Zoe Hodgson's photostream

Zoe Hodgson's photostream on Flickr.

Some new photos from a walk we had around our local nature reserve.

Long overdue update

Things have been very busy here in the Hodgson household and I haven't been keeping up to date with keeping you up to date on here so this is a quick update to show I haven't disapeared.  Mainly I've been making jewellery and starting up in business selling it, Tem's work has been slow but it's meant he's been around to spend time with us and M has been her usual energetic happy self.

Here she is enjoying the sunshine and wearing one of my flower headbands whilst I was trying to get some photographs for the new website (www.madebyzoe.co.uk)

Here is a photo of a ladybird, M really loves ladybirds and can't understand why they don't want to be picked up by her.

A lovely photo of a bee collecting pollen from a Dandilion I spotted whilst Meira and I were playing in the garden a couple of days ago.

January catchup

 A quick catch up with January's events, after a busy Christmas time it doesn't seem to have slowed down at all in January.  On the 6th I had a Mary Kay pamper party with the lovely Barbara Von Ow (http://www.facebook.com/bvonowMK) and we had a lovely evening of pampering, drinks and cooing over my friends newest family addition. Then on the 12th I went to the SWPP convention with Dad and had a fantastic weekend helping out, socialising with friends from last year, making new friends and getting thoroughly re-energised about photography.  So much so that this Friday Tem and I are off the the local Photographic Society meeting for the first time, hopefully it will be something we can do together when we can get a babysitter, and also go individually but keep each other up to date on weeks where we cant get a sitter.

In-between and around all of this I have been making more jewellery, these are photos I have taken for my page on facebook http://www.facebook.com/MadebyZoe and this was before the convention, so maybe now I may think of ironing the background cloth first!  This week I am on an intensive business course to get me started with my making my jewellery to sell.  It is going really well and I have an overload of information to digest this weekend.

Tem has been busy too with his painting, this is one of his Eldar Warlocks, his painting is amazing, the depth and tone of colour he gets is brilliant.

A busy, busy time

A happy New Year to everyone reading this, we seem to have ran straight into it without much notice this year.  Tem and I did stay awake to welcome it in, though we were in bed and reading our books.  This is not a sign of age though! No, most definitely not, just a result of the busy few weeks prior to the 31st. Well, if I'm not convincing you I am at least convincing myself of this.
So first was Christmas, I do not yet have photos of the day, though I'm sure I can get a copy of some soon so here are some of the toys being played with.

We went to Mum and Mike's on Christmas eve to dinner, swap presents and to see Mum's decorations, Mum always has great Christmas decorations.  We did a bit of present delivering and receiving with friends also (thank you Lynn x) before putting up Tom's tree and putting a toy shops worth of presents around it ready for Meira to wake up to.  She loved it in the morning, she was ever so good though and waited to open them until we said. she could.  After we opened our stockings Tem went to pick up his Mum whilst Tom, Meira and I took Daisy for a walk.  Then we opened more presents whilst waiting for Becky to come round for dinner. After dinner Dad and Cheryl came to visit and deliver their presents for us closely followed by Tems Dad who was wanting to see Meira for Christmas day too.  Tom kindly drove us home in the evening where after a few remaining presents a very tired little girl went to bed ready for more visitors on Boxing Day.

On Boxing Day we had my Dad and Cheryl over for lunch, they bought Meiras birthday present with them too so we did let her open it a day early.  That evening Tem and I de-christmas'd the house ready for Meiras birthday on the Wednesday to which she awoke to more presents.  We had Becky and Nick over for lunch and Michael, Wendie and Ava (their grand-daughter) over for tea.  On Thursday Tem took Meira to see His Mum and Auntie and on Friday we had a birthday party for Meira and her friends.

Meira was so excited to have all her friends over, I think we may have to organise a big playdate in the summer.  We didn't attempt any party games but they all had great fun playing with the toys we had out and drawing on the sheet of paper I had stuck to the dining room floor. 

On New Years Day we had another days of visits with my Mum, Tems Dad, Wendie and Ava over for a mouth wateringly tasty piece of gammon cooked by Tem.  Meira also received her final birthday present for this year from my Mum, a play kitchen so she can cook along with Mummy and Daddy.  She absolutely loves it and we have been made many cups of tea so far.

 This one is of Meira using the paints we got here as a part of her Birthday present, as you can imagine she had great fun, as did we.

It's begining to feel like Christmas

With the room decorated now we've been able to take a step back, Tem's had chance to catch his breath, and decorate for Christmas.  Along with the hanging decorations & tinsel from previous years, I found a lovely star for the top of the tree at the local charity shop & we have a lovely Robin in a snowy window which my Grandma sent for Meira last year.  I also got my sewing machine out today and made a draft excluder for the dining/kitchen door. A simple enough thing to make but a good achievement for me as I've not sewed more than a button for quite a while.

Dining room all decorated

Light up, paint & paper all on the walls and even a Christmas tree, Yay!

Decorating & days out

Well its been a little while since I posted so I'll try & remember all the little things we've been up to.  Firstly the decorating has leapt forwards, the walls are plastered & sanders, the ceiling is papered & painted, the coving is just awaiting another coat or two of paint, the woodwork (bar the wall with the radiator) is sanded, sugarsoaped and rinsed. So this weekend we're hoping to finish the woodwork, cleaning & painting, finish the coving, and get the lining paper on the walls.

M & I had a lovely day out with Uncle Tom & Daisy Dog in the week, we went to a local canal where we spent 3 hours walking, eating lunch, getting muddy and spotting ducks & canal boats, it was such good fun.