September 2011 to September 2012 has been a long Autumn-Winter-Autumn-Winter, so to see blossom on the trees lining Hagley Park, Christchurch has been a very wonderful thing.  So wonderful I joined the tourists one afternoon and took photos of my children in the middle of this sunny magic.

What I’m really excited about is my little boy venturing into the world of walking in this warm, dry weather, which has timed perfectly with the inevitable tumbles and falls he’ll be taking over the coming months as he finds his feet.

There’s something so uplifting about the sun that it makes us all much happier.  Minnie has stopped squirming at the camera, which means I can stick her in a tree, point the lense her way and still get a smile.

Taking photos of Jackson is a little trickier.  To be honest I would have tried propping him in a tree too but I think the people walking by would have frowned on it and the ever present policemen of Christchurch would have definitely pulled over and given me a ticket for it.  The result is lots of cute “tucked in the corner” photos of my son.

That said, how catalogue perfect is this one!  The blossom is that way ladies….

As soon as the nights get lighter I’m running down here, because this long winter is ruining my healthy eating kick…starting a diet still in winter was an unwise idea….ahem…

The answer to losing the last half stone, in fact the answer to all my winter problems, a summer.