1/52/2015

Hello Stranger!

The first of 52 portraits of them together, this year. 

My little duo. Fin is watching Claud's mouth moves, eager to learn how to sing the a, b,c song. They like to do duets, but Claud is over twinkle twinkle little star and let it go, which are the only songs Fin can sing so she is encouraging him expand his repertoire. It's all singing and dancing here, me included, freshly free from studies and night feeds and relentless gardening (the studies were horticultural). Wahoo!

I have kept up with your blogs, albeit in a read-only capacity over the last year, so I don't feel I've missed a thing not being in this space. However, since I don't keep a diary and never get around to printing photographs I expect I shall rue not recording our days here in the future.
And so here I am again, footloose and fancy free so to speak. I shall get around soon to setting up a new blog as blackbirdshaspspoken.com has been ripped off by the hosting company Google recommended (they want US $300 to give it back. Bastards). Feel free to continue to follow there if you are into cremations and golf clubs.

So how are you?

Happy New Year!

Max x

6/52/14

Fin-The serious business of having fun.

Claud-The long wait over; watching his wings dry.



See you on Tuesday for the Op-Shop Show-Off.


Week six of the 2014 Portrait Project at Practising Simplicity.

4/52/14 Portraits Of My Children

Fin-Scrumptious and serious.

Claud-Laughter on legs.


Week 4 of the Portrait project at Practising Simplicity.

Portrait Project 2/52/14

Fin-Likes to play crawl-chase and busts in to peals of laughter when his family get down on all fours and say "chase me Fin, chase me".

Claud-Likes to skip everywhere, and breaks out in impromptu dance routines of her own devising when particularly happy.



Week 2/52 of the weekly Portrait Project at Practising Simplicity

*My favourite from last week was Leonie's lovelies

Portraits of My Children: 1/52/14

Findlay-Film star good looks down the paddling pool.

Claudine-Awaiting the judge at the sandcastle contest today.


Week one of the 2014 Portrait Project at Practising Simplicity.


Happy New Year to you all. I trust your holidays were stupendous orgies of eating and relaxation, like ours.
I'm having another go at this blogging lark, including the 52 portraits. I may be sporadic. Back on Tuesday with the Op-shop Show-Off though, promise!

45/52

Just sneaking in week 45/52 portraits of my children in 2013, in the nick of time...

Claudine
Gardening from a nearly 4 year old perspective. It's all about the mud and sprinklers.

Findlay
Almost nearly nine months and upright. I do believe we'll have a walker by Christmas!


Joining the portrait project for the 45th time this year, over there at Che and Fidel.

44/52

Claudine-At messy play. She thought the squelching noise of her wellies on the way home was absolutely hilarious.

Findlay-Having examined the entire perimeter of the house and garden he is now attempting to scale Mount. Mama and other upright unexplored territory...

Taking part in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel

43/52

 

 Findlay-"Aww, you look so cute, let me just get my camera... Fin...Fin?". He found his feet last week, this week he found fast.

Claudine-Post sausage sizzle, mid-terrier racing, pre-bouncy castle blowing over. All the fun of the A & P show (in a gale).



Week 43/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013. This year is passing as fast than a terrier after a cat!

42/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Claudine-Ever since we mentioned she might be getting a bit too heavy for the backyard swing she has swung at every opportunity, apparently desperate to squeeze every last swing out of the thing before she has to hand it over to lighter little brother.The promise to build her a tree house in recompense is helping us avoid the shriek-y 'but it's mine" tears.


Findlay-The forager, eating dandelion leaves. He's also eaten cat biscuits and half the contents of his sister art box this week. Aided to raid by his new-found skills in wall-to-wall rolly-polys, pushing up on all fours, crawling backwards, and then crawling forwards-all in the space of one week. OMG. It's all on!


Week 42/52 of the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.

41/52

Claudine-Was desolate that the orphan lamb had no name and christened her "Blackberry", a general name applied to all nameless creatures, such as the dead bumblebee on the windowsill ("I can't wait until Blackberry wakes up and comes to play").

Findlay-In mutual dotingness with his 13 year old cousin Quinten, from who's lap he didn't shift all afternoon.


Week 41 of the year long portrait project based at Che and Fidel.


Back to ye olde iphone for me next week as a certain someone who shall not be named but who is currently in the dog box fatally dropped my DSLR this afternoon....

*My favourite from last week was this cosy reader at We Stood Together.

40/52

Findlay
Is serious about food in general, but asparagus in particular. Other food gets waved, flapped, slapped and dropped as a prelude to being stuffed in, but asparagus is different. He quietly, tidily concentrates until every tiny little bit is all gone, and then looks sad it is all gone!

Claudine
On our first beach visit of the seasonal year, an impromptu trip to Corsair Bay en-route elsewhere. "Let's go catch fish with our hands" she shrieked theatrically, whilst rapidly disrobing and wading in.




Only 12 weeks left of Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.


* My favourites from last week were the roly-poly princess and cheeky Bell

39/52

Findlay-Claudine has an infectious, rolling giggle, Fin chortles. Especially when tickled by big-sis. He looks like he would chortle doesn't he!

Claudine-At the 'come as your favourite book character' night at the library. Still, inimitably Claud; all dirty and nose-picky.



My photos have gone all weird and grainy. Please laptop, don't die, please, I'm begging you...


Week 39 I think, of the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel

38/52

Claudine
My little spring-sprite prancing to Glazunov and pretending to "poop" out eggs!
She is wearing a Whole Family Rhythms inspired jasmine crown (I won their Spring workbook, lucky me). She wore the crown none stop. Plastic tiaras no longer required in this household-hurrah!

Findlay
Dribble, dribble, dribble. Chew, chew, chew. Drool, drool, ping! First tooth officially popped.

 Participating in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel once again by the skin of my teeth-Fin is sick again :0(



*My favourite this week was the magical portrait at the end, of child riding dog. wow.

37/52

Findlay: You were a dear wee newborn the last time you grass-basked. Now look at you: all tree trunk thighs and grass-grasping, on the very verge of forward motion...

Claudine-Is so happy her self-shorn hair is regrowing ("I'll be a princess by Christmas mama"). Me, I am so happy the flicks and curls are reoccurring!


Just another week in the life of my kids, and of the portrait project at Che and Fidel.



*My particular favourite from last weeks collection was this jolly jumper at Piper and Poppies

36/52

Findlay-black and white is hard; luckily posing is just an extended game of peek-a-boo to you.


Claudine-Whispering sweet nothings into her bunny's ear, so gentle and loving.

Participating in the Portrait Project once again this week, over at Che and Fidel.

Here are myy prior portraits, if you'd like to take a gander.

*my favourite this week was this timeless pastel portrait at Typically Red.

35/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Claudine-As tractor mad as her little brother. Her tractor driving nana thinks it's genetic.


Findlay-Keeping his eye on the bird Claudine rescued from the mouth of the cat (her first animal rescue ala Diego). 



Taking part again in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.



*My favourites from last week were this little escape artist at Creating in Colour, this amazing face at Bluebirds of Happiness and the little mud dowser at The Golden Adventures of a Very Dark Horse.

34/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Findlay-This photo is begging for a caption. "Ok, I can sit, I can drive a tractor; now where are the car keys?".

Claudine-On her way home from kindy. Me "you have pollen on your nose". Claud "That's because I'm a bee mama".



Joining in the fun of the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.



* My favourites from last week were these three by the sea

33/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Claudine. At her Saturday morning swimming lesson. She worships her teachers: ballet, kindy, and mama. Tim-the-swim is no exception. Dive to the bottom to pick up a 'dropped' thing or jump into the deep end, she will do anything for him. A fish like her father, she can swim a few meters unaided now.

Findlay-His first solid food, this afternoon. He is two days shy of 6 months but we decided better his first meal a roast with the family on a relaxed Sunday than who knows what with just me in the midweek rush. Beef was gnawed, potato smeared and peas chased overboard. Such a happy, mucky baby!



This weeks efforts towards the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel. My previous portraits in the series are here.

32/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Claudine-Emerging from her den in the lavender hedge.

3 years of following the cat and worrying hedgehogs in there and she has formed a little crawl hole from one end to the other. It's also the source of bird wings for her nature table (the cat favour green finches and wax eyes). It really needs pulling out and replanting but we can't let Fin miss out on the fun now can we?

Speaking of whom, there will be no Fin photo this week as he is super sick (Bronchiolitis). Quite apart from the fact I haven't put him down in a couple of days, I've no interest in a portrait of his misery. We're spending the weekend in bed together, skin on skin; him sleeping mainly, thankfully, (he cries pitifully when awake) and me surfing, coffee sipping and worrying...


Participating for the 32 nd week (!) in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.



* I was quite taken by little miss painted face last week. A striking face with and without war paint I imagine.

31/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Fin-Frolicking in washing pile mountain, the only mountain we've been near this winter.


Claud-The real Winter Story-in bed, sick, with yet another bug.


Joining in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel once again. My prior photo portraits are here if you'd like to see them?


p.s  My favourite from last week was of that boy breakfasting at Bluebirds of Happiness