... and then came icandance

For the last few months I have been working on a new project, '.... and then came 'icandance'.

I have teamed up with writer Tamara Pollock to produce a series of portraits with quotes/anecdotes taken directly from interviews with dancers and their families. We are working in collaboration with the charity, icandance.

“icandance believes that everyone, regardless of disability, can access their own creativity through dance. We believe that dance enhances confidence and emotional wellbeing” Juliet Diener, Founder & Principal

Both Tamara and I will be featuring our own stories of life with children with special needs and what impact icandance has had on ours and our childrens wellbeing.

We are over half way through the project and have been so overwhelmed by the welcome we have received from all the families involved. We have been able to share our experiences in such an honest and intimate way. It has been a privilege to photograph such inspirational people and I hope my photographs do them justice.

We will be having a small exhibition at the icandance annual show at the Arts Depot in North Finchley on the 2nd July, followed by a larger fundraising exhibition in September/October at which we will show the complete project.

This annual performance is one that we look forward to every year, it's one that leaves you feeling totally loved up and underlines your faith in the goodness of people.

Through the project we hope to raise the profile of icandance and to change perceptions of what it is to be a dancer. We won't be able to do this on our own and will need the support of people spreading the word..... sharing and caring. 

Margot: There will be syndromes to do with our children as yet unknown and unchartered but in the end it won't make any difference. The only control we have is our response to it. We will not be able to predict what this amazing extraordinary world throws up at us but we can decide whether its going to be a good or a bad outcome. There's nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so. That's all I can think of. You have to cling to these noble thoughts to cope with the exhaustion.

Good Bye Olive....

It was Olive's funeral last week and she'd have been very happy with the the service and the turnout. Friends and neighbours got together to celebrate her long life. We sang her favourite hymns and I read one of her poems. 

Journey Unknown by Olive Brown

Life's an adventure of the unknown
Not fully completed, 'til we are full-grown
The road that is travelled, maybe thorny or smooth
As we learn from experience of many a truth.

Sadness and gladness are mixtures entwined
As on Life's journey we continually find
The stairway to lift us, as we forward go
To success or failure - we none of us know?

As on this journey, we meet other folk
Heavy or light, their bearing of yoke
Sharing their laughter, and often their tears
Helping them overcome imaginary fears.

Childhood, Youth, Prime, and mature Age
All have their problems at whatever stag
But blessings abound in surprise places
As the journey takes us, with short of long paces.

The journey near done, we look back with quiet thoughts
And those memories of varying sorts
Trusting we've been a blessing to all
With a free conscience, when we hear 'The Call.'

Olive, it was and will always be a privilege to have known you. Thank you xxx

Looking forward to 2016

"You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But by now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every spark returns to darkness. Every sound returns to silence. Every flower returns to sleep with the earth.  The journey of the sun and moon is predictable. But yours, is your ultimate art" Suzy Kassem

View fullsize

A lot of what we get out of life is directly linked to how much we put in....so as it is my 50th year, I am going to get busy(er) ....... both personally and professionally.

As a family we will be going on more adventures. We plan to complete a coast to coast walk along Hadrian's Wall, go to the Wilderness Festival (again) and complete the Three Peaks. Can't wait.

Of course, I'll be taking lots of photographs along the way; but will also be working on some other projects aside from the family travels.

There is more work to be done on 'Visiting Olive'. Even though she has now passed away, I have started visiting her favourite places and will complete the list she made, incorporating the images into the current project. 

I am also about to start working on a new project with the charity, 'icandance'. Icandance works with children and young people who have varying disabilities, giving them the opportunity to express themselves through movement and dance, to make friends and also allowing them to 'be themselves' amongst their peers.

I am a Trustee of this amazing charity and my daughter, Billie-Jo, attends classes every Saturday.  I know first hand how much they do, not only for the dancers; but their families too.  I look forward to your feedback as I post some of the work along the way.

There are many more ideas floating around in my head for 2016 and I aim to make a start on some of them too. I plan to be more disciplined this year and start posting on my blog every month so that I can create a visual diary of the year's achievements.

Please join me in what should be a fun 2016!

#thesestoriestold - Childhood

I can't quite believe how quickly the summer holidays have gone. It's been a fun filled month with lots of opportunity to take pictures of the kids and create some wonderful childhood memories.

Thank you to everyone who shared their wonderful pics of family, friends and childhood memories with Silkie and I in our August hashtag project #thesestoriestold - Childhood. We loved looking at them and have chosen 4 of our favourites.

Congratulations and thank you to @geoffreyandgrace (top left), @helloitsgemma (top right), @saravestberg (bottom left) and @aquietstyle (bottom right)

It's now time to start anew for September, our word is WINDOW. We'd love you all to join in. Share your pictures with us on Instagram #thesestoriestold. Looking forward to seeing them all.