I had fun today. I spent the day in the studio with my First Diploma (FDs) Photography students. It was their first time using a studio & we were shooting on film.
They all had ideas on what they wanted to do and I set the lights etc up for them. They got stuck in and I was really impressed with their ideas and efforts. They're lively & lovely kids :)
I'll miss them when I'm on maternity leave.

And if any of my old FDs/NDs are reading this, you know I'll miss you guys too so don't be feeling all left out ;)

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays to you all xox

 

How lazy am I? I haven't been on here since JULY! That's not to say that I haven't been busy, I have. Very busy. Too busy to update the news/blog section on my own website. And Posterous is slightly different too. Once I'd remembered my own password, which took 3 tries, I logged in to find the layout had changed. Things like that throw me, I'm easily confused by that kind of malarky.

So what have I been up to? Teaching mainly. I've had around 80+ new students to teach since September 2011, remembering all their names has been harder than it is to actually teach them. I know all about Photography, that part is easy. It's remembering who is who that's the hard part. But I had easy ways to remind myself until I remembered their names, like Mash Girl. That name has stuck and she'll always be Mash Girl to me :)

It's all going well anyway, my evening students are adults and are always a lovely bunch, hopefully I'll see some of my Level 1 students progressing onto Level 2 next September and I'm sure that when my current Level 2 students have finished in Jan 2012 that I'll be keeping in touch with some of them (you hear that Sue, Joe & Gill? You can't get rid of me that easily!)

My daytime students regularly keep me amused with their stories and gossip. I often ask them to translate as I don't speak 'teen' and can only understand half of what they're rambling on about. They're good kids. 

The main change for us, and the reason for the post title, is that not only are we current owners of a small zoo (see previous post) but we'll soon be joined by a new little person. The stork will be coming in March 2012 ;) 

If we get any more additions then we're going to need a bigger boat...

 

It's like a jungle in here...

We now have 7 pets. We already had 3 adult cats, 1 dragon and the wonderful Japanese Akita hound dog that is JD. But yesterday we added to our clan and got 2 new kittens. we think 1 is a boy and 1 is a girl, but we've been wrong about that before. Even when Roobs grew giant furry nads we (okay, I) still held onto him being a girl. Looking at a photo that I have of Carrie holding Roobs, his giant nads swinging in the breeze, you would wonder how the HELL I could ever think he was a girl...

One of the new babies is called Sodapop, named after Sodapop Curtis from The Outsiders, which is one of my favourite books and films. I've loved it since I saw it way back when I was a kid. Great cast including Rob Lowe, C Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze and Matt Dillon. Our Soda is jet black and is not afraid of anything. He's been here less than 24 hours and has already met the dragon and eaten from the dogs bowl.

Our other new baby is called Bailey, named after the legend that is Dr Miranda Bailey from Grey's Anatomy. Carrie (aged almost 7 years) is currently obsessed with Grey's Anatomy and we're making our way through each season. We're just starting season 4. I'm not complaining, I like Grey's Anatomy and it's keeping her happy until The Vampire Diaries season 3 kicks in around September. Our Bailey kitten is less bothered about dragons and dogs, she's happy sleeping under the rocking chair and finding little hidey holes to explore. 

They're both too cute to be true...see for yourself if you don't believe me ;) 

 

I spent the day at the Anthony Walker Foundation & Love Music Hate Racism Festival. It was brilliant. I took 2 student photographers and my photographer friend Jenny with me and captured the days events as they happened for Love Music Hate Racism, an organisation that I've been involved with for a few years now. It was lovely to see people come together, join in, listen to music, dance and have fun.

I was proud to experience it and be part of it.

 

Then my boy & I took our dog to the park, the sun was just dipping and the light was beautiful. Good times...

 

 

I've been lucky enough to have gone to many, many gigs. I'm packing a fair few into this week alone with Jimmy, Biffy & Foos last Sunday, the wonderfully talented Dallas Green in Leeds last night & I'll be at The Black Crowes in Manchester next Monday.

My first ever gig, that I went to without the supervision of my parents was to see EMF at The Royal Court in Liverpool in 1992, I was 14. I went to see Guns n Roses the following year at Milton Keynes Bowl. The first gig I remember being taken to with my mum was to see The Nolans in Southport when I was about 6 and I ended up on stage with them. That's another story though...

I was flicking through some of my old gig tickets last night, Hole, Therapy!, PWEI, Black Grape, Ocean Colour Scene, NERD, and tons more and the gig scene has changed so much over the years. Mainly because of the mobile phone. Now I know what you're thinking, we didn't have mobiles that could record back in the mid 90s. And I'll tell you this, I have one now, it's a good one, but I don't hold it above my head throughout any gig I go to now so there's no way I'd have done it back then either. 

Last night I stood with Mike, B & Gemma in the Irish Centre in Leeds waiting for City & Colour to play. There was already a few in the audience who looked half cut, fair enough-have a few beers and watch a band. But actually watch the band.

Stop talking crap, loud crap, to your mates all the way through someone's set. It's fucking rude and highly annoying for the people unlucky enough to be near you. I don't give a toss what you want from the bar, or what an idiot your bird is, or how crap your day was. By all means talk, but quietly. And not when someone is singing a very quiet acoustic song. The Luminaire in London (RIP) had amusing little notices on their walls along the lines of "...if you want to talk, then fuck off outside." I always liked their style. 

Or if you'd prefer to eat the face of your fella, do it at home (yes, you two at the Foos gig last Sunday. I don't want to watch you dry hump in a field thanks, I paid my £60 to see Dave and the boys-not a live sex show.) 

And for the love of God, why are you going to hold up a mobile phone for the duration of the gig? One would assume you're watching the back of the screen to check on what you're recording so you're not actually clocking what's really happening in front of you. You're missing things, you're focusing on your shitty little recording rather than the amazing music that's being played live, yes that's right LIVE in front of you. What are you going to do with it anyway? You tube? Big wow! Yes I take photos when I'm working, but then I'm in the pit. Not stood at the back recording the hairy side of folks heads.

I love music, I love going to gigs. I've just never gone to a gig to get arseholed, chat to my mates all the way through it, snog the face off my boyfriend, or to take non stop photos or recordings. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of going..

So I can't post an image from last nights gig because I didn't take any...so I'm posting an image showing what the postman has just been so kind to drop off. I love Stone Temple Pilots so this should be a good read...

 

We have had an awesome weekend. 

Met up with lovely friends on Friday night, Tavern breakfast on Saturday, then on Sunday we drove down to Milton Keynes to see Jimmy Eat world, Biffy Clyro & Foo Fighters. 

The gig was brilliant, Jimmy Eat World & Biffy are favourites and I've seen them before. Mike's seen the Foos loads too but it was the first time for me and they didn't disappoint. 

One of the highlights was when dave Grohl took to the drums and played with surprise guests Seasick Steve and John Paul Jones! 

The fireworks at the end were ace too....love fireworks ;) 

 

What do you get when you cross an Eeyore draught excluder with a Japanese Akita? 

A mess!

It was like a bloodbath in ours today. Poor Eeyore..there's not much we can do for him now. 

It was all happening far too quickly for me to haul the big camera out so I reached for the iphone and using the instagram software snapped this shot of the pooch with his victory. I'd been thinking about adding a photo of the dog to this blog, this wasn't quite what I had in mind though.. :)

 

 

I spent the day looking after my youngest who had hurt her foot. There is an evil step in the kitchen who is to blame.

Along with having an indoor picnic, I like to think we spent our time very productively...