Fleetingly summer

I have been home after our summer jaunt away for two weeks now. Myself and the kids have been quite contentedly amusing ourselves at home despite or inspite of the weather. Everytime I suggest going out for a walk, cycle or pick some blackberries they respond as if I'm offering them all-bran!  The absence of their toys while away and rubbing alongside each other unusually well means we've been happy pootling at home.  And me, I feel I am belatedly spring-cleaning or prematurely bedding in for winter but for the whole of these two weeks I, with help, have been sorting, throwing out, buying yet more storage from Ikea and my favourite job of all 'finding a home for everything'.  I'm not done yet either - I'm on a roll.  Anyway come September I need to knuckle down a bit.  It's not that I have stopped my studies, infact I have become quite the bore conscientiously researching, reading and visualising how I want my assignments or projects to look and occasionally clicking - sign of my photographic times!!

There are also two developments that I am excited about.  The first is I have booked a train ticket to spend a full day in London.  Having been frustrated about not being able to access any galleries I arrived at a solution to set off at the crack of dawn and attempt to go to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Road to 2012 and the BP Portrait Award images, The Photographer's Gallery to see the Sally Mann exhibition and also Tate Modern to see Voyerism, Surveillance and Camera all in one day.  I know this is ridicuously ambitious and foolish but I nevertheless am excited to submerge myself amongst the greats for a day even if my feet will not.

Also, I am on the verge of making a considerable purchase. One I have considered for such a long time but have been so hesitant about because it is such a big step in to the unknown.  An Ebony large format camera is what is enticing me to part with my money. I'm really excited and have wanted to explore this route but equally I'm worried I might not like it and then I've wasted a significant sum of money.  I'm not going to buy new but it is still more than I've paid on anything like this in the past.  But I have already two to three projects I wish to carry out with a large format camera.  What becomes of them if I don't purchase.  Sometimes you need to take a risk and take the route less travelled and I think this is one of those times for me.

So, maybe I'm busying myself around the house because at the back of my mind I know once I've got it, the housework will be abandoned under a thick layer of dust as I hide under dark cloths and bellows!!

Anyway, the holiday provided me with some inspiration for the projects, but I must admit I'm not good at multi-tasking when it comes to photography.  When I'm herding my cats, I mean kids, I just struggle to focus and concentrate. So I come home with many shots of the kids, some of other people and places, and as always, none of mum. Below are a handful from our hols in France.