Let's play

My good friends the Midgleys are busy moving house, which makes for new friends and an all-new environment for play and adventure for their five boys. But the trampoline remains a firm old favourite. Let's play - after all, the weather's perfect and school only starts again next week! (Ah, the joys of homeschooling...)

Round and round the trampoline...

Yeeha! Look at us!

And then Reece, second youngest, was jumping so high he almost jumped clear out of the shot!

 This links to Finer Things Friday which I discovered over at someone who seems to enjoy others laughing with her.

A flash of brilliance

Using a flash enhances weirdness in the children. Midgley #3

I've always hated flash photography. I find that it steals life from the pictures, makes them look unnatural, harsh and messes with the depth of field. In all honesty, it's probably just because I don't know what I'm doing...

But last week I received a brand new SB-600 flash for my Nikon. I immediately took some pics at my birthday dinner and was amazed at the exciting possibilities of bouncing light off the ceiling! Then this afternoon I rushed out to see if the flash would help me with my outside shots. From the far recesses of my memory I remember reading something about fill flash ...

Well, I learned a couple of things: firstly, that I've still got a lot to learn and that I need to delve into the flash's manual (I hate manuals); secondly, that kids love their picture taken with or without a flash; and thirdly, that school can get a bit serious, and that real life is out with the real people ... What fun we had cackling like fools with the kids, chatting to the mechanics on the side of the road and waving to moms and tots in their windows ...

I've included only photographs I took with my flash here, but if you'd like to see others (some of which are better than these, I think) you can visit my Flickr page.

Midgley #1 being himself

Children who found the "vazahah" (foreigner) photographer most amusing

Okay, I don't think the flash did much good here, but I like the pic.

This is one of my walls at home - bouncing the flash straight up off my wooden, termite-infested ceiling.

Avast me mateys

Arrr, Blistering barnacles. It be birthday time. Aye. And me parrot concurs.

Jeremy turned eight, and, as usual, Sue created an appropriate cake - a scuttled pirate ship - which was ripped apart and devoured by all the hungry little sea monkeys. And they were all most proud of their skull tattoos too! 

I tried to surrender my booty, like the sign said I should, but no-one wanted it. Argh!
(Be clickin on pictures for bigger versions ...)

The toothless wonder

The Mad Merry Midgley Minors

My sister tells me I shouldn't get too serious - I guess it's bad for my health and everyone's around me. And so I thought I'd write about a visit to the Midgleys, which is (mostly) anything but serious - boys climbing all over me and calling me names;  gentle wrestling, wild wrestling; oohing and aahing over the latest Lego creation; tears (mostly mine); being begged to watch funny "You Tube" videos; Kim, Sue and I taking out any frustrations we may have built up in the day by blowing each other away in Call of Duty (it is worrying that all the boys know the maps and weapons better than we do, especially because they never play the confounded game! But somehow our friendship has managed to prevail despite the regular violence against each other!) ...

Today I heard that the lads have now cast me in the role of Pooh Bear (each family member has been given a character, and as honorary uncle they couldn't leave me out). I'm assured it has nothing to do with "the bear of little brain" part, but rather because of my "ever-so-slightly round tummy". Mmmmph! While wrestling with numbers 3 and 4 the other day number 4 did call my stomach revolting, so I guess Pooh makes sense. Which all reminded me of my first stint on stage in a PACT Playwork production of Winnie the Pooh, when I was six. My mother was Rabbit, Laurika Rauch (of Kinders van die Wind fame) played Kanga and I was little Roo who dizzily careered around the stage shouting, "look at me jump, look at me jump," or "look at me swim, look at me swim." I still have nightmares about forgetting my lines and of my grandmother wildly waving and screaching, "yoo hoo, Robbie," from the audience.

Midgley son number 1, 11-year-old Andy, has been churning out some rather remarkable poetry the last few days - about random things like angles ("angry anglers' angles could really twist you up"), eels ("eels, eels, water mobiles, where, oh where are they from"), and manta ray pets called Nimbus ... Sounds like fun, homeschooling ... I'm attaching his poem about Jesus at the bottom of this blog.

So, enjoy the pics of these mad, merry, mercurial Midgley minors. (As ever, click on the pics for larger versions).

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

JESUS

Jesus, known as son of David,
Was the Son of God.
Jesus had no sin in Him,
But His life was hard.

As all the world was registered,
The Son of God was born,
Born in a stable dry,
amongst the animal's corn.

And wise men came to visit Him,
And shepherds the news heard
And gifts were given unto Him,
While the angels stirred.

And Jesus wasn't evil
And Jesus wasn't vile,
And Jesus could not stand with Satan,
Not even for a while.

The people call Him meek
The people call Him mild
Though Jesus was more likely
To be a Godly wild.

And as His life went by,
He did a lot of teaching
Healed many people,
He even did some preaching.

As His time of death drew near
Jesus was betrayed -
Betrayed by His own disciple
Who a "fortune" made.

And on the cross at Calvary
as Jesus was crucified,
Many people mocked Him
Though many people cried.

And Jesus, known as son of David
Is known as the risen Son
And Jesus is in Heaven
For God's great will was done.