CAN YOU WORK OUT WHERE WE ARE? IT’S A PRETTY ICONIC LOCATION, MAYBE YOU’VE SEEN IT ON GAME OF THRONES? THIS FAB FAMILY ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE (LITERALLY) JUST AROUND THE CORNER. AMAZING!
WE MET UP ON A VERY CHILLY SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER, AND THE WIND WAS HURRICANE LEVEL BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE BEACH, SO I HAVE TO HAND IT TO THESE GUYS, WE GOT SOME UTTERLY GORGEOUS SHOTS IN BALTIC CONDITIONS – AND THEY HANDLED IT LIKE TROOPERS WITH NO COMPLAINTS AT ALL!
ISN’T IT FAB SO SEE SUCH A LOVED-UP COUPLE, THEY ARE SOOOO WELL MATCHED.
IT’S CLEAR AS DAY HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO EACH OTHER, ALTHOUGH ELLEN’S REACTION TO THIS WAS TO PHOTOBOMB! ANYTHING TO STOP THEM KISSING!!
LET’S GET ALL THE FAMILY TOGETHER!
ELLEN IS AT THAT AGE WHERE SHE IS STARTING TO REALLY GROW UP, SHE’S A LOVELY LITTLE GIRL WHO MAKES CONVERSATION EASILY – WITH A GORGEOUS SMILE THAT LIGHTS UP THE WHOLE ROOM.
I WANTED HER TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO ‘JUST RUN AROUND’, DOING HER OWN THING WITH THE CAMERA CLOSE BY TO CATCH THOSE LITTLE EXPRESSIONS.
BUT I WAS IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE, BECAUSE SHE WAS COMPLETELY SELF-ASSURED WITHOUT A HINT OF OVERCONFIDENCE. SHE COULD LOOK RIGHT AT MY LENS AND SHOW ME THE REAL ELLEN, A DAUGHTER TO BE SUPER PROUD OF.
CORMAC HAS JUST HAD A HUGE MILESTONE, LOSING A FULL HEAD OF COPPERY CURLS AT THE BARBERS. HIS MUMMY WAS TELLING ME ABOUT HOW DEVASTATING IT WAS TO HAVE TO CUT OFF ALL THAT GORGEOUS HAIR, AND I CAN SYMPATHISE. IT WAS AN AMAZING HEAD OF HAIR!
BUT WHEN HE LOST THE CURLS, A BIG GROWN-UP BOY REPLACED MUMMYS BABY BOY. AND WHAT A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN HE HAS BECOME.
THAT MISCHIEVOUS SMILE, THAT SENSE OF ADVENTURE. HE DEFINITELY GOT INTO THE SPIRIT OF OUR DAY OUT. FROM CLIMBING TREES, TO WAVING A HUGE STAFF AROUND -HE COULD HAVE BEEN JACK SPARROW HIMSELF!
BEFORE HEADING ON UP TO BALLINTOY, AND IN AMONGST THE HORDES OF TOURISTS AND BUSES WE GRABBED SOME PICS WITH AUNT NANCY.
I’M NOT QUITE SURE HOW I MANAGED TO KEEP THE KNEES IN MY TROUSERS. I WAS UP AND DOWN ON THAT ROAD SURFACE LIKE A JACK IN THE BOX!
BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT TO GET THE FAMILY PORTRAIT AGAINST THAT STUNNING BACKDROP.
THEN OFF TO BALLINTOY WE WENT, IT WAS TIME TO CATCH UP WITH GRANNY AND GRANDA! THE SUN WAS PEEKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS, AND WHILE I HOPED THAT MEANT MORE WARMTH WAS TO COME, I REALLY HADN’T COUNTED ON THE WIND BY THE SEA.
BUT SURE I LOVE A CHALLENGE, AND WITH A BIT OF BOSSING AROUND (SORRY! IT WAS A NECESSARY EVIL) WE MANAGED TO KEEP THE “IT’S BALTIC HIII” EXPRESSIONS TO A MINIMUM!
AND LOOK WHO WE FOUND! WELL HELLO THERE HELEN AND JIMMY.
THIS WONDERFUL LADY HAS KNOWN ME SINCE I WAS IN NAPPIES, AND I CAN TELL YOU SHE WOULD HAVE LET YOU AWAY WITH NOTHING. HELEN IS A HUGE CHARACTER, MAD ABOUT FAMILY AND KNOWN TO BE PRETTY CRAZY ABOUT ANIMALS TOO. DID YOU KNOW THE HOTTEST NEW BREED OF DOG IS A JACK-A-WAWA? HELEN DOES!
SHE IS ALSO VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY, AND WAS INTERESTED TO KNOW ALL ABOUT WHAT KIND OF LENSES AND SOFTWARE US PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE INTO NOW.
I CAN TALK ABOUT CAMERA’S AND GEAR ALL DAY LONG, BUT I WAS SO RELIEVED SHE DIDN’T MENTION MY ILL-FATED ATTEMPT TO LEARN GOLF. SORRY HELEN, IT WASN’T FOR ME. I’M JUST NOT THE SPORTY TYPE!
IS THAT A CAVE, OOH TIME TO EXPLORE…
IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL AT BALLINTOY, JUST LOOK AT THOSE GOLDEN RAYS OF LATE AFTERNOON SUNSHINE. I ENCOURAGED THE KIDS TO HAVE SOME FUN, TEAR ABOUT ON THE BEACH AND GENERALLY JUST DO WHAT THEY WOULD DO ON A TYPICAL FAMILY DAY OUT. WE GATHERED SOME PEBBLES TO SPELL OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE …
‘F’ IS FOR FAMILY OF COURSE!
AND WHILE HELEN LOOKED ON BEMUSED, WHERE DID JIMMY DISAPPEAR TO?
I COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER, WAS GRANDA THINKING ‘WHERE DID THE TIME GO’? ‘HOW DID OUR RACHEL GET SO GROWN UP’?
YOU CAN SENSE HIS PRIDE AT HOW WELL THEIR GIRLS ARE DOING IN LIFE, AND IT’S SO OBVIOUS TO SEE HOW MUCH JOY THEY GET FROM THE GRANDKIDS.
REMEMBER WHAT I WAS SAYING ABOUT THAT STICK? IT CAME IN QUITE HANDY FOR A BIT OF FATHER – SON BONDING. IT WAS A TOUGH ASK, BUT IT WASN’T LONG UNTIL HELEN FOUND A SHELTERED SPOT FOR SOME CLOSE-UPS. WHAT DID I TELL YOU – SHE’S A TALENTED LADY.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY, THESE PHOTOS MADE ME JUST MELT.
DARN YOU RACHEL, CLEARLY YOUR SIDE OF THE FAMILY GOT ALL THE LOOKS!!
HOW COULD YOU EVER NARROW THESE DOWN? I’D PUT THEM ALL UP. THERE WERE JUST SO MANY LOVELY IMAGES.
YOU KNOW THAT FAMOUS ROALD DAHL QUOTE? WELL, I THINK THE LOVE JUST SHINES OUT OF THEIR FACES LIKE LITTLE SUNBEAMS.
CORMAC AND HIS STAFF WERE A SIGHT TO BEHOLD, AND SEEING AS WE WERE IN GAME OF THRONES TERRITORY I GRABBED SOME SHOTS OF ‘WARRIOR CORMAC’. HELEN MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE THROWN THE STICK INTO THE SEA AFTER THIS, NAUGHTY GRANNY!
LOOK AT THESE, IS HE A COOL DUDE OR WHAT? THOSE EXPRESSIONS! MAYBE SOMEDAY HE WILL BE UP ON THE STAGE, UP THERE WITH THE VERY BEST OF THEM. COULD HE BE THE NEW JIMMY NESBITT, OR LIAM NEESON? HE CERTAINLY HAS THE LOOKS, AND THE ABILITY …
OH HOW I LAUGHED WHEN THAT SECOND ONE APPEARED ON MY SCREEN. HE DEFINITELY HAS OUR GENES. HE’S NOT NEAR WISE!
NOW TO REIN THEM IN A BIT, I WONDERED WAS THERE ANY CHANCE HE MIGHT LET ELLEN GIVE HIM ONE OF THOSE SUPER CUTE BIG SISTER, LITTLE BROTHER POSES?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, OKAY THEN. JUST A NICE SMILE? REMEMBER, WE NEED PICS FOR GRANNY’S FRAMES.
WE HAVE TO SORT THOSE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! IT’S NOVEMBER YOU KNOW, SOME WEIRDO’S ALREADY HAVE THEIR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ALL DONE!
NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS JUST GORGEOUS!
WHERE’S NANCY? WE HAVE TIME FOR JUST ONE LAST SHOT.
AND WITH THAT, THE SUN BEGAN TO SET ON OUR WONDERFUL DAY. AND THE RAMORE BECKONED … WHEN IN ROME AS THEY SAY!
CLIENTS WHO WANT YOU TO JOIN THEM FOR DINNER, TO DRINK WINE, EAT HUGE DESSERTS? MY KIND OF PEOPLE LET ME TELL YOU! THANK YOU TO THE RAMAGES, I’D TAKE YOUR PHOTOS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE, HOPE YOU LOVE THESE …
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