oct, 31st - halloween....

day 991 / 90:

so, what's the verdict? i think that this may become one of my new favourite holidays.

happy halloween!

oct, 30th - pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons....

day 990 / 89:

halloween is still a bit of a novelty in our house. neither A. nor i experienced halloween in Australia and South Africa, growing up.....so we're playing catch-up on the traditions. there's been plenty of preparation over the last couple of days....i guess that's the great thing about having kids, you get to absorb yourself in these holidays in a way that would seem odd otherwise....

this year, there were many firsts.......i carved my first pumpkins (with Limi's help and exclamations of 'we're carving pumpkins'...'we're carving pumpkins'.....!) and we roasted the seeds for Limi to try.....i also had to do my first school-bake....so, i went for gingerbread ghosts fashioned from my Christmas angel cookie-cutter (probably a first for these two holidays to collide)....and after desperately wanting to make all Limi's and Claya's costumes from scratch, i've realised that after the debacle on Limi first year {see day 258} i can probably only manage to customise something. so this year, we're combining two celebrations and they are dressing up as Day of the Dead/ Halloween. 

tomorrow i'll show you the results and you can grade us on how we're doing for halloween novices.

oct, 29th - h&m supports unicef....

day 989 / 88:

i am absolutely blown away by the kids collection that h&m did in support of unicef.....the clothes, the branding, this film and the causes that they are supporting: children in the cotton growing community in  Tamil Nadu, India and children in the garment making community in Dhaka, Banglabesh, all make this an incredible campaign. i couldn't resist half the collection....especially the dress-up pieces...and when it all arrived, I was especially impressed by the superb quality.

hopefully i'll get to capture more of the collection but this dress has to be my favourite non-dress-up item.

p.s. we've been following the news closely and i hope everyone is keeping safe in the US and other areas affected by the hurricane.

oct, 28th - ballet....

day 988 / 87:

Limi has started ballet. i was keen for her to start tap instead {after this groundwork - see day 503} but they will only take them from five. dance classes bring back so many memories of my own childhood. i started ballet and tap at five and i'm sure that i was already convinced that i was as graceful as a swan. now, i get to see it from my mum's perspective who was probably thinking more along the lines of 'as graceful as a foal in rollerskates'. honestly, Limi's ballet class has become the highlight of my week (i have to hide my giggling behind my scarf.....is it bad to say that i've actually had tears rolling down my face?). the only swan in this class, is the teacher, who was a prima ballerina for the London Royal Ballet and makes walking across the room look like an extract from Swan Lake. the rest are a dozen mini rhinos in trainers with the laces tied together. 

i was anti putting Limi into ballet this young but the structure of these classes is so brilliant that i decided to go ahead. the classes all follow a make believe story and the ballet positions are taught via the storyline e.g. going on a picnic and eating a long sandwich (second position of the arms). wonderfully, they are also accompanied by a live pianist. i did wonder what Limi would make of the teacher's sing-song voice and the girliness of it all.....but she is just as captivated as the other eleven girls. my favourite moments have been when the girls are asked (and guided) into a line and within a few steps the line disintegrates into a rugby scrum or; they were pretending to be graceful reindeer prancing across the room but resembled those stomping rhino instead or; when they were telling the story of Cinderella and hopping across the room on one booted foot (which is just a cruel thing to ask two year olds to do). and usually what tips me over the edge, is the curtsey at the end of each lesson where every girl resembles twisted spaghetti and at least one falls over in a tangled mess.

but they are completely oblivious to what they look like from our perspective (which is brilliant), they get to dress up in tutus/ wings/ whatever takes their fancy every week, take part in some fantastical adventure and try and imitate extreme elegance (and i'm sure in their heads, completely nail it)....so i'm not surprised that Limi is always excited on 'ballet days'.

i haven't had my camera to hand so i've captured it via Instagram (i've recently become hooked on this again). so, if you want to follow the ballet days and more mundane moments of our days, then you can find me here.

and in case you are experiencing any start-of-week blues, then this will cheer you up. it's not Limi's class (but it closely resembles it)......

oct, 25th - jamie....

day 985 / 84:

we met some friends for lunch at one of Jamie Oliver's new British restaurants (his ventures seem to be springing up fast and furiously around town). i do love his ethos of fresh, simple and good ingredients and use his cookbooks (well, let's be honest, used to use his cookbooks pre-small-kids) but i'm not the hugest fan of chain restaurants (unless it's this small chain). but, given the all-things-British year that we're having, this restaurant felt quite apt. his design team have certainly done a god job on making you feel like you've stepped into a Famous Five annual.....

we did love the fresh lemonade, snack of homemade fish fingers and as for A.'s pork and stilton pizza......it was worth travelling for.

oct, 24 - in the detail....

day 984 / 83:

i found this sweet top on sale for Limi. it's by April Showers by Polder. i love the detail of the black ribbon at the back. it reminds me of this dress. it's not surprising that this label is designed by two Dutch sisters who have learnt their trade in France. there is a 'romantic yet practical' air about this piece.

oct, 23rd - and so to bed....

day 983 / 82:

i love bed-scenes {see day 171, day 567 and day 434}. i think that if i had the time, i would love to capture a series of portraits of families in bed. i think that it would show the 'behind the scenes' view that posed family portraits don't often capture.

oct, 22nd - king's cross ice-cream festival....

day 982 / 81:

back in August, we went to the King's Cross Ice-cream Festival held in Granary Square. Granary Square, is a new public space in the King's Cross development and is situated on a historic railway goods yard dating back to the 1850s. it's a beautiful space and i'd be very keen to visit more events here in the future.

the ice-cream festival brought together talented ice-cream makers from around the country, who set up their vans around the square and scooped to the crowds until the last icy morsel was gone. the festival celebrated ice-cream from it's originator (the cow) to traditional methods and then onto the latest technology (liquid nitrogen).

Limi got to milk a fibre-glass cow; pet goats, sheep and cows; build sandcastles on the beach and wash off in the fountains.....and for most of that, either my mum or A. stood in our chosen ice-cream queue for Ginger's Comfort Emporium, only to see every flavour except two sell-out. so instead of our first choices of hazelnut, truffle and chocolate or salted caramel and peanut butter ball.....we had to make do with marmalade on toast and orange blossom sorbet. they were surprisingly delicious. even though i'm not a fan of marmalade, it really was an incredible flavour: chewy, creamy and toasted. Limi loved it. i had the orange blossom sorbet which transported me straight back to Marrakesh and i felt like i'd dived head-first into a refreshing, riad fountain. so, if you ever see the pink Ginger's Comfort Emporium van in your neighbourhood, i definitely suggest that you join the queue.....it's worth the wait.

oct, 21st - conversations with a two year old....

day 981 / 80:

whilst making blueberry pancakes with A. over the weekend and listening to Bob Marley, Limi says:

'I like this Gruffalo soldier song'

oct, 18th - fred and mabel....

day 978 / 77:

a good friend has started a small business called Fred & Mabel. with her partner (mum of Fred), they are selling vintage toys and creating beautiful cut-out images and words using gorgeous old fabrics. they are both mums who worked in the creative industry and are now trying to find that balance between having careers and being the main childminders. i love what they are doing.

they had their first stand at a Vintage Home Show over the weekend and their space looked incredible. i had to leave before i bought up all their stock, although i did snap up an old school slate board, a teapot for Limi (in pink....yes, old pink), a lace collar for Claya, the abacus in the second picture, above and the trolley horse.....i could have bought more.

they take commissions for their cut-out prints and will ship their toys worldwide. 

p.s. this is not a sponsored post :) but i do get handed these brown paper packages by Bon {see day 975 / 74}

[Limi sneaking off with the loot?]