A new year, so time to go through the 4,400 shots I’ve taken this year to pick out my favorites. I was surprised to see that this is the 7th year I’ve done this. 44 images this year, which is pretty much in line with last year’s 42 images + 1 video. It’s a totally random process. I’ve felt a little flat about how focused I’ve been on this activity, despite the new camera I mentioned (and still love) last year. So I’m happy to find that I like the results. Lots more people than normal, and a few shots that are a little more “snappy” than I’d like, but I’m quite pleased.
Maddie took off on her bicycle this week. She used a balance bike for quite a few months, to the point where she could coast along on it for a long way with her feet off the ground. Then two goes on her new bike, without stabilizers, and she told me to “let go” and off she went.
We got our money’s worth from London Zoo, even though the day started very wet, and the place is pretty expensive (£18). The live nest of leaf cutter ants working hard; the huge butterflies fluttering around among exotic plants; the birds above and below us as we walked through the Snowdon Aviary at about 30 foot above the ground. Architecturally, it seemed a strange mishmash of 19th century, 50s brutalism and contemporary Scandinavian look, although the real story, as always, is far more complicated than that.
I’ve done my annual favourite photos Flickr set. Not sure if my standards have dropped, or if I’ve just taken more photos this year than last (a total of 5,454), but the set has 43 shots in it, compared with 28 in 2007. It’s possible now that Maddie is more mobile I’m just taking more shots as we visit interesting places like Egypt.
Toilet training is on my mind (for a girl, though, so this doesn’t really help…)
Wee Target zeros-in on toilet training
“Inventor Joanna Haymes, a mother of three boys, took the latter idea further and developed the “Wee Target”. Inspired by heat sensitive ink on a packet of batteries and driven to help her boys aim in the right direction, she designed a “target”- a black circle made of heat sensitive ink which is fixed temporarily inside the toilet bowl. When the target is hit by urine, the circle fades and a surprise picture appears.”
follow me on Twitter