living arrows fb

Living arrows 27/52

by with 11 Comments Uncategorized

I can’t quite believe that we’re halfway through the year, and that I’ve kept up with the ‘Living arrows’ project for so long!

I’m really enjoying taking the time to photograph my children every week, and seeing all the photos that other people are sharing each week; it’s fab to see all the littles one gradually getting not so little.

Most weeks my photo is of one or the other of my children, but this week I’ve managed to get one of them together that I love.  It may not be the most technically perfect photo I’ve ever taken, but I actually quite like the shallow depth of field and the blurriness of most of it!

These two are such a funny pair.  They wind each other up something chronic, arguing over toys and who gets to be the one to open the door on the way to school.

But they’re also wonderfully close, and really look out for one another.  They cuddle up on the sofa together to watch videos, and chat away in their room at bedtime (when they really should be asleep!).

This photo represents that close, loving side of their relationship.

The big, tight hug and the smiles on their faces.

How lucky they are to have each other.

 

living arrows fb

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth”

Living Arrows
they shall not grow old #wearehere

They shall not grow old

by with No Comment QuotesUncategorized

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.  At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”

These were the words that came to mind so often on Friday, as I watched the soldiers wander through Swansea as part of the wonderful ‘we’re here because we’re here’ event that was organised to commemorate the centenary of the first day of the battle of the Somme.

So many of the men taking part just looked so young.

They perfectly depicted the innocent young soldiers who went out to fight.  The huge number of sons who hugged their Mothers goodbye and never came back.

I think it’s hard at times for us to get our heads around quite what happened all those years ago, but it’s so important that we remember.  That those boys didn’t lose their lives in vain.

So, this week’s quote is for them.

They shall not grow old quote

 

As my children get older we’ll tell them all about this country’s history.  About the sacrifices that were made by so many so that we could have the freedom we enjoy today.

As the years go by, more and more responsibility falls on our shoulders to keep telling the stories.

To keep sharing the photos.

We cannot forget what was done for us.

We will not forget.

we're here because we're here Somme tribute

We’re here because we’re here #wearehere

by with 17 Comments Uncategorized

Did you see them?  

The men dressed as world war one soldiers, silently making their way through towns and cities across the UK?

They were part of an unbelieveably moving tribute to the men who lost their lives at the battle of the Somme, in an event that was conceived and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, who is the Director of the National Theatre.

As part of ‘We’re here because we’re here’, 1400 volunteers dressed up in historically accurate uniforms, that were made in Poland specially for the event, each of them representing an individual soldier who was killed on the first day of the battle, 1st July 1916.

The men didn’t speak to the public at all, but they did hand out cards with details of the soldier they were representing.

we're here because we're here Somme tribute

I was handed several of these over the course of the day, and each one brought me closer to tears, as it showed the name and regiment of the soldier, along with the age at which they died on the first day of the Somme.

These little cards, in all their simplicity, just hit you hard.

Sometimes you see the numbers and you forget about the individual men.  This brought it all down to that personal level.

These were our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our men.

The whole event was so subtle, but truly powerful.

Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre, is quoted as saying,

“This work by Jeremy Deller is a truly national piece of theatre and is a powerful way to remember the men who went off to fight 100 years ago.  I also hope it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen ties with theatres and communities across the UK”

 

The work is partly inspired by tales of sightings during and after the First World War by people who believed they had seen a dead loved one.  And you can understand why the soldiers who were out yesterday are being referred to as ‘ghost soldiers’.

I feel so privileged to have been at Swansea train station when they first arrived in the morning, it was really quite something to witness the small groups of men arrive one after another, gathering in front of the station.

we're here because we're here Somme tribute #wearehere

After attracting quite a crowd at the train station the soldiers started making their way across town, spreading out to visit various locations on their way to the University, before heading back towards the city centre.

Here are some of my photos from the day.

#wearehere soldiers tribute battle of the Somme

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The project was called ‘we’re here because we’re here’, and the public are being encouaged to share any photos and videos they took with the hashtag #wearehere.

Every so often throughout the day the soldiers would break their silence by starting to sing ‘we’re here because we’re here’, which is a song the men used to sing in the trenches, to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.  This was especially moving, and brought all passers-by to a stop, and prompted several people in Swansea to shout words of thanks to the men, which was just amazing to hear.

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At the end of the day all the men gathered for one big group tableau.  Then they started singing, for one last time, ending in a dramatic cry that was so unexpected, so startling after the quiet of the song, it was perfect.  You can watch the last song in Swansea here:

The ‘we’re here because we’re here’ project was such an amazing thing to witness, and broke new ground in terms of its scale, breadth, reach and the number of partners and participants involved.

This is the first time that so many theatres have worked together on a UK-wide participation project, and it’s quite breathtaking to know that these silent scenes were acted out in so many different towns.  If you didn’t get to see any of the soldiers for yourself, then take a look at these videos which will give you an idea of how the day went.

 

If you want to find out more about the event then check out the hashtag #wearehere on twitter and instagram.  You can also see more photos from across the UK at www.becausewearehere.co.uk.

This is a collaborative post.

 

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday
simple all-butter scones

Simple all-butter scones

by with 2 Comments RecipesUncategorized

In the middle of a wet and windy week, what could be better than baking some simple all-butter scones?  Baking them with your toddler that’s what!

My husband’s been nagging me for ages to make some scones and so Nerys and I decided to spend a rainy day at home baking.

simple-all-butter-scones-recipe

I have to admit that the resulting scones aren’t quite as tall as they would normally be, but I know that’s down to a few factors, including me running out of self-raising flour and clearly not adding enough baking powder to my plain flour.

Nerys had such a great time mixing these up with me though, so I really don’t mind that the end result wasn’t perfect!

I just love baking with my children, knowing that they’re learning so much while having fun.

Simple-butter-scone-recipe

Nerys really was my little helper the whole time making these, weighing everything out with me, mixing it all together and even brushing the tops with milk at the end.

She actually surprised me with that last one, because she really was gentle with the brush rather than just squishing the scones with it which is what I kind of expected her to do!

simple-butter-scone-recipe

It was so hard to resist these when they came out of the oven, but I made myself wait till they’d cooled a little before spreading one with some butter and jam, so good!

If you’d like to have a go yourself, here’s the recipe for these simple all-butter scones:

Makes 12 scones

  • 225g self raising flour
  • 60g cold butter, cut up into small pieces
  • Pinch of salt
  • 25g caster sugar
  • 50g raisins
  • 120ml milk

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and either grease a baking tray or line it with greaseproof paper.
  2. Measure out the flour and salt and tip into a mixing bowl.  Add the cold, cut-up butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
  3. Stir in the sugar and raisins.
  4. Add the milk to the mixture and stir everything together.  Ever so gently knead the mixture together with your hands until you have formed a stiff dough.  Try not to handle it too much though.
  5. Gently roll out the dough until it is 2cm thick.
  6. Cut out shapes with biscuit cutters.
  7. Put the scones on the baking tray, brush them with milk and cook them for 12-15 minutes.
  8. Leave them to cool a little before tucking in!

 

One of the important factors in making great scones is using proper butter, nice and cold from the fridge, and rubbing it quickly into the flour so that it doesn’t melt too much.  When the scones bake, the butter then melts, creating steam which adds more oomph to your end result!

I think this might be another factor in why mine were a little flat, because I had so much help from Nerys the mixture was handled a little more than it should have been!  But, she had great fun and they still taste really good.

We used the newly rebranded Wyke farms butter in our scones, and then used some more to spread on top with some jam, so yummy!

wyke-farms-butter

Wyke farm have put a lot of thought into the look of their butter, and I think it looks great; it really celebrates Wyke farm’s British heritage with images of Prince the farm horse, the Somerset compass and the iconic oak tree that sits on top the hill outside the dairy at Wyke Champflower on it, as well as highlighting its credentials with the 100% Green logo and the Red Tractor stamp of assurance.

The butter looks really high quality, and the taste lives up to expectations.  It’s great to use in baking, and just perfect on warm scones with jam!

It’s been a while since we’ve had ‘proper’ butter at home and now I’m wondering why I stopped buying it!  Our poor neglected butter dish has now been retrieved from the cupboard though, and my morning toast is just so much tastier – you really can’t beat real butter can you!

 

I received some Wyke farms butter for the purposes of writing this post, but all words and opinions are my own.

robinsons 1

Quick tips to get kids to drink more and #EnjoyMoreWater

by with One Comment Uncategorized

I’ve been quite lucky I think, because both my children naturally seem to drink a lot.

We’ve always have various cups and water bottles around the house for them, and they have always been able to just help themselves, and luckily have always enjoyed doing so!
robinsons 1

We’ve never really had to work at getting them to stay hydrated, but with warmer days coming I am really aware that I need to keep an eye on them and make sure that they are actually drinking enough.  So I was pleased to be offered the chance to get involved with Robinsons #EnjoyMoreWater challenge.

Robinsons are on a bit of a mission you see, to get us all drinking more water.  And adding Robinsons squash to your water is a great way to make it all a bit more interesting!  As part of the challenge I was sent 6 bottles of Robinsons Squash’d to try, and I was really quite impressed when they arrived.

The bottles are teeny but you only need a teeny amount in your cup or bottle to get a great hit of flavour.  And speaking of flavour, there are some really yummy ones in the range:

  • Lemon and lime
  • Apple and blackcurrant
  • Orange and peach
  • Summer fruits
  • Passion fruit and mango
  • Citrus

We’ve had a great time trying all the different flavours, and I think passion fruit and mango is my favourite, it’s so refreshing!  I also love the fact that the squash has no added sugar,  and has no artificial colours and preservatives, so if you’re one of the 42% of parents whose children thing plain water is ‘boring’, then Robinsons squash’d is a nice way of adding some flavour and interest without having to worry about adding a load of sugar.

 robinsons squash'd

If your kids do find water a bit boring and need a bit more persuading than mine to drink more every day, then these tips might help you:

1) Drink more yourself.
We all know that children want to be just like their parents.  So if they see you drinking water and squash regularly throughout the day they’ll be much more likely to want to do the same themselves.

2) Make it fun.
Let’s be honest, drinking plain water isn’t the most fun thing in the world.  But you can try a few things to make it more fun, and so more appealing to your kids.  Let them chose a special cup next time you go shopping, that’s just for their water.  Or try giving them a curly straw to drink through.  And simply adding some colour and flavour with a splash of squash can make a really big difference to how much they drink.

3) Always have drinks available.
I think this might be a factor in how much my children drink.  We always have drinks out for them, so they can help themselves whenever they want throughout the day.  And we find they seem to naturally regulate their own intake, drinking significantly more when they’re hot or poorly.

4) Work out their preferences.
If your child is reluctant to drink much, maybe it’s because they don’t like the temperature of the drink!  You might find that a mug of warm squash is much more appealing to them, or maybe they’re the opposite and will really love drinks that are super cold after being stored in the fridge.

5) Talk to them about their pee.
Young children won’t understand what you’re on about if you talk to them about how important it is to stay hydrated.  But getting them to look at the colour of their wee will help it make much more sense.  Talk to them about how the aim is for their wee to be as clear as possible, and challenge them to reach that target!

I really hope these tips help you if you’ve got a reluctant drinker on your hands, and that we all feel the benefits of drinking more water in an effort to encourage our children to do the same!


This post is an entry for BritMums #EnjoyMoreWater Challenge, sponsored by Robinsons.  

I received bottles of squash’d to try for this post, but all words and opinions are my own.

mpow lens kit selfie stick

Mpow lens kit and selfie stick review

by with No Comment ReviewsUncategorized

If you’ve visted my blog before you’ll most likely know that I love taking photos, mostly of my family and our everyday life.

For the most part I take photos with my ‘proper’ camera because I love the control it gives me to get the image I want.  But, saying that, I am also a big believer in the quote, “the best camera is the one you have with you”, which is very often the one on my phone.

I think I just got out of the habit of taking photos on my phone after I cracked the screen and lens on my old one which basically rendered the camera useless.

Now I have a new phone though, I really want to get in the habit of taking more photos with it, and so I was really pleased when Mpow gave me the chance to test out some of their equipment.

mpow lens kit selfie stick

They sent me their 3-in-1 lens kits and selfie stick to try out and, honestly, I’ve had so much fun playing around with them!

I never thought I’d be a selfie-stick kind of person but I really love it!  I’m really quite passionate about us parents getting in more photos with our kids and a selfie-stick makes doing it so much easier, and a lot more fun than trying to cram into a normal selfie together.

The stick itself is really quite compact when you first get it out of the box, which is great as it means it wouldn’t be too awkward to pop in your bag if you want to take it out and about with you.  All you have to do is flip the phone holder round, put your phone in, tighten the clamp at the angle you want it and then extend the arm.  It took me a minute to position my phone in the holder just right, because the power button is on the side of my phone and was the holder was pressing on it when I first tried!  But once I’d sussed that it out was all good!

The selfie stick connects with your phone via bluetooth and this was really easy to set up by following the instructions on the box.  Then it was just a case of having a play.

mpow selfie stick review

Nerys was really intrigued by the selfie stick and loved posing for photos with me using it.  Next up is to have a go at getting all 4 of us in a photo together using it, which I think will be a lot of fun, although I’ll have to get over the thought of us being ‘that family’ if we do it out in public!  I do really like the stick though, it’s easy to use, nice and compact and just a really great way to avoid that crammed in feeling you normally get when you take selfies on your phone.

 

Next up for exploring was the 3-in-1 lens kit.  Now, I was really excited to give these a go.

As a photographer I love the way the lens you use can completely change the image that you create, so I was really looking forward to seeing how effective these little lenses would be.  And I have to admit I was really impressed.

I took the lens kit with us to the park to test it out and you can see in this set of photos the difference the lenses make.

The top photo is with no added lens, the middle one is with the wide angle and the bottom one is with the fish eye, and you can really see how much the lenses change the look of the photos.

mpow 3 in 1 lens kit

The weather’s not been that cooperative recently (that’s summer in Wales for you!), but I’m really looking forward to another nice, dry day when I can take these lenses out for another spin.  You have to be careful to get the lens in just the right spot over the phone’s existing lens, to really get the photos spot on, so I’m excited to have another good go with them to really get the best out of them.

What I am really pleased with though, is the result of my playing around with the macro lens.

Now, I have to admit, this one took me a few minutes to figure out as there were no instructions with it.  I attached the lens to the camera and the image was just really, really blurry.  I couldn’t seem to get it to focus at all.  Until I held the phone right up close to the object I wanted to photograph, like, practically-touching-it-close, and hey presto!  A gorgeous, close up shot.

Once I’d figured out that this was how it worked then I was away.  I went out into the garden to find a flower to practice on and this was the result.

mpow macro lens

For a photo taken with a phone, I’m really impressed!  I absolutely love the depth of field this lens produced and can see me having so much fun experimenting with it.

I would highly recommend both the 3-in-1 lens kit and the selfie stick, for both those who take most of their photos on their phone and who want to experiment and push the limits of what their phone can do and for those who, like me, tend to take most of their photos on their big camera and who want to have more creativity with their phone when that’s the camera that they have with them.

Keep an eye on my instagram for the results of my future efforts with these bits of kit!