Reasons to be thankful

It's a strange sort of day today - my wonderful cousin would have been 40 today. Sadly she died on Christmas day three years ago and is very much missed. 'Our Jo' was one of a kind in so many ways - she had Downs Syndrome but basically to us she was just Jo - a larger than life personality with a heart as big as a bucket! I still have the last Christmas present she bought me - in its bag - it's a bottle of red wine that I will treasure but never drink.

This week saw a milestone for a close friend and her family. If you read any of my blogs you will know that baby Harry was 'born asleep' and is very much missed. This week however, saw his parents and sister adopt a little girl - I know they have their own guardian angel and deserve happiness.

My mum is deteriorating - she is vacant most of the time, can no longer feed herself and is triggering all sorts of 'social service' visits and assessments. Dad is coping and too proud to accept help but seeing him nurse our Tommy who gazes at him adoringly makes it worthwhile.

Our own shining star is now 4 months old and developing his character - the Plastic surgeon declared that 'he is lovely just as he is' and I so agree - how can one little child bring so much joy?

I'm off to spend this evening with my cousin (Jo's brother) and his wonderful family - we have sparklers, sparkling wine and a heart full of love - Happy birthday Jo x

Itl twitter baton

This week I have the honour of holding the twitter baton for ITL. As a photographer I love the absolute amazement and joy on children's faces when they actually see something for the first time. By that I don't mean anything earth shattering - just something as simple as a pattern on a sign or a toadstool that they have walked passed everyday for weeks or even months. My favourite photography quote is the one by Thoreau - 'It's not what you look at that matters it's what you see.' This week I want to challenge you to SEE and celebrate rather than just LOOK.

Challenge one is to share a window into your world using the hashtag #windowmyworld. It can be taken anywhere your kitchen window,  classroom window a train or plane if you are travelling - your car in a traffic jam, your favourite coffee shop - let's share our views! Be creative. If you edit this photo and want to share the app you have used that's even better.

Challenge two will take you all week - take up to 9 images that sum up your week - nothing fancy just iPhone or iPad shots of highlights or moments are great and upload them to a grid - there are lots of collage apps around - my favourite is  'Moldiv' then upload them at the weekend using the hashtag 

#highlightsofmyweek tweet during the week and let me know if you are joining in with this challenge. 

I love doing this and often look back on these shots as a form of pictorial diary.

Look at the world through the eyes of a child and remember the magic that is out there.

Looking forward to seeing all of your images!

Here is a view from my kitchen window and the same view edited with 'waterlogue' app

Happy seeing!! Enjoy your week.

Apologies if any of this looks strange but I'm in a hotel in Bristol where the wifi is very hit and miss!