capturing memories as we make them
The summer is drawing to a close now and I can honestly say it’s been an awesome one with so much fabulous weather and all kinds of adventures for us it a real shame that it has to end.
I am however really grateful to have captured so many of these moments on camera with some of my favourite times being at this years Camp Bestival.
A picture really does paint a thousand words and I hope this little collection gives to an insight into what an amazing place Camp Bestival is!
For the past few years the Mayfield Lavender fields in Banstead have been my first glimpse that summer has arrived. The magnificent sea of purple that fills the landscape and the beautiful smell that engulfs the air is a sight to be seen and one that I never ever tire of.
Mayfield Lavender has really gone from strength to strength and not only does it offer you the chance to enjoy this natural wonder there is also the opportunity to enjoy a huge range of scrutipous food and drink from the cafe such as juicy hotdogs, delectable homemade cakes and even a lavender cream tea which is still on my wishlist to try.
The shop is also fully stocked with goodies from tolliteries to lavender flavour sweets and of course a change to take home some of your very own lavender.
My little ones love being able to just run free through the fields but if you want a little more adventure then hop onboard the tractor for a ride around the fields to get a completly different perspective.
I am always the one holding the camera on our trips which I absolutly love, but this year it was a little different as we went along to meet the lovely Rachel Thornhill who is an expert when it comes to photography…especially at Mayfield Lavender.
Rachel is in fact one of the photographers recommend by Brendan Maye – The owner of Mayfield lavender and the moment I meet her I could understand why.
Her friendly smile and calm, welcoming nature put us all at ease when we arrived and she chatted at length with the children about what our morning was going to entail and how to care for the fields and the nature living there during the shoot.
I am not a fan of posed images and much prefer a playful, natural style of picture and this is exactly what Rachel tries to create. Capturing the children at play or us all in deep conversation creates a much more natural image and one that tells a story allowing it to be a more memorable capture and something to treasure for years to come.
During our shoot that lasted a little over an hour we got the change to explore, play, chat and giggle and at no point did the children get bored or restless as Rachel worked her magic and kept them happy and engaged throughout, she even managed to keep shooting when Oscar bundled in for cuddles.
What really sets her apart from other photographers is that she creates bespoke museum quality wall art and framed prints personal to you and hand made by professional printers in both the UK and Italy that are designed to stand the test of time, and become a part of your family story. The products are not available to buy from anywhere other than professional photographers, so really quite special?
Mayfield Lavender is a truly magical place that is pretty hard to find in the UK. It is a place to make special memories to keep for a lifetime and with something like a photoshoot with Rachel these special moments can be captured and remembered for many years to come.
*collaborated post
This year was the year I had set goals to challenge myself, push boundaries and try new things.
Over the past few years so many people have asked why I don’t appear more on my blog and the simple answer to this was always that I was way to critical of myself.
I would take endless selfies and delete them all or get one of the children to try and get a picture that I would be remotely happy with and to be honest this very rarely happened.
I hated myself for how shallow this made me feel but due to a culmination of different insecurities I just couldn’t bring myself to be on screen.
A while ago now I won a competition to have a photo shoot with Laura from Laura Shaw Photography and I knew from the very first moment I met here she was going to be the lady to put my mind at ease when it came to getting in front of the camera.
The session was booked and cancelled endless times and finally a few weeks ago all the pieces fell into place and the session went ahead.
I probably didn’t pick the easiest of locations for my nerves as a high street packed with people would never be a place you could naturally relax, but Laura worked her magic and after shots that felt terribly uncomfortable I finally relaxed and started to being to thoroughly enjoy the whole experience.
It was actually a few crude words from Laura that set me off into fits of giggles and I will never look at her without thinking of these worlds again!
The hours flew by as we flitted around the town borrowing changing rooms and handbags from the lovely Nancy of Gerrards and stopping to use the beautiful surroundings off Willows florist.
I have have to say a big thank you to guys at Stone House Vinyl as we plotted up there on a few occasions during the day!
This really was an experience I never thought I would have the courage to do and I can’t thank Laura enough for finding my confidence, giving me an amazing afternoon of fun whilst capturing the most amazing images.
I actually can’t believe its been a year since we welcomed Isla into the world and I became a Grandmother. I have to say that this time has passed even quicker than it did with my own children and because of that capturing and celebrating milestones is something of great importance to me.
When I was asked by Layrish Photography if we would like to take Isla along to a cake smash photoshoot to celebrate her first birthday both Alice and myself were extremely happy to go along.
Layrish Photography offer a whole range of photography sessions from weddings to birthday parties, cake smashes to family photoshoots and so much more. They take place at locations of your choice or for from the comfort of your own home.
Cake smashes are a relatively new concept to me and certainly something I was very happy to experience with Isla as a first for us both.
We were all made to feel at ease as soon as the session began and Isla was eased into the whole process by playing with some toys and chatting before the photography started.
With pretty balloons, bunting and bubbles to distract her attention the first few photos in her pretty dress were taken effortlessly before she became a little restless.
What better distraction could there be though than a quick change of clothes and the most beautiful cake being placed in front of you!
A little hesitant a first she poked and prodded around for a while and then dived in…face first!
I wasn’t long before she got a real taste and was well away digging in with her hands and trusty wooden spoon.
Once she was sufficiently covered head to toe in cake it was time to wrap up the session and of course sample some of the cake ourselves…I mean it would be rude not to!
If you like the look of this session then I couldn’t recommend it enough for an experience that will stick in our mind for years to come and amazing image to look back over time and time again.
In fact the whole package is finished off beautifully as Layrish Photography send over a stunning case that comes with a handful of images all ready and printed out for you that are tied together with a pretty bow and covered with confetti along with the memory stick continuing all your photos that you can do exactly what you want with.
This was also accompanied with a slideshow that includes live footage of the cake smash that actually bought a tear to my eye when we received it, it was certainly a really lovely and unexpected addition.
https://thejoyoffive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_9206.movIt will certainly be a day to remember for us and I couldn’t recommend it more.
*we were given this session in exchange for this review and they are all my own, honest opinions.
This week has been a pretty full one and also one that has seen some changes in my life that for a very long time I didn’t think were going to happen!
Sharing Passions – I have always tried to ensure my children follow their dreams, indulge their passions and to never be afraid to stand out from the crowd.
This is something I feel very strongly about even though it has backfired on me a few times when they have needed to conform and these sayings have been recited back to a teacher of two!
Out of all my children Izzy is certainly the one who puts her all into everything she’s tries and is eager to explore all kinds of new things.
At the weekend we got the chance to go along to a fabulous photography workshop and it was so heart warming to see she has a passion for it as strongly as I do and watch her inventive and very different ideas be put into practice.
Braving The Camera – Talking about photography from a different angle this time, with me getting in front of the camera for a change.
I am always told that I should appear more on my blog but due to a lack of confidence its something I’ve always shied away from.
This week however I bit the bullet and with the help of the wonderful Laura Shaw I managed to not only get in front of the camera but to thoroughly enjoy it too!
Hello Mr Sunshine – The weather has been pretty horrific up until the past few weeks where the sun has shown his face and I couldn’t be more excited about this!
Longer evenings, being able to eat outside and making the most of the garden are all small things I have been relishing in.
Art, the sea and delectable food are one of life’s perfect combinations and for me Margate is a home to all of these.
In August the imposing cast iron sculpture from Anthony Gormley was erected on the chalk in front of the Turner Contemporary and I have been desperate to see it for myself for months.
It is one of one hundred sculptures from his ANOTHER TIME series and was as breathtaking as I imagined.
‘I wish to celebrate the still and silent nature of sculpture, ANOTHER TIME is necessarily isolated, and is an attempt to bear witness to what it is like to be alive and alone in space and time’
As I looked out to sea I thought of the words that Anthony Gormley had used to describe land work whilst listening to Oscar’s opinion on the piece.
What really stood out to me was the compassion he was showing for the man being alone. He looked on asking why he was standing alone and as we left kept looking back and worrying that he was being left alone and lonely.
It really was a sight to behold and something I’m really pleased to have shared with Oscar.
Sadly the Tuner Contemporary didn’t have a lot work on display as they were preparing to showcase the world of Tracey Emin…I think I need a trip back to see this.
We still managed to make use of the gallery though by grabbing a late breakfast and taking in the view form the beautifully light and airy cafe, and have a through the beautiful neon installation to the side of the gallery.
For the middle of October we were lucky enough to have picked a very mild day to visit and spent a good while chasing the waves, jumping over rock pools and collecting shells.
The foodie inside me was out in force and on our last visit we had passed The Bus Cafe along the sea front and I was determined to see what they had to offer on this visit.
Oscar was thrilled to climb onboard and take to the top deck to find a table.
The converted bus is run by a super friendly couple that were extremely friendly and very welcoming of little ones which is always a huge bonus for us.
The menu comprised of a selection of wraps and salads that you can mix and match to your own taste.
Fillings were plentiful and jammed packed with flavour.
Not only did Oscar enjoy the novelty of eating his lunch on a bus, he was also handed a special pen so they he could create his own masterpiece on the side of it.
He was more than about this happy to say the least!
The months of having this little one to myself during the day are passing by way to quickly and I have plans for plenty more days like this before I have to let him move onto his school life journey.
He is way more ready for this than I am!
A chill in the wind, beautiful rich colours, Halloween and cosy afternoons snuggled up under warm blankets are just a few of the reason I absolutely love October.
The weather hasn’t yet changed to the bitterness of winter and getting out into the great outdoors is a real pleasure.
The first adventure for us is always a trip to Priory Farm to select the perfect pumpkin for carving and eating if I ever get round to trying pumpkin pie…I have been promising the children this for the past goodness knows how long!
I have written about Priory Farm countless times as it has so much to offer from fantastic play areas to a brilliant discovery walk and they always go that extra mile for special occasions such as this.
Today we climbed aboard the truck that was decked out perfectly for Halloween with missing limbs, cobwebs and huge spiders.
The short journey lead us straight to the pumpkin field which the children couldn’t wait to get to and select their favourite pumpkin, which for the first year ever wasn’t a competition to see who’s was the biggest.
A good few laps of the field and more than a few pumpkins picked and rejected we finally had our favourites and headed back to the kiosk where there was a game of ‘roll the pumpkin’ and hoopla onto creepy arms to keep the children amused while we waited for our ride back.
Prized pumpkins in hand we climbed aboard and headed off to get a well earned piece of scrummy cake and a good coffee.
There is so much going on over the next few weeks at Priory Farm as well as the pumpkin picking and a visit come highly recommend from us!
Research from the International Child Art Foundation has found that a child that is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property – key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twentieth century.
This is why exposing my litttle ones to as much art and culture as possible is of great importance to us as a family.
By this I don’t mean sitting in front of text books flicking through endless pages of text, but actually getting out and exploring which for me is a far more interesting way of gaining knowledge.
This weekend we took a trip into Croydon to explore the Warhol Croydon exhibition that has been bought to the streets of Croydon by the award winning RISE Gallery.
The street exhibition has been inspired by the life and works of Andy Warhol who was a leading artist in the 1960’s pop art movement.
A group of extremely talented artists have come together to create twelve instillations taken from the inspiration of his work and placed across the whole town centre.
There are plenty of free guided walks that you can book online to take part in or go it alone like we did.
The tour took us from the bustling high street full of shoppers to super quiet derelict buildings, from high rise offices to beautiful gardens and the quirky streets of Surrey Street Market.
We stopped and took time to take in each piece and the children really loved telling me their thoughts…some not so complementary and some hilarious.
It’s wonderful to see what others see when looking at the same piece of art and there is nothing thing better than seeing things through a child’s eyes.
The tour took us some time as I didn’t follow the route as marked out which from experience I would suggest doing.
With the tour complete we headed off to the Whitgift and Centrale Shopping Centre to take part in the Andy Warhol themed session that allowed Oscar and Frankie to become Mini pop artists for the afternoon.
We are familiar with Whitgift Weeenies Kids Club sessions that are put on throughout the year and are completely free to take part in.
The sessions can be anything from animal handling to art sessions and are suitable for children aged 3-10.
This session saw the children trying their hand at printing by carving out a picture into a foam board, covering it with as much and as many different colours as they like and then creating their own Pop Art style masterpiece.
The friendly staff were at hand to help out where needed yet allowing the children free reign to really bring out their creative side.
Cleaned up and art in hand we finished off our jam packed day at RISEgallery they at the moment is homing some pieces of original artwork by Andy Warhol himself.
It certainly wasn’t a stuffy gallery that didn’t want enquisitive children around, we were infact all warmly welcomed, shown around the gallery and even had a chat about the art work that the boys had created.
The exhibition is on until the end of the month and there is still time to book in for this Sunday’s Wennies Kids Club session, so get yourself booked in as it’s something not to be missed!
*collaborated post
One of the biggest things that has come out of blogging for me is my love for photography.
It is something I know very little about and for a long time I have been meaning to gain some knowledge on how to make the most of my camera and take a better picture.
With this in mind I was very excited to have the opportunity to join in with Maplin Photo Walk in Covent Garden the other day lead by the very talented Kaye Ford.
We followed a route starting in the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden trying to capture the crowds, street performers and the whole ambiance of the buzzing area.
Street photography is something that always scares me and I find it hard to try and incorporate other people into my shots whilst making them interesting.
I took on board some great tips from Kaye and headed into the crowds to try and capture some of the life.
I found it pretty daunting to snap the public but armed with an empty memory card and plenty of enthusiasm my confidence grew and it wasn’t long before the images were racking up.
This is the beauty of the technology we all have access to in this day and age. There is no limit to the amount of images we can take and store.
From Covent Garden we moved onto the vibrant colours of Neals Yard and the uniqueness of Soho.
My love of colour was feed throughout the whole walk and then it was time to feed my belly at the beautiful Brigit’s Bakery.
Cakes galore I indulged my sweet tooth and had a cheeky prosseco while talking over our day.
I came away with a bigger thirst to learn and happy that I had uncovered parts of Lonon that I had never seen before.
It’s been a little over a month now since I became a Nanny and the little bundle of joy has fitted herself into the family as if she has been here forever… although it seems like yesterday I was there watching her come into the world.
One of my biggest regrets through my births was not having enough to photos to look back on.
For me a large part of labour is always a blur and I would love to have been able to capture those moments be they good or bad to document the highs and lows of childbirth.
I spoke to Alice about this and she was more than happy for me to be there with my camera to capture those moments you will never get back.
The original plan had been for Alice to stay at home for as long as she could and then once she had got to the stage she needed to go to the hospital I would meet her and her partner there.
As with many births things don’t go to plan and I got her face timing me at 6.30 in the morning bouncing around on a birthing ball, hair like a mad woman and a real sense of panic on her face.
Anyone that has experienced labour for the first time will understand the worry and fear of the unknown and sometimes all you need is that little bit of reassurance that everything will be ok.
I got round to her as quickly as I could and told her to take it easy as it was going to be a long day!
We reached the stage that she felt the need to go in and although she had managed to get to three centimetres without to much worry there was still that one centimetre to go before she would be admitted.
Home again, food eaten and a long bath was had and it wasn’t long before we were back in the car and in our way back again.
For me this is always an anxious time but Alice was taking things in her stride. Listening to the advice from the midwifes, staying mobile and coping much better than I would have thought…then the fun began!
The birthing pool was filled and for a good while she managed to stay calm and take each contraction as it came with a little help from gas and air.
The pain suddenly got far to imence for her and she started to lose control.
As much as Alice was going through the worst pain she had ever experienced, I was feeling the pain of ultimate helplessness and all I wanted to do was to take that pain away from her but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
She was moved from the birthing pool to the labour ward as she was desperate to have an epidural and being so close I was trying my hardest to talk her round and just battle though those last few centimetres.
In my head I had for her my idea of the perfect birth and as bad as it seems I found it really hard to sit back and let her take control of her own decisions.
That Mum instinct kept kicking in and I realised that she was now a fully grown woman, capable of making her own decisions and I was going to have to let her go ahead and do what was right for her.
With the lack of anethitist and Alice not wanting a drip she managed to get through the next few hours on her own.
Screaming, shouting and in a complete state of panic there was nothing anyone could do to calm her down and it was honestly the most painful thing to watch as a mother.
She had lost control and nothing anyone said or did was going to comfort or calm her and I spend the next hour watching the clock that seemed to be on go slow. It was one of the lifestyle hours of my life.
It is your instinct to want to do all you can to comfort your child and childbirth takes this completely out of your hands.
You can be there but the battle lies with them and all you can do is support them as much as you can until that magical moment happens and your grandchild makes their way into the world.
That overwhelming rush of love flowed through my body in exactly the same was it had done with all my own births.
The tears were flowing and I knew from that moment things were going to change forever.
All the pain, worry and fear had left us both and we were left gazing at this perfect new life that was going to bring us such love.
All those new things we can help her discover, all those milestones that we can enjoy watching are laying out there in front of us as I was enternally grateful to have been allowed to be part of this once in a lifetime experience.
Birth is nothing short of a miracle and each new life coming into this world is a unique and beautiful event.
I was privileged to be able to go through every moment of this with my own daughter and is something that will be etched in my memory forevermore and I am so pleased that Alice now has a collection of these and more intimate photos to look back on and share with her own daughter in many years to come.