Top 11 of '11

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In no particular order and this was a difficult choice to only retain 11 photos here goes, some you have seen before and some are new.

Liam left home this year to go and work in London.

Madeline and Chantal have continued to be excellent models for no pay!!!

I have liked doing more formal portraits and using photoshop more.

This was really funny to shoot!!!

Bluebells and boy!

Narrowing down was tricky as you can see...

Graduation Day

This day has finally arrived and after all your hard work and I know it has been hard, especially in the kitchen with various head chefs!  You have graduated Liam!

Well done!

You are talented, kind and soft hearted for Jesus.  The future aways you.  For He knows the plans and purposes He has for your life. 

You are funny, very funny!

Thank you Westminster Kingsway - London

Sweet Shot Tuesday - What does August mean to you?

♥♥♥♥♥ Joyeux Anniversaire Liam. ♥♥♥♥♥

Well August will for ever be about my baby boy's birthday: 15 August 1991

This past Sunday was no exception, we were not abroad for a rare occasion.  

But as per usual we had a selection of cakes instead of one big one!

We love Liam's birthday in the summer and he is so funny!

Love this shot...

Tasty Tuesday - End of year Dinner

This is a day we have looked forward to since Liam started college at Westminster College (London), back in 2008.  He had already started working part-time in a hotel/restaurant and wanted to received good training from a reputable catering college.  I still remember going around open evenings and asking questions and listening to lecturers.

This year Westminster College is celebrating its centenary (1910 - 2010) and Liam is part of the new batch of commis-chef finishing their Professional Scholarship Diploma in June.  All of them should do well.  None are afraid of hard work and very long hours.

We were spoiled from beginning to end at this end of year dinner.

The front of house staff are also training at the college and they did an impeccable job.

We arrived to a champagne reception and canapés:  Oysters tempura, gazpacho, tuna tartare were but a few of the delightful bites on offer.

We then sat down.  Our table was very pleasant sharing with other parents and friends of fellow students.

We were promptly served an asparagus velouté with truffle foam in a coffee cup as apetizer:  it got the thumbs up.

The starter:  Pan-fried scallops, Black pudding and pea purée.

Main course:  Roast rack of Welsh lamb, Dauphinois Potatoes, Stuffed courgettes flowers.

Cooked to perfection with an extra rosemary jus.  This was absolutely delicious.

The dessert was fantastic:  Rhubarb with custard ice-cream.

At the end of the meal all the students came out to be congratulated.  They were then allowed to greet family and friends.

Well done Liam and fellow students.  You have talent guys!

We are very proud parents.  We have a little joke going on at home, that I am such a fussy eater I needed to have a chef at all time!!!  The thing is Liam your French grand-father would have been delighted to see what you are capable of.

I think I will not try and compete at that height!!!

This is my blogging entry for Tasty Tuesday.

I am participating in the Tuesday Tag-along taking place at Twee Poppets.  If you want to join the fun click the button below and link up yourself.

Sunday in my City - Portraits

I guess you did not expect that in my City today!

Want to see more and be surprised, click below and enjoy the ride!

Theatrical Thursday

We absolutely love flamingos in our family and they are my son's birds since we took him to the zoo for his third birthday and his fascination with them was contagious. 

He is now nearly 19 and we always think of Liam when we see flamingos.

Are you fond of a particular wild animal?  Please do tell...

Bundled up!

I am joining the fun again at I♥Faces this bright and early Monday Morning. 
The judge this week is Tracey Clark.  Her blog is fantastic and full of beautiful photos!
Anyway here is my entry for "Bundled up", hope you enjoy!

Press the button below to visit other contestants, they are great and talented! xxx

Mum, you are so strict!

About being strict with my children!

“Mum you are the strictest parent I know!”
“Really!”
“Yes, you have no idea, you don’t let me do anything!”
Lapse of days…
“Mum, did you know you are turning out to be a role model for some of my friends’ parents”
“Really!”
“Yes, you have no idea, they check out what you let me do now!”
What, I was nearly falling off my chair by now!!!

So today this is the prompt for me to write this entry: My intention is not to sound off my own fog horn!! I am far from having everything sorted with my lot!!!
But to encourage you to stick to your principles and have wisdom...I apologise to those of you who think I am probably teaching you how to suck eggs, skip this post and come back for another one!

Do you have a teenager daughter who has already been to a baby shower of one of her friends who is not 16 yet? Well I have. The baby has arrived safely since: a gorgeous little girl. Yet it is with sadness that I call them: Another generation of the fatherless.
Statistically, England is the first highest country for teenage pregnancy in Europe, second only to the USA in the world! My area is a big contributor to this phenomenon.

So maybe let’s go back to basics:

First item, Communication, get over being embarrassed, well I guess it starts with first of all talking with your husband/partner about everything. I know we are supposed to live in a society where couples are empowered by the fact that both go to work and have equal rights, separate accounts and so on and so forth. For me this leads to secrets and tragedy about communicating , I believe a bad example for my children.
My children quickly got the hang of knowing that we are both talking and sharing what is going on. The fact that we take decisions together and that they cannot get pass us (unless it is for a nice surprise) is the routine around here!
Then you just have to keep listening and talking about whatever subject takes their fancy or yours for that matter. You do not have to be right every time, you can learn to come to a common ground, they just have to know what you think; so they have “safe” walls to bounce off.

Second, Friends (Yours and theirs) is one subject that can be quite prickly: How do they see you with your friends, do they hear you talk with your friends and what about? Do you let them talk about their friends freely, without jumping to the wrong conclusions immediately? I am not so good at this one I admit and they know it, but I am ploughing on to get better!

Third, Alcohol: If you are telling them not to drink, because blah, blah, blah and they see you get a drink as soon as you have friends coming around even early evening, what chance do you have of getting the message through that drinking is not good for your health and your social life? I have not allowed my children to drink at home till they were 18. They are still not encouraged to do so.

Four, Sex: be honest when they ask, how can you trust the school nurse to tell them what YOU have learned? Different environment different set of rules, but YOUR rules are the first they should received. I am of the “disco” generation, anyone out there can relate? I have not always thought this way, and my husband and I lived together before we were married I am not pretending to be anything else but the product of my experience. What I have learned though is that casual relationships have impact on the long standing relationship you want to have with your husband or wife. Stop burying your head in the sand tell them about you! Kids respond to honesty! That is what is so endearing about teenagers…

Has your world changed beyond what you recognise as “teenager world”. Try not to even compare your teenage years to their teenage years, I am only comparing between my three children: my oldest has just turned 20 and my youngest is 16!

These teenagers need to be loved so much, they are not different to what we were. The difference is the pressure they are under to act a certain way. The media are putting them under a lot of pressure, society is putting them under a lot of pressure.
They are being deliberately targeted by magazine, they have money, on the whole a lot of them have a lot of money and everybody is after their money. They are the generation where usually both parents are working. I know I am talking about the people I know and meet with the most. Other parents have a different perception about that, some are not so well off.

As I re-read this entry and the point the just above, yesterday the politicians in our country (England) are finally making a note that it is not right to sexualize our kids so early with the wrong role models. I feel I am not on my own anymore when I say that something has gone awry! Is Katie Price the best role model for your teenage daughter, is Ashley Cole the best role model for your teenage son to name but a few!!!
I do not like gossipy shows, I do not buy gossipy magazines, I think both send the wrong message to my children! I also like to think that I am not a bore!!! Kids learn best by example, why not be the best they can have as a role model.

To come back to my title: I am strict and I have no regrets!

On a lighter note: these are pictures of my 18 and 16 years old, having fun with the Wii, just dancing. Teenagers are great, they are the best future we have! With love. ♥♥♥

PS: I am looking forward to your comments...

I woke up to more snow with You!

Here we go again! The snow came back quietly, but stopped none of us. We did not have enough to cause chaos. Other parts of the country were rather taken by surprise again on the roads especially. The gritters have not been able to do their job properly because of the low levels of grit, hence the real headache for the motorists on their way to work.

Liam, thank God, had the day off and surprised us all with the purchase of a motorbike, it cannot go on the road but he can go and enjoy himself on rough terrains. As a mum, I am a bit concerned and at the same time, I understand he works really hard and wants to be able to spend his money. He is a reasonable lad so I know he can afford it.

As a girl remembering what it was like to be young, I really enjoyed the noise of the motorbike and it is a lovely sight.

As I write this I also have on my mind the news of the massive earthquake in Haiti and of its aftershocks. It is so sad to see the videos of the devastated area. My thoughts are not all together about it. Lord You are good all the time and your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways. Please look after your people in the name of Jesus.

Ps: Apologies to Gina from Liam. Don't lose it with him!!! xxx

Today I need matchsticks to keep my eyes open with You!

I am so tired!!! I am just stating a fact, not registering a complaint. After a good cup of coffee I will be fine.

What a disrupted night, I had. Liam was not supposed to work a Sunday before he had college for the following week. Unfortunately, he did work till very late and came in it was nearly quarter to midnight. He had been the only one in the kitchen with another commis-chef. And the next day he had to get up very early to catch his train to get into London.

I had gone to bed fairly early and when Colin arrived in bed, he woke me up and till Liam opened the front door I was incapable of going back to sleep, even when he was at last fast asleep, I was still tossing and turning.

I used to hate insomnia, now I use it to talk to God, in the middle of the night I find myself being more honest about what is really going on with me and for me. I guess I think the quicker I get on with it, the quicker I can get back to having my rest.

Meaningful conversations often happen when I am under pressure to sort problems out, or get a new perspective on life challenges.

Coming back to my son Liam and his hard work and horrendous hours. He knew and we knew when he entered the catering business, that he would have to work extremely hard, what we had not banked on are bosses who are intoxicated with power. Encouragement in the work place seem to be a feature rarely seen in his case. I am so pleased that he knows Jesus as His Saviour, and that He can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

I am thankful that Liam is a young man who has a goal, with 1% talent and 99% hard work, he will get there.

I am just speaking like a loving mum. Sorry this post is a bit personal. xxx

This is the day Liam turned 18 with You!

18 candles, how time flies, 1991 does not seem that long ago! The cake is a Charlotte of Fraises, Liam's favorite.

It is the 15th August 2009, Liam is 18. As many previous birthdays we are on holiday, this time in the south of France, and the day has started on the campsite. The 15th is a bank holiday in France, so last night to celebrate, the town of Fréjus put on a beautiful firework display which we watched sitting on the beach eating chocolate waffles. So there is always something memorable on Liam's big day.