Tag: childhood

Back to school – mixed emotions

Well, we’re on the cusp of the kids going back to school in the UK and I know I’m not the only one feeling weird about it. Of course we all have some trepidation about how this is all going to work whilst we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, but it’s also more than this.

We’ve all been at home so long and been doing things so differently that it’s difficult to see how we’re going to get back into that routine – I do not envy teachers who must find it hard to settle kids after 6 weeks off, nevermind after 5 months! Some kids are desperate to get back, others are going to find it really difficult, and those little reception children are going to have to go in without their mum’s – heartbreaking for everyone. And us parents, we are going to find it so tough – I’m already losing sleep! Not only is the hygiene aspect soon to be out of my hands, but I’m not going to have my child with me all day for the first time in 5 months! And although there is, undeniably, some appeal in this, I’m going to miss him so much! We’ve been inseparable for this time and it’s mostly been amazing.

Puddle jumping in the sun

So, I’m going to focus on all the fab things we’ve done during this time. All the new places we’ve found, all the things we’ve learnt, all the nature we’ve seen, flowers we’ve grown, all the kitchen discos…

Blue tit eating meal worms

All the PE with Joe, the home learning lessons and projects, the VE Day celebrations in the garden, the water fights, the home Sports’ Day, our garden music festival…

Making a VE Day banner

The movie nights, the giggles, the endless football in the garden, the craft sessions making posters and banners for various events, the looking after a poorly robin and the discovery of hedgehogs visiting our garden.

Poorly robin

And now that I’ve written that out, it’s clear that we’ve been lucky enough to have had loads of fun during this scary time. So, rather than worry about what I can’t control when school restarts, I’m going to try to focus on the gift of time that under normal circumstances we would never have had. And I’m going to spend the next 5 months sorting out all the photo memories!

Exploring a reservoir
Releasing our butterflies.

Stay safe.

Clare x

www.claremcewenphotography.com – sign up for my newsletter on the home page and never miss a blog post. And get 10% off your first print order.

Photography and me – a meandering journey

I can’t believe it, but I’ve just launched my very own website, selling my very own photo prints!!www.claremcewenphotography.com. I also can’t believe how long it’s been since I first picked up a camera (or how I can remember that far back 😉 ).

I think I was about 8 when my Mum bought me my first camera. A 1980s classic (I think they call it vintage now!) Halina, taking a 110 film – for those who remember the 80s, they were the cameras that were long and thin. They were great for a small budget, and performed very well for a young, budding photographer. Prior to owning my first camera, I was fascinated by our family cameras – the main one had a separate flash you attached to the top and always reminded me of an ice cube – and then there was the mighty Polaroid (which I’m lucky enough to have inherited, and it still works just fine). So, when I got my own, I was beside myself with excitement – I could take photos of anything I liked!

I was always fascinated by capturing moments in time, preserving the feelings and storing each memory we made with a snapshot – and that has never changed. And I was lucky enough that one of my first major photography trips was to Paris! I was a Brownie, and when I was 8, our Brownie Pack won a tea-making competition (very British!) that got us sent from our small rural town in the depths of Cornwall to the sophisticated city on the Seine! Ridiculously big trip for us little country Brownies, but the adventure of a lifetime. It took us several hours in a coach before we even got to Exeter airport – this was massive for us and, almost certainly, more massive for our parents!! Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was a DAY TRIP! We had to get from deepest, darkest Cornwall to Paris, and back, and have lunch there and see some sights, all in one day! We of course we not phased – we had know idea about the logistics, we just knew we were off to Paris. Anyway, we made it there, and I got my camera out. I’ll be honest, of all the dodgy photos I took in Paris, the one that mostly sticks out in my mind is my infamous (well, within the family!!), ‘Paris Pigeon’. Not the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, a somewhat filthy Paris pigeon. Oh yes, and the photo of a smiling Gendarme – I can still see his face now 🙂 Capturing moments, capturing feelings! These were the important moments to my 8 year old self – these were the memories that now very much live on even though I haven’t dug the photos out in years.

So yes, Paris was the beginning! Many family holidays, many photos, several cameras as the years went by. Then University and loads of memories of the hilarious times, the brilliant people, the outings and exploring with my new boyfriend (now my husband), all captured by the camera I religiously took everywhere with me – side note: for the younger generation, there were no mobile phones when I went to Uni….I know, how did we survive….actually, I really don’t know how we did! Next, some adventures around Europe, and more recently documenting family life with my own child – full circle really, as he is now 8 and uses my old compact digital camera!

Well, I warned you this was a meandering journey, so thank you if you’re still reading! And here I am, selling photographic prints of the seaside and of nature, and still capturing the moments. But these moments are the ones that bring me a sense of calm and well-being. They make me breathe a little deeper. They help my shoulders relax. And they make me wonder at the magic and the beauty of our natural world.

Thank you for reading.

Clare x