Friday, December 19, 2014

Carry On Louie!

I know, you only heard from me the other day BUT I had to post this!

As some of you know Louie dances, he does ballet, lyrical and tap. He is great at all of these but tap is his favorite and he is simply fantastic...don't take my word for it, check this out!

{He performed earlier today at his school (thanks Linda for transporting the stage!). He choreographed  the dance himself....}


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

'Twas The Week Before Christmas.................

So folks here we are, not sure about you but the countdown clock is screaming right now for us. So I thought some calm might be in order. When I looked at my photos I saw that I had some from November. It was so lovely to see color!  I thought that I should share that. 

As we hurtle towards Christmas and the end of the Year it is often a time to reflect. For us it has been a some what tricky year and I am hoping that next year will be better.......slim hope but that's what drives us on. What we do have far out weighs what we don't and that is a good thing to acknowledge. Health and happiness is what it really is about. We work on both of those but also for me it is the people that I have in my life that make all the difference and I have people here and far away that make me smile. Even in rough times it is the journey and who we have with us and I carry that always. So thank you all for the love, support and friendship, it means the world!

Now for some color!!! and look at how quick we were Winter!!!
 Well a winter blog wouldn't be complete without a Cardinal, this was a really cold day and I spied this bird between our house and the next door neighbours.....how fluffy is he!
Now this shot was a funny thing, my Friend Ruth said you have to come and look what has been left by the park. She had literally driven from work on the way home and saw this.... The light was fading fast and there on the corner left minding it's own business was this crib. Great condition, but bizarre it was left there and people do that here, leave things for people to take for free.....so that's what this is but it did make us laugh especially when I saw the cot had wheels. Maybe it got there under it's own steam !!!. What I do know is that less than 24hrs later it was gone!

OK I know this is idyllic, it is of course Longwood Gardens. On a crisp late fall day. Just Divine!

They have such wonderful green houses and this is a rare shot with no one in it!


This is a shot of some of the chrysanthemums that they show every year and this is part of this years display.



Something that absolutely fascinates me is the Ginkgo trees. This one is Doris's my friend and it is huge, she watered it some thirty years ago when planted daily and it is a monster of a tree now. But I wait patiently every year for the "leaf drop". Ginkgo's here go and go staying green almost the last to turn and then bright yellow they go. Normally it is the first really cold night that does for them and BOOM, leaf  drop. They drop the leaves all in one go. So the drop had begun in the night and the leaves carpeted the road. The traffic had stirred them but otherwise the whole road would have been yellow!

This tree had 'rained' onto a car..........by the end of the day the leaves would have all fallen and not one would be left on the tree.

This is one of the wasps nests long abandoned still hanging on.

Thanksgiving saw snow for us and this was the garden

Along my walk one morning I saw this bush covered and I thought that it was so pretty!


Now this is serious business, this is tree gathering, we have the trolley....

We have Man with a Saw!

We are testing the tree height...this is going on a small car

I love this picture Louie really is sizing this one up.

Some ballet moves in the forest, think this is general exuberance

Yup on someone older it is just embarrassing!!!!

This shot was great, once I told Damian NOT to hug Louie with a saw across our youngest body!!

Tree selected and down and now Damian is telling us, like a big fish story, that the tree was ' this big'.

Look at Louie, literally, how happy is he. Just perfect.

They thought that this looked funny, teeny tiny tree!!!! (No we left him for next year, they were pretending to cut it down)

Tree loaded and off home. The good thing about a small short car is you don't have to reach far for the roof!
This was on my walk a week ago, such a pretty shot.

This is this morning as first light was coming on my walk by the University. So lovely.

The light shinning on the Water Tower was amazing, it glowed this morning




Here is the tree, decorated and lit. Hard to get a 'good Christmas tree shot'. But this tree is so fluffy and lovely, just the right size and Louie built a train track around the bottom. Just perfect. Hopefully you get the idea.

I truly wish that you all have the most wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Love always Miranda xxxx




Thursday, November 6, 2014

October, wow!

I have just downloaded my pictures and I am now amazed at everything that we did this month. No wonder I am tired. As always I have a grand selection of boy shots and some of them smiling, that always feels like a mini victory!

I also have to say that the blog is good for one thing it does make me focus on the nice things. I don't take pictures of pooh stuff so that means that I look back editing the photos and it seems lovely. As we know that isn't always the case but we can look at these snaps with rose tinted spectacles and imagine an idyllic life!!! ah bliss.

But one of the real life amazing things that happens at this time of the year is the colour. My goodness it is just so glorious it almost hurts your eyes. Whether it is a windy day, or bright or my new favorite dull, the leaves simply glow!

So we kick off with a super moon evening.
 Really amazing moon shots and the one below is just spectacular. This was the moon one night on the way to dance down the road. Louie and I just had to stop and stare!

Louie is always telling me he wants to walk across town so we do sometimes and this is some of the things that we spotted along the way.


We ended up in Everhart Park and what a feast for the eyes the trees were that day.



What a sweetie pie!


Bearing in mind that this was the beginning of October the leaves were really showing their colors. Just lovely.


Thoughtful Louie

I am sure that I have said that the trees here are massive and this scale picture with Damian and Louie at the bottom of this Oak, show how huge these trees are.

The berries on this one really were stunning.

This is the Pumpkin Carving party that we had at the house with Louie's Dance team! He had a ball!

Here he is drumming on the Gathering Drumming and the girls were dancing away!

This was the finished result just wonderfully carved pumpkins!

Then it was founders day and the three boys were on the pitch playing soccer together. So I had to try and capture the moment. Damian is in blue and red shorts.

Damian running mid stride and Louie also...he is wearing long black joggers and a blue t shirt to the left of the picture

And of course here is Isaac, hair tied back and he has the stripey socks on....aka vagabonds Rugby socks....

All three boys on the pitch

And this is the result of that running around malarkey....breather time Mr F?

Louie is literally with both feet off the ground...he is floating...

So the words coming out of Louie's mouth are s**t that guy is coming towards me



Ah nice picture...But Damian does look a bit done in, hey don't quote me on that.
There is a tree on our street and every year it turns this amazingly bright yellow...wow

OK I know this looks creepy but Louie made this arm for Halloween...part of his Steam Punk outfit...see later

 SPIRIT WEEK
MONDAY PJ DAY

TUESDAY TWINS DAY

WEDNESDAY VINTAGE DAY

sometimes it takes a few goes to get the smile......


Ok so the smile makes him look mad. But he's trying.....

The park just was looking so leafy...the floor literally carpeted with leaves

Like this shot and the parallels..

Those fall colors again


RAINBOW THURSDAY

AND FRIDAY WAS HALLOWEEN...ONE SKINNY MANX MAN...literally he turns sideways and disappears..can you see him looking at me in the reflection...yup that is a scowl.

But at least Louie is taking this seriously...

Ok that might also be a mad look...

But jolly ManxMan

I love this picture, they are truly engaged with each other.

Oh and me! dressed as Steam Punk...honest it was the best I could do.

Isaac's evening garb...totally awesome dude. We really had a blast this Halloween. Isaac is already thinking what we can dress as next year and that coming from the person who doesn't like to dress up. Way to go Issy.

This was a breezy walk one Sunday.

down by the university.


one of those wasp nests clinging on.


This is us this morning doing a selfie at the bus stop and doesn't Isaac's face say it all...what the h**l mum! You are so annoying, or words to that effect.....I love it.

My walk this morning was damp, very damp but the leaves were amazing. I know I have over used that word but really there aren't enough superlatives to describe the colours and the leaves...


And finally my new /old porch lamp shade from California..ordered while Damian was away. I broke the other on Halloween trying to get the green bulb in and then had a heart attack trying to find anything remotely like the one we have. This darling is not like it but boy is it interesting and from Esty..so I will see if my electrician aka Damian boy wonder can affix this one :) 

Love to you all near and far...till next time.