When Corey set the theme as Traditions, I had no idea where to even start.  But then later in the month when I realised that it was Thankgiving in some corners of the world, I realised why it was set… LOL… we don’t celebrate it here so it wasn’t immediately obvious.  So without further ado, here are my 3 photos that represent my interpretation on the theme.

1. Ever since the boys were tiny, I’ve had to find ways of keeping them occupied in the kitchen while I cook.  I’ve always got pens and paper for them to draw with and some toys to play with.  Then they sit on the bar stools and play and draw while I cook - it keeps them occupied and out of my hair, and they keep me company.   Lately however, Bradley has been using the time to practice his writing skills.

2. We put up the Christmas tree in the house yesterday. Pre-Bradley my tree was always filled with silver or gold baubles, never animals and other things, and the whole thing was quite elegant. When Bradley arrived that idea flew out the window, the tree HAD to be colourful and fun Since then I started a tradition of buying a few new decorations every year which I then add to the collection. This year for the first time, we didn’t put ALL the decorations on the tree, it was just too full! LOL! This wooden angel is one of the new decorations I bought for this year, isn’t she gorgeous! There’s nothing better than having a chubby angel on the tree
PS. I bought her (and a few others) from Derakera this weekend… yes… that’s a hint… I LUUUURRRVE that shop… so if you need Xmas ideas for me… that’s the place to buy them, ok?

3. On the subject of Christmas, we went to an online forum’s Christmas party yesterday. You might wonder about the tradition in that… but we’ve been going since Bradley was tiny. We only missed last years because the original date got moved due to rain. It was huge fun yesterday, and this year’s Father Christmas was a honey! It’s just a pity that Connor got such a fright when he saw the big man in red with lots of hair and just screamed - there was NO way he was letting that man give him ANYTHING. LOL! I love that Bradley still believes in the whole thing, and that this time of year is so magical for the kids.

Check out the other 2 corners of the world for their take on the theme (Lindy and Corey). If anyone else has taken part this month, please link your photos to the Flickr group and link in my comments.
It’s Lindy’s turn to set the theme for December, can’t wait to hear what it is!

It’s such a pity that because of the size of the huge lamp, that you can’t really tell how massive the moth is in this photo.

I took the photo over the weekend. I didn’t have time for photos today, because I went rushing out to Clearwater Mall this evening to get a Speedlight flash for my Canon. They ended up being cheaper than SACamera, and I need to master it before my photoshoot on Saturday morning.

I’ve got my first newborn shoot then (Natasha had her baby), and if this miserable weather isn’t going to clear, then there is no way that I’ll be able to only use natural light for the shoot.
Oooh and I’ve got another family shoot on Sunday too, so I’m going to have a VERY busy weekend! Yippee!

And finally, my latest Blissful post is up… all about posting photos of kids on the internet.  So follow the link, and read it!

…. and it only gets discovered an hour later.  We’re very lucky that the house didn’t burn down. Even the hairdryer has melted!

My old camera is ruined
 

The buttons on the watch popped off

Go HERE  for more Wordless Wednesday

We came back today from our holiday in Shelly Beach, on the Kwazulu Natal south coast.  It’s not the best time of the year to go there  ito weather, but it was a good break. 
I’ve taken SOOOO many photos that I don’t actually know where to start.  In fact, I think I’ll post some every day for the next week. Hopefully one or two of them are going to be good enough for Camera Club this coming Wednesday night. 
I thought this one covered this week’s photohunt quite nicely.  The theme is colourful, and the colours of the bucket that the kids were playing with really stands out against the colours of the beach and the sea.

Check out tnchick’s blog for more Photohunters.

I took this one at the beginning of the month. It’s by far the best piece of graffiti around here. I think it’s incredible.
I took it in an open piece of ground between Darrenwood and Linden in Johannesburg.

I posted something similar a few days ago, but I just love these massive chess pieces. They’re about thigh height, on a massive chess board at Misty Hills hotel in Muldersdrift

And then I couldn’t resist taking these photos of Bradley tonight. He made this clown suit out of paper and cardboard at school today. I love all his artwork that he brings home!

Check out Lindy and Coreys blogs for their takes on the theme.  Can’t wait to hear what August’s theme is!