These are my pictures for Tara Cain's Gallery and the theme this week is Holidays.

My husband asked what I'd like to do for my 40th.  I didn't fancy a big party so we escaped for a week to Cornwall to a beautiful cottage on the Roseland peninsula - one in a string of old farm worker's cottages secluded down a leafy lane, enshrouded in pink valerian.

It was our first holiday away with our daughter who was barely 6 months, but desperate to try a cornish pasty!  This picture captures my surprise as she just lunged at it (luckily been a keen eater ever since!)

I didn't get a lie in on my birthday but was woken (very early) with a mug of tea, a glass of bubbly and a plate of french fancies, as chosen by my son (and mostly eaten by him!).

My abiding memory of the holiday is one of peace and quiet and sauntering from our cottage along the valerian lined lanes, across the fields ....

.... and down to this glorious, empty beach.... 

This week's Gallery theme, in partnership with Josie at Sleep is for the Week, is Emotion.  It's only the second time I've posted to the Gallery - here is my post.

Hold on tight for the mother of all rides
Laughing so hard my cheeks might split
Sometimes dipping low, depleted
It's the best ride of my life
Motherhood

I know last weeks theme was motherhood, but I just started thinking about emotions and this is what came out!

These are my pictures for Tara Cain's Gallery and the theme this week is Motherhood.

Most evenings after dinner we collapse together on the sofa for flops, cuddles & chats.  At this stage of the day I have usually run out of steam and abandon my endless list of jobs so we can get this time together. 

I was balancing my laptop on my knees to take the photos and capture this moment to share.  This photo was taken just as the laptop wobbled precariously....

.... and started to slide down my legs with my son shouting out 'Muuuuuummmm!'.  I was going to abandon this as an idea but when I salvaged the laptop the photos made me laugh.

1. You feel that 8am is a luxurious lie in.
2. You realise you've driven a whole journey by yourself and forgotten to change the children's CD.
3. Your 'best top' is about 5 years old and you still refer to it as your 'best top'.
4. You enjoy 'pegging out'.
5. Your idea of a good night probably involves peace, quiet & a bath.
6. You become a master at balancing towers of tupperware on the draining board.
7. Your car bears a striking resemblance to a rubbish skip on wheels.
8. You catch yourself saying things that your mum used to say to you.
9. Your once plump sofa cushions have been replaced by an assortment of festering apple cores, biscuit crumbs and those really annoying plastic toys from the front of children's comics.
10. You love it, you hate it, but wouldn't change any of it.

This post was written as part of the British Mummy Blogger's carnival with no other theme than to be fun and uplifting.  I chose to pull together a list of 10 things that I know make me look at myself and laugh and think how much my life has changed since being a mum.  The photo was taken last weekend on my birthday - cycling with the kids & my husband in the New Forest & sums up the happy day with the kids trying to push me down a slope into the stream!