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And here's a selection of the pictures I took on Sunday. They aren't great but each one was a specific exercise in using my camera correctly and NOT keeping it permanently on the automatic setting! I really learnt a lot and recommend Frui if they pop up on a groupon again!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
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I've always wanted to take a picture where the object I wanted to focus on sort of popped out of the background - and now I understand how to do it - this isn't the most interesting picture but it really showed me how to use aperture to draw peoples eyes to the object I'm wanting them to!
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I went on a fab photography course today that I bought on a Groupon - run by Frui.co.uk it was a beginners guide to DSLR and it was really useful. Our tutor Alex Macro (www.alexmacro.co.uk) is a passionate professional photographer and he was really great at teaching us. We sat and discussed the ISO/Aperture/Shutter speed capabilities and then he took us outside to SHOW us - which I found much more helpful.
So here is Alex demonstrating how important shutter speed is when taking pictures of fast moving things!
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I've decided to branch out with my singing classes and set up on my own at a restaurant in Catford. They have a fab room under the restaurant where they run a playgroup and as of the 5th December will have me in my new incarnation - I asked for suggestions for names on Facebook and this was the most popular!
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I went up to London tonight for an acting workshop which was brilliant. I have a strange tradition - if I'm up in town I HAVE to stop by this statue - my favourite - and touch Oscar's hand. He's one of the reasons my son is called Oscar...love him...
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This little rose is blooming in our garden. In November....it's rather beautiful but rather wierd to see it in full bloom at this time of year!
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For some unknown reason Toby dragged the pop up post office toy down from the playroom and proceeded to entertain us with a puppet show - using our baby einstein puppets that we haven't played with for ages. It mainly consisted of the tiger roaring at the monkey and them both fighting eachother.....
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Rob has been in America all week for work and came home this morning. The boys were overjoyed to see him and mobbed him on the sofa!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
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The infant school has been selling balloons for CIN and this was the launch. Each child's balloon has their name on it and the address of the school - we let them all off and the one that gets the furthest (if anyone actually sends the tag back) will win a giant teddy.
Lovely to have had blue skies for this launch even though it's mid-November!
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We snuck off to Bluewater today after dropping off the kids (apart from Claud) to look for spotty boys clothes for Children In Need. James and Toby can wear their own clothes but it's a spotty theme for CIN and have you any idea how hard it is to find boys' clothes with spots on?
We didn't succeed. But we had a nice coffee/smoothie and I played with Hipstamatic, my new camera app to make these pics so purple!
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It's the festive season and glitter is everywhere...I saw these shoes in M&S and I covet them.
Unfortunately I cannot walk in any kind of heel (even 1 inch ones) so they can never be mine........
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On Tuesday I picked up James from school and then Anne came over with Claudia and Hope and Alice and we had a Mcdonalds Feast. (Well the kids did).
Due to a burst water main, the traffic was insane and poor Anne had to park a few streets away and walk up to mine with 3 girls and 2 sacks of McD's....and it was quite late by the time she got there so we didn't have a huge amount of time to talk!
Oscar was, as usual, was all over Alice and ecstatic that she was there (for about 10 minutes then he started playing his DS)
Alice had a chip and a party ring so she was also ecstatic!
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After Weightwatchers on Monday we escaped to Sapporo! Since I hadn't eaten all day, Clare and I got there first and managed to polish off quite a lot before the others joined us!
As is becoming tradition, we had to take a cheesy self portrait! LOVE her....
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I'm filling again....this is another Toby creation - axe wielding Sir Clown.....eek!
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I've been meaning to go to Brockley Market since it opened a few weeks ago - then I was the lucky winner of their 1.000th follower on Twitter and won a round of drinks from Dark Fluid Coffee so had to go! Took my friend Liz and her family and we had a lovely wander around. It's not cheap - probably the most expensive of the local farmers' markets, but the quality and variety is amazing.
As are the doughnuts! Absolutely the best bit!
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I got Toby some lego figures for the plane journey. He has a surreal imagination at the best of times and has been making bizarre combinations ever since. This is Mr Pie Head. And his gun....
Sunday, November 13, 2011
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Looking back at all the pictures from our holiday, these two are my favourites. Unfortunately Kirsti took em! But I'm still stealing them and posting them here....Love my boys....
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I bought this back in September, when Oscar's tooth was first wobbly. As you know, it fell out when we were in Detroit and I safely kept it and brought it back to put in this beautiful little silver box. It looks so small out of his mouth! Shhhhh....don't tell!
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One thing I was looking forward to though....getting home to my new iPhone! My first iPhone and yes, it's the 4S and I love it. I immediately (although jetlagged) went out and changed my sim to activate it and bought a blingtastic purple cover. My lovely mother had charged it for me so it was good to go! Hoorah! Amazing camera too....
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It was an amazing holiday - the best Halloween ever for the boys and my sis worked her butt off to spoil us all rotten. It was very hard to say goodbye.....
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One of the boys favourite things to do has been go to the local parks here in Detroit. They love it. Zip slides, mad climbing frames.....I don't mind as my lovely sister also goes to the drive thru starbucks on the way. Today was also the day I first drove in America! I've been too scared to do so before but was jonesing for a little ME time - so I drove to Oakland Mall and had a minishopping spree!
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And also the day after Halloween, it's Christmas in America as the red cups come out so I had my first Eggnog latte of the season. Whilst in America I also discovered Pumpkin Spice Lattes which they don't do over here and I bloody wish they did!
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So the day after Halloween (probably helped by all the candy) Oscar's first ever wobbly tooth fell out. The American tooth fairy visited and he got $5 AND £2 cos it was his first! My baby is growing up!
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And finally Halloween proper! We all dressed up and the boys trick or treated the neighbourhood and got a TON of candy. Brilliant brilliant fun. Next year it's going to suck in comparison. We weighed Oscar's haul from the last few days - 6lbs of candy.....
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We went to Greenfield Village to trick or treat. It was amazing - dark dark dark but lit by pumpkins. There were various costumed people around and this man just seemed to look perfect stood next to me! Oz was most disappointed that the first two trick or treat stations gave him an apple and a toy'
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Whenever I'm in the States, some of my girlfriends always come and see me...not so many this year but Kate drove ALL THE WAY from Cincinnati for one night of wonderfulness - Drag Queen Bingo! Tiff won the first round. We laughed, ate pizza and stayed up till 2am talking. So grateful for my friends.
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And so, the Friday before Halloween was our first official trick or treat at Detroit Zoo. The boys loved it. The reptile house was full of plastic dismembered body parts and you got a lot of sweets. What more could you want? I as you can see, dressed as Queen Elizabeth, Toby is a Clone Trooper and Oz a Jawa
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Zehnder's Splash Village is the most amazing hotel. Not only is it next to the biggest Christmas store in the world but it also has a water park off it's reception. We spent 6 hours in it. There's a giant water bucket that empties on your head every five minutes. Kirsti and the boys loved it!
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We went to Frankenmuth overnight. It's a mad place outside Detroit which is called "Little Bavaria". Lots of large Americans wearing Leiderhosen. But I love it. We stayed in a water park hotel (more tomorrow) and ate at Zehnders which does the best fried chicken dinners ever. And Oz and I found one of these. LOVE this pic!
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The autumn colours are amazing in Detroit - real reds and purples. Love how Toby's hair matches the leaves....
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Rob usually does the carving in our house (if we get round to doing it at all). This was my first ever pumpkin carve and I'm quite proud of it!
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And so...our first real day in America and we did a very American tradition - went to a cider mill with a pumpkin patch. Had cider, donuts, corn dogs (I had two) and played on haystacks and in corn mazes. We picked four pumpkins!
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Thanks to the DS and medication, the flight wasn't quite as bad as I imagined though it was pretty rough. I was exhausted by the time we touched down so on the way home from the airport, my lovely sister stopped at my favourite place....IHOP! Chicken fried steak, eggs, hash browns, pancakes and a LOT of coffee (I still look dead rough in the pic though!)
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We go to Detroit tomorrow! I'm flying on my own with the boys....argh! Pass the valium!
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Considering he's scared of most animals...dogs, cats etc...Oz does quite like squirrels. And considering he has ADHD, he's bloody good at staying very still so they literally eat out of his hand!
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It has been remarkably sunny! This is Oscar in his favourite tree at Manor Park...his favourite cos it's so easy to climb!
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