, armed with our cameras, to take photographs of anything that took our fancy. I attempted to tinker with the aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure (I do at least know where these buttons are now and what they are supposed to achieve) but without the practical experience and mentoring from a pro, I’ll be honest I was a bit lost. The other ladies (including my mother who attended the course with me) at least had the benefit of being able to compose a decent shot. Later when we returned to the studio, we were treated to a display of Photoshop acrobatics by the pros who managed to turn a nothing shot into art. Here’s my prize shot of the day.
And here are my mother’s…
I feel heartened by the following quotes I found from professional photographers:
“ You don’t take a photograph, you make it. – Ansel Adams
“ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson
“ Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams
Although I am still finding that I take better photographs when my camera is on the automatic setting, at least I am no longer afraid of a my camera and armed with my ‘Canon EOS 650D for Dummies’ book, I feel certain that my best shot is yet to come.
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Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Making time to read a book when you have two young children and a husband to satisfy can be a tall order. I can’t honestly remember the last time I read a book cover to cover but it was definitely pre-children and that’s at least 4 years ago. ‘The New Contented Little Baby Book’ by Gina Ford doesn’t really count and to be honest neither of my children really fit her routines but that’s a whole other book review.
At the beginning of 2013 I decided that I was going to read a minimum of four books in the year. Now I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but I wanted this to be a New Year’s resolution that I could actually achieve.
The question was, what book should I read first to wet my appetite for reading? Quite often there is a post on Wokingham Gossip Girls for book recommendations and one book kept coming up time and again, ‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes. To be honest, I didn’t know the subject matter before reading the book but was prepared for a romantic weepy.
In an nutshell, the book is a girl meets boy story but with a lot more depth and intrigue and an ending that will leave you heartbroken. The story starts with Louisa Clark (Lou) losing her job in a café. She has limited qualifications so when she heads down to the Job Centre, she is offered various positions which for one reason or another are unsuitable. Finally her advisor recommends a job as a care assistant and although reluctant, she is eventually hired as a carer for Will Traynor who became a quadraplegic after a road accident two years previously. What Lou doesn’t know is that Will has told his parents that in 6 months time he is to end his life at Dignatus. His quality of life is poor and he is a shadow of his former self. His natural instinct is to push people away and despite his best efforts, Lou is undeterred. When she learns of his plan she sets out to prove that life is still worth living and in the process falls in love with him.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and made me question my own views on euthanasia. A thoroughly good read, beautifully and sensitively written which I would highly recommend.
What books would you recommend?
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Opening a whole new world
The little man can reach the door handles and can no longer be contained. Next step, the stair gates. It’s taken the little lady 4 years to work out these so hopefully we still have time. Then again she’s never switched the oven on…
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Big girl car seat
One happy little lady in her big girl car seat! She originally expressed an interest (to put it mildly) in a pink princess car seat but we managed to persuade her that if she continues to do well at swimming, that the black cup holder that is up for grabs, will be much happier with a black car seat!
‘I Did It Mummy’ fundraising for BIBS – https://www.justgiving.com/IDidItMummy
I Did It Mummy 