Not so good at this Blogging really!

Well there's me thinking I would blog at least once a month....seemingly I can't even manage that now! BUT still I do have great reasons - work, work and a bit more work! Yes this summer has been fast and furious when not selling the photocards and Photographic prints at the Foires and Markets I have been sharing some wonderful days with fantastic couples and lovely families taking photos of their special time!

I can't believe we are now in October - which means Toussaint in about 3 weeks time - 2 weeks half term holidays....I am pleased however as I am now getting bookings in for the pre-Christmas photos. As this year we are making calenders again and of course offering a "Family Calendar".

August was brilliant we had visitors - my cousins we had 3 days of fun and laughter and catching up - always a good thing and I had a "masterclass" from a wonderful photographer http://gdphotographer.co.uk what a talented and passionate young man - and I would not hesitate to use him for any special events we have here! You can see his passion through the lens and he even managed to get a decent photo of us lot!

We have been on some great bike rides - but we did plan on one around part of the Marais Poitevin - it's a must! if you love cycling and walking then the routes are fantastic. Clearly signposted and go on for miles of nature at it's best - yes you do have to cross the odd road every now and again but it's still easy to get around and see the area.

At this point we had just come up quite a steep hill and found we were a little lost! But we were soon on our merry way thanks to a very kindly gentleman that wanted to chat and guide us - we ended up following a pretty route and so glad we didn't find the shortcut - which we cycled past some 5 kms later!

Would be rude not to stop after 2 hours and have a sip of something cool!

Heron waiting for his catch of the day!

Ok So I walked up the first time and walked down again but faced my fears and stayed on the bike for this one - it's really steep I tells yer!

Second pit stop and a lovely snack lunch this café in Magné only opens for the month of August and is run by the Mairie of the town, it sells soft refreshments and pizza - and of course ice-cream :D never did 2 Perriers look so enticing!

Back to Coulon and after waiting the other side of the bridge we get to see what we have been waiting for! madness really!!

After 5 hours we are ready to go home - sort of!

For the rest of August it passed in a blur - 3 Weddings, "Making Memories" Family photoshoots, Music festival at The Mad Hatter's Kitchen and a "Making Memories Day" with my lovely friend over at Les Ceramiques de Linda!

From Baby feet to Fire to family what a great month!

Weddings galore!

So all in August was packed and we had a lovely time with everyone that was involved one way or another - I think I said it many times in the past but I do really love my job :D

July seems like a long time ago now!

I cannot believe it has been over 2 months since I last blogged - but it really is! Where has that time gone? Well thankfully I can still just about remember.....July was fab we had a lovely month - both the girls at home and lots to look forward to! It all started on the 5th July......I had been planning to take my dear husband to a really special place here in the Poitou Charentes - Under the Lime Tree we have met the lovely Nikki a couple of times and last year she was giving 10 minute massages at an event - that was my first taster and seemingly I needed more ;) SO with great finesse and mystery I arranged the day with her. Rob didn't guess a thing until he saw the sign post and then it was me saying  "wow - here we are and we have the Hot Tub and then a full hours hot stone massage to look forward to plus lunch!!" all in one breath I was so excited - this was the first time we have celebrated our Wedding Anniversary since our first one so to celebrate our 22nd in our special year (girls 18 and 21) seemed perfect! Of course this will now be a yearly event!

Whilst Rob was having his Hot Stone Massage I was relaxing in my way!

what a view!

Our first in a hot tub!

Lunch time a Vegetarian Delight!

Cheers - thank you for  22 years of Marriage 

If you go into the woods today........

a lesser spotted PJ you will find ;)

The 6th (our 22nd Wedding Anniversary) dawned bright and lovely - only our car didn't! Another flat battery which finally did get sorted eventually and 2 hours after we had got up and we got on our way to Aigré market where Mays 'n' Grace sang for the passers by and the stall holders of course! 

Naomi loving her Saturday!

Always seeing the funny side of life! or remember the boot lock had been broken!

Naomi's 18th Birthday celebrations!

What an end to our 22nd Wedding Anniversary - we did enjoy it though and we were joined by Naomi's friends after we had our Chicken Curry on the balcony with Chloe!

The lovely weather continued and there is nothing quite like the Evening sun - casting it's warm glow over everything!

"The HUT" Our place to eat, drink and chill - even though it needs finishing touches we love it!

Hollyhocks!

Indian Bean Tree and my free Roses still going strong 4 years on!

The Clematis is doing so well over the arch :)

Golden Plums - of which the birds ate

Hydrangea Wall

I call these "Sun Daisies"

The 14th July another beautiful day dawned and we decided to go to Poitiers to see all the "Spectacles" that were going to be on during the day!  SO off we went with 2 things in mind where to eat and what would the day hold.... well I can now tell you - umm well ok - here goes there was nothing on during the day at all! Apart from a band which we missed and a clown creating a story which I have to say thankfully we also missed! Nothing was open as of course it wouldn't be on a Fête Nationale so we decided to head back out of the heat after walking around this beautiful town and have an ice-cream - best decision of the day :D

 

On realising that the fireworks didn't actually start until 22h00 we thought we may just as well head home - have a bbq and then pop into Lezay to see the fireworks which are always good anyway! So we did just that! I can safely say the evening went of with a pop, whizz and bang and we narrowly missed a collision with a rogue firework that came into the middle of our crowd! Thankfully no serious damage done to anyway - just a tender spot on my head and a very shaky camera hand after.... still it was very pretty - even if the music was a bit strange!

Thank you Lezay we enjoyed ourselves very much and had a tale to tell as well :D

The next big event was my lovely Mum's Birthday....we were out on her actual Birthday at the English Market in La Mothe st. Heray - so my daughters and Dad took her out for lunch to Lambon a local big lake and restaurant but in true Sunday style they were booked out! So they then joined us at La Mothe, and enjoyed a lunch courtesy of Kate who runs La Boite Delicieuse a mobile Burger van which is I have to say - fab :) Anyway back to Mum's Birthday BBQ - the sun shone for most of it - apart from the very strange rumble of thunder and then it was back to sunshine! 

And then the next day the skies opened - hail, thunder - the lot! But it got the car clean!!

Excuse the next amount of photos - I love, love, love Horses and Donkeys but since living here in France we have fallen for the Baudet Poitou which is the donkey of the area http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitou_donkey (thanks Wiki)  We also stumbled across the Baudet Mule and the Poitevin Horse - eldest and our where in our element here and then we discovered they had two baby - one was a month old and the other a mere day old!! The owner is such a lovely man and we hope to visit him sometime!

We were at Asnois bright and early at eight o' clock in the morning and set up - ready to go and waiting for the crowds, which didn't arrive but we had lots to keep us occupied in the ring opposite the PJP stand.

 

I loved these two......the last horses of the day!

And during this time we had such a wonderful surprise - Two friends came over with their Nanny and Grandad - we haven't seen them at all during the last nine years - the last time we saw them all four girls were under twelve!  Nine years seems a lifetime in friendship and our four were pretty tight knit having been brought up together, the next four days they spent together catching up and to be honest they didn't stop talking the whole time or so I was told! We loved seeing them and can't wait for their next visit! 

I also took delivery of my very fist Box Brownie this month as well - so excited - I have many plans for it - mainly as a prop as of course using it may be a bit extreme ;) But still I am thrilled and look forward to it making a proper outing!

So in a nutshell that was July...thank goodness for photos to help jog the grey matter! I am sure many more things did happen with the odd event in between and huge thunderstorms but I don't really want to remember them....the thunder and lightning and sleepless night - not funny!