What matters most?

John Lewis insurance recently invited me to take part in a competition they are running under the banner of "What Matters Most."

To enter you have to submit a photograph and six words that sum up a treasured possession or family heirloom for a chance to win £500 of John Lewis vouchers.

I have been thinking about it all week and the truth is, I don't really have any family heirlooms or a great deal of high value possessions and jewellery, but I realised that we do have one particular object which is greatly treasured by this family.

It's a bear that used to belong to Jim's mother. He's been around the world with us and had his fair share of adventures. In Canada he lost a leg after some rather boisterous play with Macy (who should never have got hold of him to start with!)

Then he traveled one-legged with us to our posting in Cyprus and from there he flew back to a teddy bear hospital in the UK for treatment. He returned after reconstructive surgery, a complete bear again, all be it with one leg which is a slightly different shade to the rest of his body.

These days our old bear lives a more risk averse life, sitting on a high shelf far away from doggies and inquisitive toddlers, we want to make sure he survives to tell his tales to the next generation. My six words to sum him up? One bear with a false leg.

So what's the possession that matters most to you?

You have until 25th March to enter the competition and you can do so (and view the other entries) by heading to http://whatmatters.johnlewis-insurance.com/

This post was written in association with John Lewis Insurance

House remodel : Week one

We have survived the first 8 days of our house remodel and we're still smiling, helped enormously by the blue skies and sunshine...

The scaffolders have spent a total of 5 days on site and still have another half day to do. Our house is now surrounded by metal and wrapped in plastic. If anyone were to ask me where we lived, I'd no longer be pointing vaguely at a patch of trees with a tiny roof peeking out, instead I'd be indicating at one of the largest visible structures for miles around. In fact such is the interest we have created locally, that I actually see people craning their necks as they go past the house trying to get a better look.

The builders arrived last Monday. They've knocked through to create our new sitting room and wider hall (to accommodate the staircase) and they've dug huge pits and channels in the garden to create the new soakaways for the roof. They are a family team who we've known for many years and I have to say that's making the whole experience more enjoyable.

The insulated cabin for the garden was built on site on Monday and Tuesday of last week and Jim and I spent the weekend painting it inside and out (with lots more still to do.) Externally we are painting it the same magical colour as our weatherboard on the house will be. It's called Squirrel Grey (or Boothbay Blue) and depending on the light, looks either grey or blue. I can tell you that when you open the tin it looks dull and grey and nothing like these photos, I was quite worried for a moment!

And how apt to have a paint that miraculously changes from grey to blue... I still can't get over quite how lucky we have been with the change of weather. We arbitrarily picked the beginning of March as our start date for the build and the weather switched right on cue, when does that ever happen?

PS - My lovely robin mug in top picture kindly supplied by iwoot.com from their gorgeous Magpie range

10/52 : The one with the black and white portrait

One of the great things about taking part in the Living Arrows linkup every week is that it has encouraged me to become a bit more creative with my portrait photography. I've tended to shy away from black and white because there are so many bad black and white shots out there (images without enough contrast mainly) but I've seen some great ones featuring on Living Arrows over the last few weeks and its forced me to reconsider.

This image of Theo is just perfect for monochrome. It was first thing in the morning and he was looking out of the easterly windows in his bedroom watching our builders arrive for the day. A combination of strong sunlight, striking shadows and interesting shapes. 

Those windows are going to be gone in a few months, replaced by ones of a totally different size and shape, so this picture captures not just a moment in Theo's life, but a moment in our house's life too.  

 

Hotel Chocolat paying it forward...

Hotel Chocolat recently sent me one of their Mother's Day chocolate selections and asked me in return to nominate a fellow mummy blogger who I thought deserved a gift to be sent to them. I immediately thought of Carina who blogs as Multi Layer Mummy.

Last October when I was unable to make it to the Next Bloggers Conference (because of the first of the winter storms) Carina kindly picked up a goodie bag and sent it to me. It was a simple, but incredibly kind gesture, particularly because we only know each other via the web!

So I have nominated Carina to receive a beautifully wrapped box from Hotel Chocolat in time for Mother's Day. My own box was the "For My Mum" selection which was delicious and beautifully presented. A great gift!

And so it has begun....

After a year of planning and over 5 years since we bought it, our house remodel has started.

The scaffolders arrived on Saturday and spent two days erecting the scaffolding (which is huge, but still not complete) and the builders and outside room team arrived yesterday. Already we have the shell of the cabin erect, the ground floor carpets ripped up and a great big hole in the wall between our (old) bedroom and sitting room. A lot has happened in a short space of time.

We are getting through gallons of milk and biscuits and getting used to the sound of constant banging and drilling, but the reward of seeing the transformation of the house is so far, entirely worth it.

I'm recording a time lapse video every day during the build. I intend to group it together for weekly updates and then eventually as a whole long film from start to finish. Here's a sneak peak of what went on on Monday, the erection of our outside room... 

Center Parcs in video...

So I promised you a short video of our time at Center Parcs and here it is!

Video is still a very new thing for me (but apparently it's the future of blogging.) I'm grateful for the very small amount of tv training I've had, but I still have a lot to learn.

This video was filmed partly on my DSLR and partly on my old Flip video, the difference in picture quality, particularly in day light, is very obvious and probably spells the end of me using the Flip for projects like this.

9/52 : The one with the funny face

Theo turned two and a half this weekend and it was interesting watching his confidence grow while we were away at Center Parcs last week. From an initial refusal to go on anything in the playground to a new boldness on the slides and bridges. He is still so little though, as adults we are used to packing in as much as possible into long exhausting days on holiday, but he doesn't have those reserves and one busy morning or afternoon was enough for him.

He has become a bit of a comedian too recently, pulling faces for the camera and doing a rather excellent and dramatic impression of me sneezing. I think we may have a big personality developing here.