tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38636813554100447792024-03-13T01:23:07.925+00:00Gifts from the PiratesGiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.comBlogger1093125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-8927259336848805882022-03-09T14:43:00.000+00:002022-03-09T14:43:48.477+00:00 “Instead of fighting the darkness, you bring in the light.”<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"> <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Back in 2018 during (what seemed at the time) like a pretty dark part of my life, I wrote a post full of my usual waffle, about what was going on, how I was feeling and how it was all impacting my new life as a single dad. It felt at the time like things were going to completely fall apart, I felt like I was drowning so I concentrated on my go to pick-me-up. As easily as that could have Been a bottle of whisky, it was those magical bricks that got me through those lonely evening's when the boys were in bed.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">I was doing all I could to make sure the house looked different so that the boys could move on as we started this new life, just us. As I read back through the post a minute ago, I thought 'wow! talk about a metaphor 'for what was going on at the time. So desperate to drag myself out of the darkness, I was making LEGO lamps to brighten up the house and make our home more 'us'.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Almost 4 years on and life thankfully is much brighter, which is surprising when I think about the 2 years we've had living through a global pandemic and the fact that I'm still battling through the tiredness of post Covid myself. But what hasn't changed is our love of LEGO and how much it entertains us day to day. And the lamps? well, I decided to finally do what my friends have been telling me to do for years and set up shop and sell the things that we make, which we're really excited about.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYP14iqnB3zmHF0pNA4a8vHft8b7_O7zxIf9nfYjVtvof6vQaJiDLMuYYgz6O3ZMdzyEavrVwa3IUOo0E9IECDcKSwuEtB87xa4GwaY2-iy63gc-9XuattbKZZNMDNJ1IIZCXC9LK5Zl2PI_DUhurVxBD4IzNbJkgPguCIIcrp_snzRlN2pudsHsdnMQ=s3114" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3114" data-original-width="2064" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYP14iqnB3zmHF0pNA4a8vHft8b7_O7zxIf9nfYjVtvof6vQaJiDLMuYYgz6O3ZMdzyEavrVwa3IUOo0E9IECDcKSwuEtB87xa4GwaY2-iy63gc-9XuattbKZZNMDNJ1IIZCXC9LK5Zl2PI_DUhurVxBD4IzNbJkgPguCIIcrp_snzRlN2pudsHsdnMQ=w424-h640" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Its great to be doing something I love and its awesome having Opeie involved in it all too, he's got a completely different way of tackling a creative idea, and combined, I think we come up with some fun and quirky, eye catching pieces.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Fancy checking us out? You can find us on Etsy over at:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://popesandtwink.etsy.com">popesandtwink.etsy.com</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">or come say hi to us on instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/popesandtwink/">@popesandtwink</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyQYRvb93VigwJPsX-O4w4_TzodOheEI-swIXP1luqzzGEMy27bljdDG7STUjw4bAi57QXb8tht9QF2yjC4VtygHUwISYZMjAYfEIq9flxNMZfg5qMhctsLKQK6TrVDQESmYXN8lJb_G3XkbIaorpUOBedZi9BaTETJY6a6yaIUdW0mj8JHGlhtY-Taw=s1574" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxS9YrVlMIt4lBz8Hro3OZRvWm95ZW9nDR5DAJ5PtmwLyY4wu01Ji6rI_tgrLaNRDwvpwxDKU1QfR9zXgsGgq2fvNAzMRqUtKdaNcND3Cc04onnp4qREuvkeZrYKDW_vZr0BQ2Uuci-77Kidv_kyzLkxUhZ0Ih-h4bqli_TqKkDLA85jtXeMOshQsQIw=s1658" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1658" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxS9YrVlMIt4lBz8Hro3OZRvWm95ZW9nDR5DAJ5PtmwLyY4wu01Ji6rI_tgrLaNRDwvpwxDKU1QfR9zXgsGgq2fvNAzMRqUtKdaNcND3Cc04onnp4qREuvkeZrYKDW_vZr0BQ2Uuci-77Kidv_kyzLkxUhZ0Ih-h4bqli_TqKkDLA85jtXeMOshQsQIw=w640-h476" width="640" /></a></div><br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-7401601095957161722021-11-06T22:06:00.000+00:002021-11-06T22:06:25.024+00:00"Fungi are the grand recyclers of the planet and the vanguard species in habitat restoration"<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">When we hit this time of year I feel a little more at one with the world. The temperature drops to how I like it, the autumnal colours are amazing and the fungi starts popping everywhere. There's something so satisfying about stomping through the woods and being greeted by something beautiful growing from the ground, on logs or high up in trees. Opeie started showing an interest in fungi after we spotted a bright red toadstool one afternoon about 5 years ago, we had no idea what it was and needed to know more. Then a couple of years back we read 'The Grim Grotto', one of the books from Lemony Snicket's 'A series of unfortunate events', which got him hooked again and it kickstarted an ongoing Mycology project that we add to every autumn.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">After turning over rotting logs and crawling around on our knees may-september looking for beetles, its nice to change it up a little on the build up to winter time and we are never disappointed by what the autumn months have to offer. I thought I'd share some of the great fungi we have found...</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVnQzURNFCA/X2nVtAt8muI/AAAAAAAAjJU/wkgL4lFM-1kuT-zSEF039aWjbmz7cwxtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9796.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVnQzURNFCA/X2nVtAt8muI/AAAAAAAAjJU/wkgL4lFM-1kuT-zSEF039aWjbmz7cwxtwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/IMG_9796.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O7gMss9U-GU/X2nVr_5hhXI/AAAAAAAAjJM/GKSv5OnxA2Y7nR7h6fielZR2b9NBNS9cwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9798.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O7gMss9U-GU/X2nVr_5hhXI/AAAAAAAAjJM/GKSv5OnxA2Y7nR7h6fielZR2b9NBNS9cwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/IMG_9798.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>I love these outdoorsy projects that we start because they are never ending, we're always spotting new fungi and Beetles meaning we can keep popping back to the Entomology and Mycology projects to add our finds. I really feel like revisiting these projects is great for Opeie's development as he is looking back on how he was covering the work last autumn and he can see his own growth which is really satisfying for him (and me).</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rxNE4rMJU4/X2nVwH85c5I/AAAAAAAAjJY/Gp6ctd59s7kxbGNTqxdawv3fbrp7O6NXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9799.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rxNE4rMJU4/X2nVwH85c5I/AAAAAAAAjJY/Gp6ctd59s7kxbGNTqxdawv3fbrp7O6NXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/IMG_9799.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfYR8Q3MgIw/X8wPcVBMEhI/AAAAAAAAjL8/FBlW2KJ8bRw4jXYjpWg8dIM4RA6fuzWuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_5%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfYR8Q3MgIw/X8wPcVBMEhI/AAAAAAAAjL8/FBlW2KJ8bRw4jXYjpWg8dIM4RA6fuzWuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_5%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">We're still not confident enough to eat what we find but the excitement of finding new ones is more than enough. Now to try and identify the ones we don't know for a Popes and Twink video.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sk1ltwdyjOE/X8wPclvLoaI/AAAAAAAAjMA/TvdmHBltvl0IqEInySZRuzJxXkPDuFm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sk1ltwdyjOE/X8wPclvLoaI/AAAAAAAAjMA/TvdmHBltvl0IqEInySZRuzJxXkPDuFm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdk-F_VxnpI/X8wPdRUPZWI/AAAAAAAAjMI/UCGRsQSyeJA20hHPdwBv4L_GpZJcKHI7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdk-F_VxnpI/X8wPdRUPZWI/AAAAAAAAjMI/UCGRsQSyeJA20hHPdwBv4L_GpZJcKHI7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntEKWzq6OGc/X8wPd3y0ZVI/AAAAAAAAjMM/2QImtp_gayc9tdnSS11cH8fetPt9xWn2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntEKWzq6OGc/X8wPd3y0ZVI/AAAAAAAAjMM/2QImtp_gayc9tdnSS11cH8fetPt9xWn2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEoX8K5Aq3s/YYWrbmF8eNI/AAAAAAAAjmo/Z5jUPYAQduUkRNKgu6LPO_B6paifyv-mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEoX8K5Aq3s/YYWrbmF8eNI/AAAAAAAAjmo/Z5jUPYAQduUkRNKgu6LPO_B6paifyv-mgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7HOMdynTCo/YYWrbgLDZzI/AAAAAAAAjms/2OI5gP80qJQqpN_JxQXNgs1njqg8BpD6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7HOMdynTCo/YYWrbgLDZzI/AAAAAAAAjms/2OI5gP80qJQqpN_JxQXNgs1njqg8BpD6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0eQmqHZhbs/YYWrbhVUhvI/AAAAAAAAjmw/MCivOeW8jA0-jxpGwd20X-qa7fCZUTXigCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0eQmqHZhbs/YYWrbhVUhvI/AAAAAAAAjmw/MCivOeW8jA0-jxpGwd20X-qa7fCZUTXigCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXMQ5arIbgk/YYWrcohoRWI/AAAAAAAAjm0/-8mAyo-n4b0mDeuyKvV-baSPzh8zPel2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Halftone2_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXMQ5arIbgk/YYWrcohoRWI/AAAAAAAAjm0/-8mAyo-n4b0mDeuyKvV-baSPzh8zPel2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Halftone2_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-76504605669447629622021-11-01T21:56:00.001+00:002021-11-01T21:56:24.578+00:00"I Will Be Haunted By My Actions Forever, Hoot Hoot!"<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"> It was a lovely build up to Halloween this year, For once Popes knew exactly what he wanted to dress up as and we had plenty of time to make the things that he needed. It's been all about Owl House over the last few weeks so he decided he wanted to dress as Golden guard. The mask and props meant there was plenty of need for fun sewing activities, which has been our favourite thing to do together now for quite some time.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">I had big plans for what I wanted to make for my costume but that went out the window because of other craft things that I had going on, so I decided to work with what we had going on around the house and went with 'zombie hockey player'. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOTZ-VOnrIk/YYBeDIbtZvI/AAAAAAAAjlk/__djOw-vvAUG5R9gEs6qrHdOVlikYh7rwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/F98D853B-FE87-44D7-B26D-73A50D580E71.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="2048" height="532" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOTZ-VOnrIk/YYBeDIbtZvI/AAAAAAAAjlk/__djOw-vvAUG5R9gEs6qrHdOVlikYh7rwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h532/F98D853B-FE87-44D7-B26D-73A50D580E71.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XS0C1WhdD0c/YYBeEd5agCI/AAAAAAAAjls/VqNYIY7R9HgCFTm_5Kn5i41dcB0LNND0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_7154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XS0C1WhdD0c/YYBeEd5agCI/AAAAAAAAjls/VqNYIY7R9HgCFTm_5Kn5i41dcB0LNND0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_7154.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Popes decided he wanted to do my make up so I lay on the floor and let him go wild, I think he nailed it. Hotdogs and excessive sugar at our friends, a little sweet swapping and a spooky woodland walk and that pretty much summed up a perfect all hallows eve. For me, this will always be my favourite time of year.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhhWM3oIwNs/YYBfiwO-5YI/AAAAAAAAjl4/eWIWFyQY9wAYrWhThm9LFBxmJBOH8yZ5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/50D0E65E-F600-4CFE-8818-8DF2925CB397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhhWM3oIwNs/YYBfiwO-5YI/AAAAAAAAjl4/eWIWFyQY9wAYrWhThm9LFBxmJBOH8yZ5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/50D0E65E-F600-4CFE-8818-8DF2925CB397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-78388822709746497542021-10-30T22:00:00.001+01:002021-11-01T22:43:45.535+00:00“The more I know about people, the more I love zombies.”<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">It's almost Halloween so what better time to stick the Popes and Twink zombie video on here. We are having so much fun making these videos and making random puppets is definitely keeping us out of trouble... for now.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9UkmgJHMSwY" width="320" youtube-src-id="9UkmgJHMSwY"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">You can also find Popes and Twink on Instagram: @popesandtwink</span></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-6152211049215336422021-05-13T09:23:00.001+01:002021-05-13T09:23:26.206+01:00"Come on, step out of your cage. There's a whole twisted world out there."<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"> There is something incredibly relaxing about sitting with my headphones in, sewing of an evening. Which is why I'm all over Opeie's new interest in puppetry. I'm looking forward to making some random characters next but this weekend was spent making an Alice Angel puppet from Bendy and the Ink machine. The puppet was fairly easy to make until I got to the hair, if I'd have had any myself I'd have probably pulled it out. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">After I'd finished it Opeie made a pretty cool video for the channel. Check it out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt4cBr_6Ev0">Here!</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7Jy8ypurng/YJxChe1qw9I/AAAAAAAAjUg/j32leo13AyQcWDcyq0cgctnHkXk8tL99gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/A946BB3A-6A4E-419B-8A97-74600DC2ADE2%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7Jy8ypurng/YJxChe1qw9I/AAAAAAAAjUg/j32leo13AyQcWDcyq0cgctnHkXk8tL99gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/A946BB3A-6A4E-419B-8A97-74600DC2ADE2%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-9771617192432430352021-05-12T21:55:00.000+01:002021-05-12T21:55:10.748+01:00“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.”<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">I love that every time we go for a walk Opeie picks up an object to take with him to photograph Sometimes it's a toy and sometimes it's something he has created, whatever it is though he wants it photographed in a tree, in grass, next to a mushroom or on moss which to me always says a lot about how he feels about nature and being outdoors. Today was Yoda's turn for the star treatment.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQFdy7aBiKg/YJw9i2Ge9DI/AAAAAAAAjUY/pEFat_08ypYzaj9viE3GgZVInbrlWE3iQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQFdy7aBiKg/YJw9i2Ge9DI/AAAAAAAAjUY/pEFat_08ypYzaj9viE3GgZVInbrlWE3iQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4572.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-65111544045228501842021-05-12T00:07:00.001+01:002021-05-12T00:07:28.619+01:00"As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood."<p><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">It has been so long since the last time I wrote, for so many reasons. But it feels like the right time to give myself a push to get going again. Like many of us it seems, I have been struggling for motivation with many parts of my life recently, waking up each morning and feeling like we are just repeating the previous day... and many before it. One thing that hasn't been lacking motivation though has been my creative side and I put a lot of that down to that amazing boy of mine and his constant need to be making something new. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">A few weeks back he came to me with his latest idea and I was over the moon as it was something I had tried to get him interested in years ago (with no joy). As with many things with kids though, they initially don't share your motivation for an activity until they see a YouTube video (with completed product) and its all the motivation they need. So Opeie started playing me some vides by a very talented chap called Adam Kreutinger and I was hooked from the get go. I went on a bit of a binge for a week after that watching design videos and learning various creative techniques every evening before buying various supplies to get us creating. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y20gdWLhiZE/YHDAd9_cDRI/AAAAAAAAjSM/wMpqUvRDuSY1pn-LLNTrpNCvbuzR74k_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y20gdWLhiZE/YHDAd9_cDRI/AAAAAAAAjSM/wMpqUvRDuSY1pn-LLNTrpNCvbuzR74k_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4014.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="text-align: center;">Once things started to arrive, I tried not to over think the process and just throw ourselves into it and learn from our mistakes etc, that way of creating has always worked out well for me. There's something really magical about learning new creative skills and it always puts me in a happy place.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">The plan was to build puppets of ourselves and we were both very excited. We wanted to create something really playful and not too serious. Making the Foam bodies was super easy and I think contact adhesive is my new favourite thing. Once those were made it was on with the sewing and thankfully we had a few good days of weather in a row so we threw the beanbags outside and sat in the sun chatting while we stitched. It was so much fun watching them come together and really great seeing Opeie so focused on what he was doing. As expected we made a a few mistakes along the way, like cutting the fleece the wrong way round and losing the stretch but that's the great thing about learning this way, that will never happen again.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5MTLRDdpnc/YJsLUKfRn1I/AAAAAAAAjUE/-2nY49LhaYwARvcoKdIdBJGQFqvZdmNyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s743/IMG_4389%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="743" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5MTLRDdpnc/YJsLUKfRn1I/AAAAAAAAjUE/-2nY49LhaYwARvcoKdIdBJGQFqvZdmNyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/IMG_4389%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></p>One of the things that I love about attempting these new projects is realising that actually, craft wise, I can put my hands to most things and come out with something I'm pretty chuffed with. But more importantly, the confidence that it gives Opeie in his ability to create is incredible to watch. I love a creative project but that is massively magnified when the two of us are creating something together.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Making the outfits for the puppets was really satisfying. I made myself some dungarees using the leg of an old pair of Opeie's shorts and although the thought of it seemed quite daunting I managed to pin, cut and restitch an old shirt of Opeie's to fit his puppet nicely. I love being able to use things from around the house, sadly my washing rail is looking a little worse for wear now though as I've pulled lots of the rails of of it to make the army rods, oops!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CkEoZbxTOYo/YGeJwHi4ppI/AAAAAAAAjRY/O_rG7FzzItgdPj6-RocL2Sg2WtEvjyYFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/476AA269-A1FB-48C3-BF12-4099FA24794F.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CkEoZbxTOYo/YGeJwHi4ppI/AAAAAAAAjRY/O_rG7FzzItgdPj6-RocL2Sg2WtEvjyYFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/476AA269-A1FB-48C3-BF12-4099FA24794F.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">And now it's time for the real fun to happen. Opeie wants to learn how to make videos about all the things we get up to which I think is going to be lots of fun. So we're setting up a Youtube channel to document that and hopefully have a ton of fun along the way. Check it out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_irwMt0B104">HERE</a>.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUOmHpf9IgU/YJrrCzmIeXI/AAAAAAAAjT4/MoISmrxQcik5rbiWoHPXxmH-dk3o-UzrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4457.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUOmHpf9IgU/YJrrCzmIeXI/AAAAAAAAjT4/MoISmrxQcik5rbiWoHPXxmH-dk3o-UzrwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4457.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNlbr2NIQ0/YJsLKbKFXjI/AAAAAAAAjUA/9fphsBFBPgExGkbkuz_tN9D3FwPMlfHIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNlbr2NIQ0/YJsLKbKFXjI/AAAAAAAAjUA/9fphsBFBPgExGkbkuz_tN9D3FwPMlfHIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-3109985064825442272020-12-15T13:09:00.003+00:002020-12-16T20:41:30.764+00:00“Learn something new. Try something different. Convince yourself that you have no limits.”<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">It kind of felt like 2020 was going to go out in exactly the same grey and stagnant way that it has been festering the entire year. I know I shouldn't moan, we're all going through this but having a mass of other rubbish thrown in to the mix was making this year one I was desperate to put behind us. Even without the lockdown madness this time of year has been a testing time for Opeie, shrouded by a mix of emotions and upset. I tried so hard the last couple of years to make 'Christmas' fun again but with no joy, so this year we talked and said 'no more!'. If this year has taught us anything it's shown us what is actually important and also what ever we decide to do (even if it doesn't fit in with other peoples views)... its okay. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">So instead of 'Christmas' this year we have decided to have a celebration of our favourite little creatures 'Beetles', With the build up being filled with beetle related creative activities to decorate the house 'our way'. We've been busy doing all sorts but my favourite thing so far has been decorating the wall in the LEGO room with a series of hanging beetles. This really got us pumped about the upcoming festivities.</span></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpDBoMe9sI4/X9irH3GsJqI/AAAAAAAAjMs/c0gXRxKJg-Upx0ODzVvhTYxxPkgM04qrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/70EBAE4B-23B8-44D2-9D7B-307C38C27424.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpDBoMe9sI4/X9irH3GsJqI/AAAAAAAAjMs/c0gXRxKJg-Upx0ODzVvhTYxxPkgM04qrQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/70EBAE4B-23B8-44D2-9D7B-307C38C27424.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">What has really made this for me is how much it has taken the strain off of Opeie and has given him the chance to see the end of the year in a different light. This morning he said 'Dad, I'm so excited about Beetlemas!'... and that is all I needed to hear to feel like we are taking control of 2020 again.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RP9qxu_0rbk/X9irjTJ9X9I/AAAAAAAAjM0/m6DngcD7gwYkWIco5NVDRiWbfBx0iAspwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_57C1B67C932C-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RP9qxu_0rbk/X9irjTJ9X9I/AAAAAAAAjM0/m6DngcD7gwYkWIco5NVDRiWbfBx0iAspwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/IMG_57C1B67C932C-1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-91188768275393899442020-12-05T22:40:00.000+00:002020-12-05T22:40:28.212+00:00'There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.'<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Ive spent so much time worrying about Opeie since this whole covid fiasco started. Stressing about the impact that this situation is having in him, the fact that he's not seen some of his friends for a while and his general well being. The parent guilt is constantly banging at the door even though I know it is out of my control. As I stood in the house this week and watched him sitting on the shed outside with his besties watching the sun set I was reassured that actually, despite the confusing government guidelines and the massive change to our lives, he's actually got everything he needs. A calm, loving home, a doting dad, and the kind of friends that you could spend your whole life hoping for... (the excessive amount of LEGO is a bonus too). </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNVQlp5w3NQ/X8wEupgP3GI/AAAAAAAAjLw/EKXgxWLNKhE4yf3v8Ttmf5Ed3BQht9PHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1490%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNVQlp5w3NQ/X8wEupgP3GI/AAAAAAAAjLw/EKXgxWLNKhE4yf3v8Ttmf5Ed3BQht9PHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_1490%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-13065189860543849152020-11-01T07:49:00.001+00:002020-11-07T21:46:24.746+00:00"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."<p> </p><span style="text-align: center;"> Day 1... (part 2)</span><br /><p style="text-align: center;">With another 4 weeks of national lockdown starting now, I'm feeling like the only way through this is back to daily activities concentrating on creativity. The creative lockdown project really helped to keep us in a Calm and focused headspace while the whole world was falling apart. So for the next 4 weeks our home-ed will be focussing solely on a variety of creative activities base on a word of the day. It's been a really tough month emotionally and I think we both want to be feeling better about the path that we are on. I'm kicking off our project with our LEGO Halloween build for this year, an explosion of black and orange.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Stay safe people and keep on creating.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tNQXF4uuAOk/X55kQOTMizI/AAAAAAAAjKY/QFkQfNvAEpIMTPHfUD9S4amb2qNnACrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/A757EE77-80E3-4B5D-8461-907CBDD23390.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="486" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tNQXF4uuAOk/X55kQOTMizI/AAAAAAAAjKY/QFkQfNvAEpIMTPHfUD9S4amb2qNnACrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w648-h486/A757EE77-80E3-4B5D-8461-907CBDD23390.JPG" width="648" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-32361247048473960562020-08-24T21:30:00.007+01:002020-08-24T21:30:48.876+01:00"Don't get your feathers all ruffled. Just chill."<p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">I can't believe it's been a month since the last post, its crazy how quickly time seems to go in this new world. I've been in such an awful headspace for weeks and really need to shake it off but on a more positive note, Opeie has been able to see his friends a little more and tomorrow he's finally going to see his bestie after not seeing her since march. I'm so glad its happening now as I get the feeling that another lockdown (maybe just in Telford) is inevitable. Plus with the schools going back, I don't think we'll be seeing anyone that we know that goes to school for a few weeks to see what happens. I kind of feel like were at the start of some insane science experiment. </span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Anyway, doom and gloom aside, we have been playing a lot of Animal crossing new horizons over the last few weeks. Opeie wanted me to join him in playing and despite looking at it and thinking 'there's no way I'm going to enjoy that!' it turns out its really bloody relaxing and has spurred on lots of creative projects too. This week we drew our Animal crossing characters and the villagers that we most wanted on our island. I love having all these pictures of ours around the house, they are a constant reminder of just how awesome our Homelife is.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jaFIyktEauk/X0Qf5rctP1I/AAAAAAAAjIU/127n4SWJZws8m34o_QJltvrS-7_Zs9KeACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jaFIyktEauk/X0Qf5rctP1I/AAAAAAAAjIU/127n4SWJZws8m34o_QJltvrS-7_Zs9KeACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_9567.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p>GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-59215024237148578892020-07-23T07:46:00.000+01:002020-07-26T21:50:36.625+01:00"Sometimes brightening up the outside of your store is just the thing to perk up business, yes?"<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 126:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Conversation in the house recently has been heavy on the Animal Crossing. Since picking up a copy of New horizons a couple of weeks ago Opeie has been busy building his island and creating and it has been so much nicer hearing about that rather than Fortnite. While he was having a chat with his friends yesterday I decided to build him Nooks Cranny. His smile when he came off the phone and saw it was contagious and leaving the build empty means that that smile can continue tomorrow when we are building the furniture together. Another win for those amazing bricks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OakSXv5WfcQ/Xxp_aE02v-I/AAAAAAAAjHM/ZxgwYsOCS3AXtz-KFuxRdooEpesiDbRlACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/17F32673-C96D-4E3A-AFBF-B050E09ADC7B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="1600" height="508" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OakSXv5WfcQ/Xxp_aE02v-I/AAAAAAAAjHM/ZxgwYsOCS3AXtz-KFuxRdooEpesiDbRlACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/17F32673-C96D-4E3A-AFBF-B050E09ADC7B.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-23915319958803452272020-07-22T08:06:00.000+01:002020-07-24T08:08:41.618+01:00"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 125:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I love it when Opeie shows me a picture he's found on the internet and says "Can we build this?". Mainly because it means an afternoon of sitting down with the LEGO and working something out together. Its rare that he ever wants to add Technic functions into builds but this kinetic cowboy build by Tankybrick had really got him excited. So we watched their video about 50 times to try and work out the functions. After building pretty much the entire thing no matter haw many times we watched the video we couldn't work out the final piece that got the horses moving as the video wasn't very clear. After a stressful 30 minutes or so of trying all sorts of different elements we finally cracked it. It definitely wasn't the same piece, and the horses the finitely don't run as smooth as theirs but overall it came out great and ended up being a fun afternoon building with my bestie.</span></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-33056922729811079192020-07-19T20:36:00.001+01:002020-12-16T20:50:56.384+00:00"You're gonna need a bigger boat!"<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 121:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I have been so rubbish at writing and taking pictures since my birthday and I really need to get back into the rhythm as it was doing me the world of good mentally. This week has been lush hanging out with Opeie, painting and playing LEGO. Opeie is loving his LEGO photography at the moment so we've been putting a lot of time into that. Hopefully these pictures are all going towards something amazing. Watch this space.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR5Tm-iuKP8/XxSc0s_3b0I/AAAAAAAAjHA/axlDTKSKEa0WEQr6jDHCm0ww2YNFHKCQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR5Tm-iuKP8/XxSc0s_3b0I/AAAAAAAAjHA/axlDTKSKEa0WEQr6jDHCm0ww2YNFHKCQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-86527413733199824032020-07-11T20:08:00.001+01:002023-04-30T23:17:49.875+01:00"Forget the past; look forward to the future, for the best things are yet to come."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 113:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Every year for as long as I can remember my birthday has always felt like just another day of the week, this year was different though. There was a feeling in the air that I wasn't expecting on the build up and as it got closer I felt myself feeling all warm inside. Opeie had been busy doing some top secret prep for weeks and my unexpected warm fuzzy birthday feeling was definitely coming from their excitement. By the time the big day came today I felt like I had already had my birthday twice over because of the first two days of the three day celebrations.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbrydcZqxfw/Xw91JtQIzuI/AAAAAAAAjFs/2j-yYCLTjdsgPoBfMSI1Y3pjF9LxRf9QACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0BBE8EF0-136E-40DF-A2CC-A43FF5B2D6E1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbrydcZqxfw/Xw91JtQIzuI/AAAAAAAAjFs/2j-yYCLTjdsgPoBfMSI1Y3pjF9LxRf9QACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0BBE8EF0-136E-40DF-A2CC-A43FF5B2D6E1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">You know you are on to a winner when not only do. you receive a thoughtful toy from your childhood but also new patches for that magical toy (which are always battered because of their age). And Opeie couldn't be any cuter, knowing exactly what to get me because he is so bloody awesome. By the time we were ready to head out I was feeling like a princess.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">As we drove out of the road to start our journey to Lake Vyrnwy, I spotted pictures of myself all over the place, Opeie had clearly been having a blast getting ready for today. I liked to think that everyone one on our road thought I was a young dad but now they all know that I'm a crusty 40-year-old</span>.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QjKeBn-YGE/Xw9206i8uKI/AAAAAAAAjF4/h2Q8q0TpxOoglHwG0yEHViiHeW8zz-xNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/A07EE3F4-6715-4E3F-9146-E524EABEF222.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QjKeBn-YGE/Xw9206i8uKI/AAAAAAAAjF4/h2Q8q0TpxOoglHwG0yEHViiHeW8zz-xNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/A07EE3F4-6715-4E3F-9146-E524EABEF222.JPG" width="614" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Lake Vyrnwy was a little busier than we expected but we found a quiet spot to have a picnic and a good stomp while Opeie took photos for his next comic. On the way home all I could think about was that delicious looking backed cheese cake that Opeie had made. Today was perfection, it was so nice to have a clear head for a few days. Hopefully next year the world will seem a little calmer. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgQTZX5_nw8/Xw95DqPBYvI/AAAAAAAAjGM/UnG9eRCtti0D5m4xsQNjSdscDdoi8IoCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9125.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgQTZX5_nw8/Xw95DqPBYvI/AAAAAAAAjGM/UnG9eRCtti0D5m4xsQNjSdscDdoi8IoCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9125.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-81734040017571955352020-07-10T20:52:00.002+01:002020-12-16T20:49:16.437+00:00"Don't ever, never say we're through, We gon boogaloo"<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 112:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 2 of the birthday celebrations has been awesome and I'm feeling so loved. It's a shame I don't turn 40 every weekend. I woke up to coffee and breakfast in bed again, more lovely presents and then we backed up the car to the river in Jackfield, opened the boot, dropped the seats and lay in the back drawing. I feel like Ive already had my birthday twice over and its not until tomorrow. I've been treated like a princess. I'm currently banished upstairs and I'm not allowed to go downstairs until tomorrow, I have no idea what those lovelies are up to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I was so chill today that I didn't even think to get my phone out to take a picture, so here's a song instead. </span></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-63175282480522642342020-07-08T14:55:00.002+01:002020-07-08T14:55:58.769+01:00"Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 106-110:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I've really not felt myself over the last few days so I decided to skip a few days, I've not felt very inspired and if I'm honest 'getting through the day' has been as far as I have got. I feel like this whole Covid thing has changed me and some of those changes I really don't like. I think part of this unmotivated feeling is because of the news, I do my best to avoid it but for some reason a few nights back I ended up sat in bed reading and the ridiculousness of this country hit me hard. I'm hoping for a relaxing, creative few days to get me out of this funk. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">On a plus note we found another female Lesser Stag beetle, which made us both smile.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgLMLBpZUv0/XwW6DPjQzSI/AAAAAAAAjFM/ThFFXAVvg2Y567R0NXvsvq1nbSCy9h6FACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/40D77ABD-2AE9-4006-A548-CD2FF8BCE733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgLMLBpZUv0/XwW6DPjQzSI/AAAAAAAAjFM/ThFFXAVvg2Y567R0NXvsvq1nbSCy9h6FACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/40D77ABD-2AE9-4006-A548-CD2FF8BCE733.JPG" width="636" /></a></div>
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GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-5364841733387833652020-07-02T22:27:00.001+01:002020-12-16T20:52:57.326+00:00"Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 104:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">For many of us the last 100 or so days has forced us into seriously changing the speed in which we are living. Ive always been fairly chill but I've seen the people around me have to adapt to this new way of getting through the days. I had high hopes for the lockdown period, I was going to learn new skills and pick up things that I had put down a long time ago, and although I definitely have learned some new skills and have tackled some new projects, this time at home hasn't been as productive as I had invisioned because of concentrating on our emotional wellbeing. I lay in bed tonight thinking about how much creative fun we have had, I have really been empowered by the things we have been doing and Its been awesome watching Opeie get into his drawing too, I've been putting a lot more thought into how his home education is going to be going from this point and I'm really excited to see where it goes.</span></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-15771833681855807832020-07-01T14:44:00.001+01:002020-07-01T14:44:15.555+01:00"Create with the heart, build with the mind"<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 103:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Opeie has been all smiles today because he has built one of his favourite teddies. Jonathan (or pinky butthole as we like to call him) has been a mobile pillow for Opeie taken all over the house for him to lie on. As he is so loved Opeie decided to immortalise him in bricks to show his appreciation. I bloody love LEGO!!!</span></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-33826670029952131262020-06-30T14:12:00.000+01:002020-07-01T14:27:12.708+01:00"Passion surprises. One doesn't search it. It can happen to you tomorrow."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 101-102:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Yesterday seemed to fly by and I didn't take a single photo so I'm lazily adding these two days together. Last year we visited Attingham park a few times around this time of year in search of the Lesser stag for Opeies photo collection of found beetles. Each visit we came away with some photos of some interesting new beetles but sadly never the Lesser stag. As we walked home yesterday through the woodland near us, we turned over logs looking for beetles and there she was, sitting there waiting for a photo. I love how things like this can really make our day and we can now cross off Lesser stag from our list. Next up... we still haven't found Opeie's favourite, the elusive violet ground beetle.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xzzOIBQO6gU/XvyLjuC0KpI/AAAAAAAAjEE/WChgDVCkbiALIAfVVcgVhatlE1OIxVRfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/A57AA762-4D0C-42DC-9605-364B2B2204D1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xzzOIBQO6gU/XvyLjuC0KpI/AAAAAAAAjEE/WChgDVCkbiALIAfVVcgVhatlE1OIxVRfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/A57AA762-4D0C-42DC-9605-364B2B2204D1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-66418055816714059002020-06-27T22:12:00.000+01:002020-06-30T15:26:54.648+01:00"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 99:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">The plan for today was to go for good stomp around snail beach, we made pizza and wrapped it up for lunch but when we arrived the weather just didn't want to play ball so we drove a little further up to Stiperstones and dropped the backseats so that we could sit in the back of the car and paint. Before we could start painting though Opeie asked whether we could do a drawing activity he had created where we design products for a supermarket based around themes. I love things like this as you end up drawing things that you would never usually think of drawing. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBUyrX8BUmA/XvkHzpkKlWI/AAAAAAAAjDs/cMBkMbGXgmwzNI1VYHqOR_NRy7CyLUy8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/33278953-fca3-4fef-a91b-d1f2b68b7b3e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBUyrX8BUmA/XvkHzpkKlWI/AAAAAAAAjDs/cMBkMbGXgmwzNI1VYHqOR_NRy7CyLUy8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/33278953-fca3-4fef-a91b-d1f2b68b7b3e.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-53388567390744876312020-06-22T16:56:00.000+01:002020-06-23T17:27:43.830+01:00"The toad, without which no garden would be complete"<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 94:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">When I popped out in the garden last night I saw this little cutie quickly disappear under the shed. Tonight when I walked outside they were obviously feeling a little braver and came over to say hi. Our garden is only really small but backs on to an undisturbed piece of land with a stream so we get all sorts in there. The frogs always freak when I pick them up but this little dude happily sat on my hand for a photo shoot, my toady encounter really made my evening. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JayDWP9I7aY/XvEyKVqKvYI/AAAAAAAAjCk/UbNQZC75I0gKHoEw0waKxdvgF7U6q2qYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JayDWP9I7aY/XvEyKVqKvYI/AAAAAAAAjCk/UbNQZC75I0gKHoEw0waKxdvgF7U6q2qYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-54964111559488189112020-06-21T17:12:00.000+01:002020-06-23T17:27:32.062+01:00"When one has not had a good father, one must create one."<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 93:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Fathers day has always been one of my favourite days of the year and this one was lush, I got breakfast and coffee in bed, a lovely card and most importantly lots of cuddles. The weather wasn't great but we managed to find a spot by the river in Jackfield where we could park, open the boot and paint in the back of the car while it thrashed it down, perfection.</span></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-22018311374274977462020-06-20T16:59:00.000+01:002020-06-23T17:08:55.815+01:00"The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 91 and 92:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Opeie has really been getting into his LEGO photography for his latest comic idea. He's been in the garden with all sorts of kits and bricks creating scenes for each picture and its been so lovely to watch. As I really wasn't in the mood to write yesterday I decided to use two of his photos for today. I can't wait to see the finished piece, its starting to look really interesting.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_kTfIbCPu58/XvIm0jLYqSI/AAAAAAAAjCw/pD7TbfFJ53QYAALJFXyXrwHtt1V__0-tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_CAB330DBB24E-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_kTfIbCPu58/XvIm0jLYqSI/AAAAAAAAjCw/pD7TbfFJ53QYAALJFXyXrwHtt1V__0-tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_CAB330DBB24E-1.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863681355410044779.post-33125580893266975632020-06-18T23:57:00.000+01:002020-06-22T00:13:26.644+01:00“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Day 90:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Homeschooling (in our usual way) went out the window pretty quickly when all this crazy started. For most of us the days have all just merged into one big oddity, Ive lost all track of days and time and in my foggy head I'm now stuck at 'before Corona (BC)' and During Corona (DC). It's get harder and harder to motivate Opeie in the way I would have BC because he misses his friends so much. So I now just fully focus on what makes him happy. His latest idea for a comic has been keeping us busy in the LEGO department, focusing on set designs and letting our brick creativity flow. This should be a pretty awesome project, stay tuned.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jVMI-jdAHHs/XuvNisjFh2I/AAAAAAAAjB4/Hd9GjiQBHok3VEM5G5kdE1I6INnHbSp5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BB08C84C-82C8-4A37-BF2B-A7AA07BB22B0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jVMI-jdAHHs/XuvNisjFh2I/AAAAAAAAjB4/Hd9GjiQBHok3VEM5G5kdE1I6INnHbSp5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BB08C84C-82C8-4A37-BF2B-A7AA07BB22B0.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />GiftsFromThePirateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07990569862504025358noreply@blogger.com0