Family Photos

These are a few snaps of the family from the wedding I photographed last month.  I forgot that I hadn't put any family photos up yet!

This week, I was ill (again, or still, rather).  My cold became a chest infection and i've got a nasty cough.  I was off on Monday, but decided to go in for the rest of the week, since the cough is only bad in the mornings and evenings.  While i'm at school it's fine.

Matt has just started coughing, so I guess we're in for another week of it.  He has had a busy week, but has now signed his contract with our new school in Shanghai, which is exciting.  I've been reading our guidebook from start to finish and am looking forward to all the things we will get to do.  It will feel like we're on holiday for 3 years hopefully!  We're currently investigating vaccinations and trying to get a start on sorting out our belongings here in Germany. 

Matt's pal Chris was here this weekend. All the boys seem to have done is go to football matches, but they seem happy!  They went for lunch and beer on the Rhine in Dusseldorf yesterday, and I haven't really seen much of them.  I've been having a lazy weekend, trying to get better for Monday.  I may go to the doctors tomorrow for some antibiotics, but will still go into school I think.

Chris left just after 11 today, so Matt and I have just had a lazy day.  I finished my Jolly Phonics online course that school put me on.  It's been terribly dull, but it looks good on my CV at least.

We're now over half way through the school year!

Ski Trip

What a busy week it has been once again.  To start the week off, Matt got a new job for next year. In Shanghai!  So we're very excited about moving in August.  It's been fun telling everyone, and seeing their reactions.  We've started planning what we want to do while we're out there already.  My guidebook arrives next week.  Can't wait to get stuck into planning.

On Wednesday I went off to Willingen for the Year 5 residential.  The skiing was great.  I even went down the big slope several times - something I was too scared to do last year.  I'm getting much better at skiing, and am really looking forward to going next month with friends instead of children!

We had to call an ambulance on the first night because on of the boys fell down some stairs and cracked his head open.  He's fine, but it was obviously rather stressful, especially with me being the medical officer.  But no ski related injuries, and the kids really enjoyed themselves.  One of the girls picked up a stinking cold on the second day, which I've managed to catch, so I've spent the weekend so far sleeping and feeling sorry for myself.  I can't believe i'm sick AGAIN!  This is the fourth time since September. 3 colds and a winter vomiting bug.  I'm not having much luck!

To cheer ourselves up we decided to crack open the holiday pig (our moneybox full of tutoring money and every 5 euro note we get).  We had nearly 2 grand in it!  So we've booked 2 weeks in Mexico for Easter.  I can't wait for some sun!

Matt is at a football tournament all day today, so i'm just pottering around, and beginning to feel a bit better.

Wedding Photos

The snow has finally arrived in Duisburg!  It's been forecast all week, but has only been in a few areas.  The sun is shining now, so it's pretty much all gone!

It's been an interesting week.  It was our first week back to school after the Christmas holidays, and it seems to have lasted a really long time.  I feel like I have been back at school for weeks already.

On Monday evening  I came down with the winter vomiting bug, so I was ill all night, and had Tuesday off school.  I was mortified to be phoning in sick on the second day back.  It meant that I went back to school on Wednesday, probably not quite ready to go back, but i've made it through the week now so I've had a relaxing weekend.  Yesterday I went for lunch with some friends, which was lovely.  It was nice to have a proper catch up with everyone.

Today, I'm not planning on doing much, just getting ready for the year 5 ski trip residential next week, and doing some more of my Jolly Phonics course - which is extremely boring!

The photos from the wedding have gone to the bride now, so here are a few of my favourites...

Photos of Friends

I do have lots (hundreds in fact) of photos from last week to post, however they are of the wedding I photographed and are not yet ready to be seen, so in the meantime you will have to make do with some photos taken when Al was visiting before Christmas.  Good times with good friends!

Last week was good fun.  I was at Mum and Dads for a few days and Matt was with his parents.  It was very chilled out - we did some sales shopping, went for coffee and watched TV.  Just how I wanted to finish my holiday!

We came back to Germany on Wednesday and it was really nice to have a few days to ourselves pottering about and starting our diets and fitness regimes.  I'm currently in quite a lot of muscle pain due to the gym, but I guess that means it's working!

It was our first day back to work today and it was an INSET day, so no children in until tomorrow.  It was nice catching up with everyone, but I am impatient for the week to end - Matt has a job fair this weekend in London, and i'm anxious to know where we will be moving to at the end of the year.  Watch this space!

Yes, this is indeed a deep fried wheel of cheese!!!

Happy New Year 2017

It's been very very very busy since Christmas!  Boxing day I was still at Matt's parents, and we went out for dinner to the local curry house.  On the 27th I saw these wonderful girls, my two best mates from school.  We had a good catch up in London in the coffee shops, before having an impromptu photoshoot on the beach of the south bank.  Very silly, and lots of fun!  I had been unsure of whether or not I was going to the chums party this year because of the long journey from Matt's parents house, but since I was in London anyway, I decided to hang around for an hour (at the Natural History Museum, looking at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition), then head to Sunbury for the party.  I'm so glad I went, as it was one of the best we've had for a good few years.  We did a music quiz and my team came last, but I knew more than I thought I would and we didn't lose by too much, so I was in good spirits!  Sam and Amy turned up at about 9, and I decided to stay with them for the night instead of travelling across London late at night.  It was lovely to catch up with them.  Poor Sam had to work the day after the party though, and we didn't go to bed until 2am!

 On the 28th, I went back to Matt's parents house for the cinema (Rouge One) and dinner (Italian).  Then on the 29th I headed to the beautiful Hanbury Manor hotel to meet my cousin the day before her wedding for a look around the hotel.  I took her wedding photos!  We had a nice catch up in the café before my brother Simon picked me up.  I stayed with him that night and it was so lovely to see the kids.  We played lots of games, including 'Don't take Buster's Bones' where you have to pick bones out of a dog bowl without the electronic dog jumping up and barking at you.  I screamed every time!  Then we played 'Say it don't spray it' with the boys where you have to put this plastic thing in your mouth and try to say phrases.  Very funny.  I'll post the photo once Simon sends it to me.  Lots of videos were taken too!

I was back at Hanbury Manor at 9.15 the next morning for the wedding.  I was very nervous the day before, but as always on the day  I really enjoy myself, although it was exhausting.  I took some photos of the bride getting ready, then the groom, ceremony, group shots etc.  The bride and groom didn't want many photos of the two of them, and the bride was determined not to go outside, but I managed to persuade her, for all of 3 minutes!!  They were the only photos they let me take of the two of them, so lucky that they have turned out well!  It was a lovely day, and it was even better when Matt, Sam and Amy and Simon and Sarah came for the evening party.  We danced the night away.  No photos of the wedding yet, as I need to get them colour corrected and sharpened, and then send them off to the bride and groom. 

We stayed the night of the wedding in a B&B down the road, so it was nice having breakfast with everyone the next morning.  Matt went off early to go to a football match, then home to his parents, and I went back to Mum and Dad's.  I'm here now for a couple of days.  We went home via Nanny and Grandad's where I got this lovely photo of a blue tit...

I didn't even make it to midnight on new years eve.  It had been too much of a busy week.  Today we went down to Highcliffe to watch the crazy New Years Day swimmers, who go in the water for about 30 seconds.  It was fairly mild today too!  This afternoon we went to the cinema to watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was really good.  Tomorrow we will pop to the shops to mooch about the sales.  I feel exhausted!  But also very positive about 2017.  I want to get my photography business up and running with a website, we are looking for new jobs and I want to get back to the gym.  Lots to work towards and look forward to.  It's going to be a great year.