*Tap*

*Tap*

Is this thing on? Is my blog still here? Are you still here? I do hope so! Sorry for the unexpected hiatus – I was caught by an unscheduled and rather overwhelming bout of can’t-be-bothered-to-blog-itis. A nasty and virulent little disease, that robbed me of any motivation I may once have possessed, however fleetingly. I am, however, valiantly battling back – and writing this post in fits and starts, in between taking care of my farm, feeding my customers and clobbering bears (FB, you have a lot to answer for!).

So, the Summer holidays finally came to an end last week (far too soon, in my humble opinion – it felt like we only just started them!) and Wednesday saw a mass return to school.

It was hard, after having Chipmunk home for the Summer, to suddenly have to deal with the early starts again! I am not a morning person. At all. Something I really need to work on!

You may recall my crippling anxiety about Chipmunk returning to school – if you want to refresh your memory, you can read a post I did about it on The Writer’s Bubble.

It’s ok, I’ll wait for you to come  back.

Ready?

Good.

We are lucky, in that Chipmunk’s school is an infant and junior school in one, so the children are there all the way through from age 4 to age 11. There is no separation of the two sections either, so children get to know teachers and facilities right from the start – this helps to minimise the culture shock when transferring to the juniors!

That said, the leap from year 2 to year 3 is still a big one – for any child. For a child on the autism spectrum, it is especially so.

Not only was I concerned about all the changes Chipmunk would have to face, he was also having to do so without Miss Fifi at his side. She, as you may remember, is in the other year 3 class. Yes, it is fairly safe to say that I was a bit of a nervous wreck last Wednesday morning – but hiding it well, obviously!

As it turned out, I needn’t have been so stressed. Things turned out better than I could ever have expected them to.

Chipmunk loves his teacher (Miss Dillon), loves his classroom, loves his topics – I have never seen him so happy and settled, and in such a short space of time! It is truly astounding! He also has a Teaching Assistant (shared with one other child) – and she used to work with him in Reception class. Her name is Miss Reyes, and he loves her to bits!

Whatever magic his new teacher has worked, I want some of it to keep at home for when things get tough!

And after school on that first day, Chipmunk and Miss Fifi found each other, and came bounding across the playground towards us grinning from ear to ear.

Now, they meet in the playground in the mornings, go into school together, and come out together in the afternoons. After the first couple of days, Chipmunk went into the school building without me. From yesterday, he didn’t even need me to go to the door, trotting off with his book bag and lunch box, leaving me bursting with pride in the playground.

Yes, he needs someone to open the door for him so he can enter the building (Miss Fifi usually does this!) and yes, we had a problem with the toilets – he wasn’t strong enough to open the door – but his teacher lets him use the disabled toilets now, so that’s solved! He still hates PE, but says Miss Dillon is very kind to him anyway.

On the first day, Chipmunk came home wearing a badge – “I am the Table Captain for my group”, he said proudly. “That means I have to organise things and help Miss Dillon”. Yes, I melted.

On Friday, he came home with a certificate, a pencil and a sticker proclaiming him ‘Star of the Week’ – and wearing a massive grin. I don’t care whether he did something special to warrant it, or whether it was designed to help him settle in – I am just grateful that he is so happy, and whatever helps to achieve this is ok by me!

I am still having some problems with the SENCO, but that’s an issue for another time. For now, I am celebrating Chipmunk’s happiness. Nothing is more important than that.

Yesterday, Chipmunk’s Nanny wished him a happy day at school. His reply? “Nanny! I always have happy days in year 3!”

Long may it continue!

The theme for The Gallery this week, is A Photo I’m Proud Of. This is in honour of the fact that Tara has taken her camera off auto and is using the manual settings! Tara, I salute you. I only ever do that to shoot a close-up, and then it goes right back to auto again!

Tara did spend a day with the lovely @CosmicGirlie (I may have mentioned her a few times before!) for some top tips – and the resulting pictures are fabulous! Jay, if ever you fancy a trip down south…

So anyway, back to the matter in hand! A photo I’m proud of… I knew which photo I was going to pick as soon as I saw the prompt – highly unusual for me! It’s one I took a couple of weeks back.

Chipmunk’s sunflowers were still in full bloom, and attracting a whole host of delightful and beautifully coloured critters. I was out there almost ever day, snapping away and practising my close-up stuff.

{I may have previously hinted that I need a macro lens. Really. I need it. Need. It.}

Ahem.

One of the pictures that I took I really liked.

It was this one:

A fairly good shot of a couple of the (dozens of) hoverflies that took a shine to the sunflowers – much to Chipmunk’s delight!

However, that is not the end of the story. When I was editing the picture later, I was playing around with the crop and the zoom, and I decided to see what one of the hoverflies looked like on its own.

And when I went in close, I was blown away.

This is, without a doubt, my best shot with the Canon so far. I can’t believe how clearly it came out!

The pollen…the eyes…the colours!

I don’t know how I did it, but it was certainly a very happy accident!

Believe it or not, this was shot with my one and only lens – the standard (cheap) kit lens that came with the camera. I know people deride kit lenses – and I know this picture is far from perfect (because I need a macro lens, hint hint) – but, well, for those of us who can’t afford anything else, they are not all that dreadful.

Not all that dreadful at all.

Once upon a time, there was a blogger. This blogger, however, had a slight problem. She kept forgetting to blog.

She was aware that as a blogger, blogging was a fairly important requirement. She was also aware that, as part of several blogging communities, blogging was more or less expected.

But try as she might, she just could not summon up any motivation whatsoever. Nothing. Zip. Nada.

It wasn’t even as if she had nothing to say. She had lots to say! Several posts started, but left unfinished. Notes jotted on various bits of paper, ideas hastily scribbled in journals – and never transferred. The ideas came, the light-bulb went on, but there was no energy left to get the posts written.

*Sigh*

It’s here! It’s finally here! Today, my humble little blog turns one!

And what a year it’s been!

When I started this blog, Chipmunk had just been diagnosed with autism, and my head was all over the place. I had left my nursing degree and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life.

So, where am I one year on?

Well, Chipmunk is growing up, blossoming, and facing his daily challenges head-on. He would make any mum proud. My head is still all over the place – I am starting to accept that as situation normal. As far as what I want to do with my life…well, nothing is set in stone. However, this last year has taught me that I love to write. It comes naturally. It feels right. What’s more, people seem to want to read it, which is always a good thing!

You may also have noticed that photography has become a bigger and bigger part of my life. I am still learning, still very much an amateur! But I have some wonderful people to guide me, and some awesome advice to follow, and I do feel that – slowly – things are coming together. Nature photography seems to be my ‘thing’ – the lovely Claudia thinks I have a knack for the lighting and I tend to agree – but I am still practising other techniques too. I love to take pictures. I love to play with the light. I love to capture a moment in time and share it with the world.

So, writing and photography – slightly different from where I thought I would be a couple of years ago, when I was a third-year student nurse! Still, everything happens for a reason. If it wasn’t for my placement with the Health Visitors, it would have been far longer before I realised that Chipmunk was autistic. Far longer before he got the help he so badly needed. My experience in nursing gave me the knowledge and the determination to push for answers and a diagnosis that was a long time coming. I will always be grateful for that.

In fact, I am toying with the idea of starting a new section to the blog – all about my experiences as a student nurse. I pitched it to my Plurkies, who seem interested, now I’m opening the idea up to the rest of you! There is a poll over in the sidebar —–> somewhere. If you vote, and leave me a comment here telling me you voted (I don’t mind which way you voted!) you could win a fabulous electric toothbrush and floss from Oral B!

No more tedious brushing by hand, desperately trying to get that dentist-clean feeling – let this highly-recommended brush do the work for you This is a brilliant prize which is well worth having! And because it’s my blogoversary, and I’m feeling particularly generous, this giveaway is open to everyone – regardless of your location!

THE RULES:

• Firstly, you need to vote on my poll (in the sidebar) as to whether you would be interested in reading about my student nursing exploits!

• Second, you need to leave me a comment on this post, telling me that you voted.

• If you tweet this post, and include ‘@bubbleboo Blogoversary’ in your tweet, I will give you another entry. You must have commented on this post already in order to gain this second entry into the giveaway. Tweets without comments will be discounted.

• The giveaway will run until next Monday (23rd August) at which time I will number all entries consecutively, in the order they were received. I will then use a Popular Random Number Generator to decide the winner.

• The winner will be notified by myself within 24 hours of the draw, to arrange delivery of the prizes.

• My decision on entry validity and the outcome of the giveaway is final.

That’s it! Good luck to each and every one of you.

If you feel like spreading the word, that would be fantastic. And, as always, if you have any questions at all, please do contact me.

And now, on with the party!

Please, help yourselves to cupcakes…

Champagne…

Birthday Cake…

And do let me know you stopped by. Each and every one of you is a part of what makes The Thought Bubble what it is. Whether you have been with me since the beginning and have seen me grow, or whether you are brand new here, we have come so far together this year, you and I.

I treasure you all.

Strike up the band!

This is a Sponsored Post

A few weeks ago I was sent a box of Peter Rabbit Organics juice drinks to review. I was really looking forward to reviewing them, as all the information about them seemed really positive. I so, so wanted to love these drinks.

Unfortunately, I didn’t – and more importantly, neither did Chipmunk.

Things started really well. The drinks come in a small, 150ml tetra pack design. This is great, because I have often found that with the larger, ‘standard’ sized cartons, Chipmunk struggles to finish them, and I end up throwing some away. They are also the perfect size for little hands – aimed at children from six months, this is another plus.

Chipmunk liked the look of the drinks and was anxious to try them. They come in three flavours: Apple & Grape, Apple & Blackcurrant (Chipmunk’s usual flavour of choice) and Pear. In the interests of fairness (and not relying solely on the opinions of a picky 7-year-old) we both tried each carton in turn. Of course, we started with the Apple & Blackcurrant.

The drinks are made from water mixed with organic juice – and it shows. Chipmunk pulled a face immediately, and on taking a drink myself, I could clearly understand why. The drink wasn’t quite tasteless, but was like drinking water with a hint of…something undiscernable. Not altogether a pleasant experience, and certainly not what I had been expecting from these drinks. I tried shaking the carton vigorously, in the hope that maybe the flavour would magically improve. But no, sadly it did not. It tasted as though it was a carton of water with maybe some slight flavouring at the bottom of the drink – as if it had split – but if that was the case, I cannot imagine what you would have to do to get it to mix. I nearly took my arm off shaking the thing!

It was all downhill from this point. The Apple & Grape tasted pretty much exactly like the first drink, and the Pear was just awful, leaving a kind of bitter aftertaste which was decidedly unpleasant. Chipmunk described it as ‘stinging’ and I know what he meant. I even gave them to my mum to try, just to get another opinion, and she agreed with us. Chipmunk was really good, and had at least three mouthfuls of each drink, just to make sure he didn’t like it. He didn’t. Neither did I.

I know what you’re thinking. I probably give Chipmunk too many sugary drinks, so obviously he would turn his nose up at something healthy. Well, I hate to disillusion you, but all Chipmunk ever drinks is sugar-free apple & blackcurrant squash, water or milk. The one time he tried a fizzy drink, he turned his nose up (he doesn’t like the sensation of the bubbles).

This juice would probably be great for a baby who is just starting to drink water and juice. They are obviously very diluted, and therefore would not be a problem for younger children. And, of course, everyone has different tastes. What I like, someone else may loathe, and vice-versa. So obviously I cannot declare these drinks vile – after all, presumably they went through many taste tests. They are not, however, to this family’s taste.

I really wish that we had liked these drinks. They are a great size for picnics and lunch boxes, healthy, organic and appealing. They are readily available at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, Ocado and Asda. They are perfect in every way…except the one that really matters. Such a shame.

Rating:  ★★☆☆☆  2/5 stars

Overall Verdict: I really wanted to give this product a higher score, but with food and drink it’s all about the taste – and this was a miss for us. I’m gutted.

Disclosure:  I was provided with nine cartons of Peter Rabbit Organics Juice to review. I received no other compensation. The opinions stated in the above post are my own. They are my true opinions, and are in no way influenced by the aforementioned compensation I received for this post. To see my full Disclosure Policy, please go here.

Last week, I had a message from the fabulous Cheryl over at Little Bit Quirky.

You may remember me mentioning her.

And how she is fabulous.

And how you should be reading her.

Because she is fabulous.

Well anyway, she must have had some kind of mental abberation, because she has passed an award on to me. Me. Queen of procrastination. Mistress of everything OCD. And panic-stricken girlie blindly struggling to find my way in the world of all things autism.

I guess you could call that being versatile, at a stretch! Yeah, ok then, that’ll work!

The way this award works is that you must:

• Thank the person who gave you this award – thank you, Cheryl!!!

• Tell 7 things about yourself

1. I am turning 30 this year…and it terrifies me!
2. I used to work in a Fun Factory, entertaining kids (face-painting, juggling, balloon modelling, plate-spinning, dancing…etc) while wearing a garish disgusting brightly coloured outfit.
3. Raw fish makes me feel ill.
4. Since discovering photography, I have a new-found love for all things bug-related.
5. I love to read Shakespeare…
6. …but I cannot abide Jane Austen.
7. I can be very ever-so-slightly intolerant of people sometimes. Very rarely. And only if they are being stupid. So really it’s not my fault.

• Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs to share this award!

I have found a lot of new blogs through 31DBBB, and plenty more through my lovely Twitter friends.

Here are a few that I love already:

1. Coastal Chick
2. Daily Window/Digital Woe
3. Mothering Mayhem
4. The Funsucker Chronicles
5. Autism, the King and I
6. And Then All I Thought About Was You
7. Freckles Family
8. How I Like My Coffee
9. TheMadHouse
10. Feeding Boys and a Firefighter

I’m stopping at 10. Just because. I think 15 would overload things a bit. You guys are far more likely to check some of these wonderful writers out if there are less of them! Plus, I don’t want to cheapen the meaning of the award.

Each and every one of these ten bloggers are amazing – and, yes, versatile in the extreme! I know I don’t stop by as often as I should, or comment enough, or even just come and say hello regularly. But I want you to know that you are important to me, and to so many others. That you make a difference. And that you rock!

✩     ✩     ✩     ✩      ✩

Well, would you believe it. I went to all the trouble of charting my blog statistics for last week on Sunday night – and then forgot to post them.

*Sigh*

I told you my short term memory had gone to pot. I have told you that. Right?

Again, as last week, they are not looking great. Not bad, but not great.

And, as last week, it is entirely my fault.

I was completely overtaken by events, and I am now attempting to frantically catch up on about ten days’ worth of 31DBBB – before the whole thing comes to an end and I’m stuck on day 17 wondering what the heck just happened.

(We know that is going to happen anyway, but while the thing is still going on I can at least dream about maybe possibly catching up a little bit!)

I am woefully behind on responding to comments, too – for which I apologise profusely. I am rubbish. I know I am rubbish. I am going to spend the next couple of days putting that right, I promise.

Thank you for sticking with me.

Thank you for being the awesome readers that you are.

Thank you for being my friends.

Hurray! My first ever giveaway was a huge success, and I am waiting to hear back from the winner to confirm details – yay! Thanks to everyone who entered, Tweeted and generally pitched in to make it so great!

Let’s keep that momentum going, shall we?!

Those of you who didn’t win the Pantene goodies, don’t despair! I have two brand-new giveaways for you today

Can I get a w00t?!

I’m delving back into the hamper that those lovely folks at SuperSavvyMe sent over and pulling out a couple of great prizes for you guys to win.

Right then, without further ado, here’s the swag:

• Giveaway 1: Herbal Essences

Included are:

• Herbal Essences Breakage Defender Anti-Breakage Shampoo;
• Herbal Essences Breakage Defender Anti-Breakage Conditioner;
• Herbal Essences Breakage Defender Intensive Mask.

Want super-soft, shiny, strong-looking hair? Enter this giveaway by adding your blog to the linky below. Don’t have a blog? Not a problem! Add your Twitter ID, or another link to somewhere I can contact you if you win. If you also want to leave a comment, that would be great

• Giveaway 2: Head and Shoulders

Included are:

• Head and Shoulders Damage Rescue Anti-Dandruff Shampoo;
• Head and Shoulders Damage Rescue Anti-Dandruff Conditioner;
• Shockwaves Styling Plus Booster Spray.

Want super-clean, healthy, strong hair? Enter this giveaway by adding your blog to the linky below. Don’t have a blog? Not a problem! Add your Twitter ID, or another link to somewhere I can contact you if you win. If you also want to leave a comment, that would be great (Can you tell I’m feeling a little comment-starved?!)

THE RULES:

• Firstly, you must be a UK resident. I’m really, really sorry to those readers from overseas, but it’s a must (again) for this one. There will be other giveaways coming up which will be open to everyone, so keep your eyes peeled!

• Second, you need to add your link to the linky for the giveaway you are entering. You may enter both giveaways, however you must leave your link on both to be eligible for both. If you only link to one, you will only be entered for one. You may only enter once for each giveaway.

• If you tweet this post, and include ‘@bubbleboo Birthday Giveaway 1‘ (for Herbal Essences) or ‘@bubbleboo Birthday Giveaway 2′ (for Head and Shoulders) in your tweet, I will give you another entry. If you are entering both, you can tweet ‘@bubbleboo Birthday Giveaway both’ and I will award you a second entry to both giveaways. You must have signed the relevant linky(s) already in order to gain this second entry into the giveaway. Tweets without links will be discounted.

• The giveaway will run until next Monday (16th August) at which time I will number all entries consecutively, in the order they were received. I will then use a Popular Random Number Generator to decide the winner.

• The winner will be notified by myself within 24 hours of the draw, to arrange delivery of the prizes.

• My decision on entry validity and the outcome of the giveaway is final.

That’s it! Good luck to each and every one of you.

If you feel like spreading the word, that would be fantastic. And, as always, if you have any questions at all, please do contact me.

How does The Gallery come around again so quickly? I know it’s on Wednesday, yet somehow it always seems to catch me unawares! Hence, I’m late again this week!

Tara has given us the theme ‘Playtime’ to work with.

To be honest, I was at a bit of a loss what to do for this one. You see, Chipmunk doesn’t really do playing. Sports are out, because of his disabilities. And hanging out with other kids is a rarity, because he would just rather be on his own. And playing of any kind usually comes second to reading. Or the computer. Or more reading.

I just know that I’m going to go around to the other blogs participating in The Gallery, and my heart is going to break for the things I always imagined my little boy would do as he grew up. I’m not disappointed, or bitter, or even sad for the way he is – if he were any different, he wouldn’t be Chipmunk. I just have this ache inside that he struggles so hard to do things that just come naturally to other kids.

Take Sports Day. Last year, he couldn’t use the space hopper at all. Just couldn’t fathom it. This year, he used it. Yes, he was much slower than everyone else. And yes, he fell down afterwards because his legs were so exhausted. But he did it. He was so proud. He had this big, beaming smile…until he got back to his team to be confronted by one of his ‘team-mates’ with these words: “You’re so slow“.

The smile faded, the lips quivered, and his personal victory was crushed beneath the cruel words of a younger child. This is the story of Chipmunk’s life. And it damn well hurts.

*Deep Breath*

Anyway.

I digress.

So, I was trying to think what I could possibly use for this post. Then, my Dad did something inspired.

Chipmunk has always loved bubbles. Those little bottles of bubble mix? He can’t get enough of them. The problem is that he can’t actually make the bubbles himself, so he needs someone there to do the blowing for him.

Until his Grandpop came home with this:

The cost of the bubble maker?

£2.99 at a local market store.

The result of the bubble maker?

Complete and utter joy. Priceless, in every sense.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Daddy xxx

Wow, it has been nearly a week since I last posted! That hasn’t happened in a long time! Sorry about that.

It probably seems weird that in the midst of the 31DBBB challenge, I’m actually posting less.

I think it’s because a lot of the challenges lately have been kind of behind-the-scenes ones. Because I have a limited amount of ‘blog time’ per day, I’m spending it on that, rather than on writing. Which means I’m neglecting you guys.

And that just will not do.

At all!

Actually, my wilfil neglect is reflected in this week’s stats, which make for dreadful reading! I’m still up from before the challenge, but I seem to have haemmorrhaged a few readers this week. That makes me sad.

But then, while I was sitting looking at the stats – and getting ever-more disheartened – I had a thought (I know, but bear with me).

Yes, a lot of the reason is probably that I have not been posting. I also have not been particularly active on the forums – not as active as I was at the beginning, anyway. That is because I fell behind with the challenge ever-so-slightly… sshhh! But also, readership is about more than just numbers. I want people to read my blog because they enjoy it. I want to look at my numbers and feel proud that each one represents a person who comes here because they want to read what I have to say. I want my numbers to mean something, not just be a bunch of faceless people who visited once and never came back again. It doesn’t matter if I only have two or three subscribers, as long as those subscribers are getting something out of visiting. That’s the really important thing, not the stats. Right?

And after the lecture, let’s move on to the fun part.

Those of you who have been paying attention lately will be aware that The Thought Bubble turns one soon!!!

I know, how exciting!

Therefore, I have decided that August is going to be one long party – and we’re kicking that off with the first of several giveaways. Thanks to the lovely folks at SuperSavvyMe, I have a hamper of goodies which I won in their competition at CyberMummy (was it really less than a month ago?!). I also won the iPAD!!!!!!!!! Before you get excited, I am NOT putting that into a giveaway…sorry, but it’s all mine!

*Ahem*

So anyway, the goodies…

I have split them into several ‘lots’, the first of which I am giving away this week!

Here it is:

Included are:

• Pantene Pro-V Volume & Body hairspray;
• Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine mousse;
• Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light mist;
• Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect intensive treatment.

Cool, huh?!

That’s a lot of goodies to keep your hair in tip-top condition for a long time to come.

So, what do you have to do to get your hands on the swag?

THE RULES

• Firstly, you must be a UK resident. I’m really, really sorry to those readers from overseas, but it’s a must for this one. There will be other giveaways coming up which will be open to everyone, so keep your eyes peeled!

• Second, you need to leave me some comment love on this post – please make it clear that you are commenting to enter the giveaway by including the phrase ‘I NEED SWAG!‘ in your comment. Your comment is considered your entry, so don’t forget to include that phrase! (A more elaborate comment would be nice, though!). You may only enter once in the comment section.

• If you tweet this post, and include ‘@bubbleboo Birthday Giveaway‘ in your tweet, I will give you another entry. You must have left a comment on the post already in order to gain this second entry into the giveaway. Tweets without blog comments will be discounted.

• The giveaway will run until next Monday (9th August) at which time I will number all entries consecutively, in the order they were received. I will then use a Popular Random Number Generator to decide the winner.

• The winner will be notified by myself within 24 hours of the draw, to arrange delivery of the swag.

• My decision on entry validity and the outcome of the giveaway is final.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

And don’t forget to tell your friends – I’d love to make this first giveaway a good one

Today’s wonderful prompt over at The Gallery (on Sticky Fingers) is ‘Nature‘. Tara says it’s an easy prompt and we should all love her for choosing it! She’s right, although it’s very difficult to decide what picture to pick!

The choice of picture is important today, because it’s a special Gallery this week. There is a prize. A lovely, yummy, chocolatey prize no less! It has been a while since I uploaded any new pictures to my Flickr. I have loads to be edited, but I hadn’t got around to doing them. Then yesterday, I edited a batch of flower pictures I took in the garden over the last few days – good timing, eh?

At the bottom of the garden, we have some flowers. I have discovered this morning (thanks to my Plurky friends) that they are Day Lilies. They are somewhat unusual, in that they are all double blooms.

How pretty is that?

Even more special, is that these lilies were not actually planted there. In fact, I’m not too sure how they came to be there at all. They just appeared at some point over the last couple of years and now they are growing there quite happily, adding a wonderful splash of colour to that end of the garden.

Maybe a bird dropped a seed. Maybe they were blown in on the wind. Isn’t that a lovely thought? These little seeds – maybe even one seed – blowing along on the breeze until it lands and starts to grow. Blooming into this stunningly beautiful flower, a rarity among its own kind.

What are the chances?

How wonderful is nature, in its random perfection.

How unpredictable. How beautiful. How amazing.

That this beautiful plant would find its way into a garden where it could grow, and thrive, and live – and pose for my camera! It is a gift. A gift from nature to those who appreciate its glory and beauty.

Here are some more of the pictures I shot of this astonishingly beautiful flower:

I couldn’t go without sharing those with you!

What gifts do you see around you, today?

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