Three Years Old...

The twins turned three a couple of weeks ago. How time flies (and all that). Although, joking aside, it is astonishing how much of a human being you get after such a relatively short time. The rate of learning at this age is simply mind-blowing - from a thing that can do nothing to a child that can talk, walk, joke, laugh, get angry, get scared, imagine, do puzzles, etc., etc. All in only three years.

Anyway, here is a recent photo of them, taken just before Joe & Ruth's wedding:



And a shot taken on their birthday after an afternoon in the park (with face-painting for Maddie):

A Splendid Day...

My brother got married yesterday. It was a great day and a very proud moment for me to see my younger brother tie the knot, as they say. Joe and his new wife, Ruth, left for their honeymoon this afternoon, leaving Bath on train before flying off to the Maldives for a two week holiday in paradise.

The twins participated in the wedding itself. Maddie was the flower girl and Morgan was the Page Boy. Their roles were largely symbolic. In fact, their only duty was to walk in and out of the church with the wedding party, which Maddie was unable to do without my accompaniment. So, I became an ad hoc member of the wedding party too.

The reception was at a fantastic venue on the outskirts of Bath and was a wonderful event. Even though we had to leave three hours before it finished so that we could get the kids in bed.

What a great day. What a great happening for Joe and Ruth. And I wish them all the best.

It's A Funny Old Game...

Photography, that is. Yesterday, myself and four photography-enthusiast friends were given a great opportunity. We were allowed onto the roof of Bath Abbey for half an hour to take photos. The view from up there was amazing and the weather wasn't too bad for photography. And yet, my shots are nearly all somewhat underwhelming. I will post some of them to my Flickr photostream fairly soon (to document the day, of nothing else) but I think that relative to the significance of the event, the photos are mostly insignificant.

However, on a trip to Bradford On Avon last weekend with the family I was able to take a few photos of the Tithe Barn, one of which is probably one of the best photos I've ever taken. So it just goes to show, you never can tell. Anyway, here it is:



The boy was slowly making his way along the wall toward the light and I knew that if I waited long enough it might make for a good shot. And luckily, it did.

Announcing...

I'm pleased to say that the next stage of the .sunfacethirteen. network is up and running. I now have an online photographic portfolio that hopefully showcases some of my best work. While photography is still only a small part of what I offer as a freelance designer/artworker, I am hoping that it will become something more substantial within my skill set. My specific area of interest is urban photography, concentrating on often overlooked details, such as the following:

   



However, I am an enthusiast for nearly all areas of photography and hopefully my portfolio reflects that. The portfolio will co-exist with my Flickr photostream, which will still be the main forum for my photography, being constantly added to, as it is.

Anyone interested in my photography can contact me by any number of means available. Either by email address or phone number (listed on the portfolio), contact form the .sunfacethirteen. portal website, or via this blog.

The end of a project and a birthday...

My 365 Days project ended on the 7th of February. I managed to take a self-portrait every day for a full year without missing a single day. I am quite proud of myself. But, boy, am I glad it's over?! Here's how I bowed out (it's a photomosaic made up of images from the entire 365 days):



In other news, we celebrated Marla's birthday on Friday with a meal out with her work colleagues in Bristol. And then on Saturday we had another meal out, this time with family and friends in Bath. Both meals were splendid.

Most excellent news...

Andy and Fi's brand new baby daughter, Ava Grace, was born this morning at 5:02am. 7lbs 2oz. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyclistphotography/2233591181

And now the end is near...

My 365 days project on Flickr is drawing to a close. Only two weeks left to go. But, they say that when one door closes another one opens. But what will I do next? I'm not sure. I might focus on The Pact and try to make taking photos of ordinary things more interesting. I don't know. Anyway, here are some images from the last 351 days:



    

Long Time No See...

Oh my goodness.

Shall we just forget about the last three months and start fresh?

We're in the middle of some wet weather. Floods are threatening areas of the country (specifically in Gloucestershire) that have already been flooded twice in the last 8 or 9 months. Our front door has expanded so much due to all the moisture that we almost can't open/close it. We had a stream/river flowing down a road near our house a few days ago. Here is a photo of the remnants:



The kids are two years and four months old now and seem to be coming along very nicely. They are talking a lot, making some sense, and learning new words every day. Maddie is still fearless, energetic and naughty. Morgan is still affectionate, funny and sensitive.





I'm into the last month of my 365 Days project. It has been fun and challenging trying to take a self-portrait photograph everyday, but just this last month or so I've found it really tough. Still, I've got this far and the end is in sight. It does mean that I carry my camera with me all of the time, which allows me to take photos when I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. I've also started experimenting a bit with stitched panoramic images, where you take a series of sequential shots of one view and then stitch them together later to create a "panorama". Here is one such shot, while not what is traditionally thought of as a panorama, it is two images stitched together.

Back In The UK...

We returned from Ibiza on Saturday. Despite my dad not being with us, we had a very nice time. The weather was great for the first few days and then changeable for the last few, but it did not dampen our spirits. The kids had a great time playing on the various beaches we went to. They especially loved digging the sand and making piles and things. If the weather had stayed hot and sunny I would have said that it is the perfect time of year to visit Ibiza because the clubbing season is almost completely over. There are no crowds at all and yet the water is still relatively warm and the weather is quite good. The worst of the weather though for us was saved for the last day. For much of the afternoon and evening it poured down torrentially. But it actually made for quite a fun time. The kids loved playing in the puddles and drips, and the adults amongst us just sheltered under the awning of a restaurant and drank beer/coke/miscellaneous beverages. There will be photos soon.

We returned home in time to see the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and France. Oh boy was that a tense affair. With England managing to defeat the heavily favoured hosts 14-9. It followed England's fine 12-9 victory over Australia the week before (again against a strongly favoured foe), which we were able to see in a restaurant in Ibiza. Now all that remains is a final confrontation with South Africa. England will once again be heavy underdogs, which might actually work in their favour. If England manage to win, they will be the first team ever to retain the Rugby World Cup (after winning it in Australia in 2003).

One last item: my dad appears to be almost fully recovered from the bike accident. He went to work for a little while yesterday morning, which - even though he still needs to be careful not to over do things - is a good sign.

Off We Go...

So, we're off to Ibiza early tomorrow morning. Leaving the house at 3:00am in fact. That'll be nice.

My dad will definitely not be coming with us, which is a huge shame. But it does look as though my mum will be coming - it all depends on what the doctor says when they go to see him this afternoon. We have car hire all booked for when we arrive and we have a pretty good idea of how to find the resort, so... see you in just over a weeks time - hopefully with lots of good photos!

Bye.