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Reposted by Imogen Foxell

Lantana Publishing @lantanapub.bsky.social · Aug 21

Happy Birthday to Lantana!

It is our eleventh year and we couldn't be more excited! 🎉

Thank you for all of your support and here's to many more years of inclusive books that celebrate ALL children! 🥳

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Reposted by Imogen Foxell

Good Law Project @goodlawproject.bsky.social · Apr 16

On what is a really difficult day, here are some resources for our trans friends and allies.

Solidarity 💜
goodlawproject.org/resource/sup...

Support resources for our trans friends and allies | Good Law Project

At a time when anti-trans discrimination is rife and hate crime has reached record levels, it’s important to know what support is out there for trans, non-binary or gender-questioning individuals and ...

goodlawproject.org

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Apr 8

February sketchbook: narrowboat, mirror trap, handgel incident, playground with friends

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of a red and green narrowboat with a perkily angled chimney on the canal under yellow willow branches

Sketch of toddler re-enacting a scene from Janet and Allan Ahlberg's "Worm book" where a worm is lured into a trap by a mirror. The toddler recreates this by climbing up a chair on to his bedside table, fiddling with the mirror and jumping into a "hole" on his bed

Sketch of the handgel incident - toddler likes to play with an (unused) urine sample bottle at bedtime - we can't find it, so I hurriedly offer him a nearly-empty handgel bottle. But then he pours it near his eye and a bit in his mouth. I wash out his eye and give him water and milk and worry all night - but he is totally fine!

Sketch of my toddler and friends' kids hanging out in a playground

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Apr 5

February sketchbook: theatre trip, a typical day of examining pipework, baby terrapins, chaos child

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketches of our second theatre trip - a big success (Hey Little Bird at the Pegasus theatre) - toddler pays attention and there are hats and disco lights, an owl, balloons and a carnival!

Sketches of a day with a toddler: he actually borrows books in the library but only because he's intrigued by the machine, he plays a lot of "posting screw through hole in a cupboard", we look at the boiler, we examine my neighbour's CD player, we do a disco in the dark, I find him in the cot with his pyjamas wrapped round he so both he sleeces are on one arm (then he does a massive poo)

Sketches of "chaos child" - toddler exploring my room - taking things off my shelves, climbing things, rolling around with bubble wrap

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Apr 1

Winter sketchbook: a mummy and granny day, things that are used as wires, tools, a tree full of parakeets!

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketches of a freezing cold day with toddler and my mum - visit the market, watch people make flatbread in café, bake (toddler only interested in chocolate drops), find missing toys and bits of old dust, cuddle up and watch Duggee, fill freezer with soup and curry

Sketches of things that are used as (pretend) wires in this house: keys, string, bungee cord, tape measure, sewing thread, duplo chargin cable

Sketch of me walking along Iffley Road in the dark (half moon), when I look up startled at a tree full of squawking green parakeets!

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 29

January sketchbook: St Barnabas Jericho, highlights of the Ashmolean Museum, the fish shop, marble run!

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of St Barnabas church tower, rooftops and wintery tree and sky

Sketch of toddler's Ashmolean highlights: security robe, radiator, status base, automatic doors, lights on floor, lockers, bridges, stairs

Sketches of fish from our local fish shop/aquarium - various weird and wonderful fish and a terrapin, sketched while toddler was busy fetching imaginary disco lights for the fish

Sketch of our excellent marble run, which I was playing with while toddler was asleep

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 26

January sketchbook: the saga of my sore finger, East Oxford by moonlight, the last day of "Chripmen"

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketches of when I had a sore finger on new year's day and all the doctors and pharmacies were closed and it was raining. But thankfully out local aquarium (the goldfish bowl) was open and toddler was coping well with partially giving up breastfeeding (thanks to chocolate bribes) and we went to my neighbour's party and were the two youngest people there

Sketch of me getting my sore finger dealt with - go to phramacy, doctor (who prescribes antibiotics) and back to pharmacy, all with toddler in tow - amusing moment when I provide my own medical supplies to doctor for him to rewrap my finger. And after all that we're only ten minutes late for our trip to play on the seesaw in the park

Sketch of me heading out on a cold night (to pick up toddler) with a crescent moon and single star (Venus presumably) in the dark blue sky

Sketch of a day with the toddler - we go to story museum where all he wants to do is cuddle owls in the dark, we watch David Attenborough (well, I do), we take down Christmas decorations (toddler says "Chripmen it finished now"), we build a duplo chocolate machine (toddler's idea), I give toddler a haircut, and he genuinely helps me with the washing up!

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 22

More sketchbook diaries from Christmas: tree, sneaky trip to the theatre (minus toddler), playing in fountains at King's cross, and self portrait

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of the London eye against a pink sky and some buses near Waterloo Bridge - caption "sneaky trip to the theatre!"

Sketch of the toddler dragging me through a network of little fountains at King's Cross

Sketch of me sitting on the bed sketching in a purple sweater with excitingly messy hair. Caption: 12 years daily sketching (except 28th November 2019)

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 19

December sketchbook (posting slightly out of order!) - thanksgiving, the Bicycle Incident, playing by himself!, Christmas concert/party

Sketches of Thanksgiving dinner - friends carving turkey, multiple pies, teacups and a curly dog (caption: made it despite getting stuck in Birmingham New Street for an hour)

Sketches of a disastrous morning: child furious about everything (in my arms going "NO NO NO", I manage to get some toast in him while he looks at my phone; and then we're cycling and he tips over in his trailer - he's fine but I obviously feel dreadful; also I discover that the fruitbown has become a hideous mouldy soup

Sketch of toddler playing BY himself! With his TOYS! He's sitting in his toybox with his hair in a fetching ponytail (hairstyling by nursery)

Sketches of busy day with toddler - he's performing the dance of the sugarplum fairy at a concert; he builds himself a house in a clump of reeds and won't come out and then it turns out the reeds have scratched him and left a rash all over his face; cycle through Oxford to Christmas party where toddler eats crisps, I have some actual conversations and sausage rolls and we meet lesbian Santa - and cycle home in the dark

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 14

Sketchbook diaries from December: a play, a sick toddler, a sick me, and my baby nephew

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of the toddler's first play - the Elves and the Shoemaker. Toddler liked the lighting rig and the bit where they blew bubbles - I liked the bit where the dog made a spreadsheet

Sketch of sick toddler cuddled up on the sofa in a big red blanket watching telly

Sketches of travelling for Christmas while sick - I was feverish all night (chattering with cold and then burning up); I cuddle sick boy; mum takes toddler out while I do hurried packing (I'm crawling towards my suitcase saying GNNN); we just about survive bus, train, tube, bus and I collapse on my parents' sofa

Sketches of my baby nephew - most of them looking nothing like him!

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 10

Happy Christmas from the December diaries! Live nativity, merry-go-round, Christmas shopping (in fact my only Christmas shopping because we got ill), choir concert

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketches from a live nativity event with my toddler: he's more interested than tinsel than live animals; he has a go at crafts and decorating biscuits; I enjoy a tiny child's attempt to pronounce "Quirinius" and a small king called Chloe; I feel unsure about this early introduction to Christianity, but I also tear up during Away in a Manger; all the Christmas fun pales into insignificance for toddler compared to a stick he found outside

Sketch of double decker blue white and gold carousel with horses, carriages and reindeer. A record of the best outing ever - when the toddler was off sick from nursery but feeling better, so I took him to ride the carousel at the Christmas market.

Sketchbook of my exhausting (and, as it turned out, only) day of Christmas shopping - I forced toddler to nursery, cycled to town, realised I'd left my phone at home, couldn't cope and turned round, went trouser and underwear shopping, ate a pie and a Ben's cookie, did actually quite a lot of Christmas shopping, tried to sketch and realised I'd left my pencil case at home, collapsed at home on the sofa before rushing off to collect toddler!

Sketch of my former choir in Christmassy attire singing "What ay shall I give him? Give my heart"

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 7

Specifically "careful not to fall cat" apparently

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 6

@nicolakent.bsky.social happy world book day!

Photo of toddler (face obscured) dressed as an orange cat and holding the book "All the cats" by Nicola Kent

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Mar 3

November sketchbook: lots of cooking, no nap day, bad mood, genius plan

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of all the meals I cooked one lunchtime (in pots and neatly packed up in freezer boxes): leek and potato soup, tomato sauce, cheesy pasta sauce

Sketches of toddler peacefully playing and watching tv (with caption: this boy hasn't napped today!)

Sketches of toddler in a bad mood: crying because my bicycle light isn't flashing; all he wants to do is lie on the floor and rewire duplo house with a bungee cord; eats a reluctant potato waffle in from of Duggee on TV and leaves masticated fishfingers all over the floor; refuses a bath; demands medicine and then he's fine

Sketch of my genius plan - teach the toddler to wash up - what could go wrong? Sketch of toddler and me at the sink - he's saying "more soap on it", I'm saying "very good - try not to break that one"

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Feb 25

November sketchbook: tree, freezer, bouncy castle, snow!!

#kidlit #kidlitart #toddlerDiaries #sketchbook #sketchbookDiaries #parentingComics #comicDiaries #parenting #dailySketchbook #soloMumByChoice #smbc

Sketch of a beech tree with a few remaining autumn leaves

Sketch of me manically hacking ice from the freezer with a fish slice while I'm supposed to be working

Sketch of toddler's first time at a traditional birthday party - he learns to navigate the bouncy castle, and has his first experiences of party rings and putting hula hoops on his fingers

Sketch of SNOW! Toddler is very excited about snow outside the window ("it 'nowing it 'nowing) but very upset about going outside in it. I then cycle to work, admiring pretty Oxford but getting my socks soaked, because I wore unsuitable boots. Luckily I did have the wisdom to bring spare dry socks to the office.

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Feb 25

Finally filled in www.gov.uk/government/c... on the last available day. I didn't answer every question, but I put something along these lines to most of the questions in the first section: "Copyright should be expanded to rule out AI uses, unless the creative opts in and is properly compensated."

Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

This consultation seeks views on how the government can ensure the UK’s legal framework for AI and copyright supports the UK creative industries and AI sector together.

www.gov.uk

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Feb 21

November sketchbook: autumn leaves, a peaceful riverside scene, and disaster sleep day

A sketch of a toddler walking through some leaves, mostly obscured by various scribblings and messy prints of autumn leaves. Caption: this was meant to be an atmospheric drawing of S. wandering through yellow leaves, but it was hijacked

Sketch of the river (purple and green), a slightly threatening sky (purple and yellow) and the riverbank with sparse trees and a dogwalker in the distance

Text: "S. doesn't feel like waking up, then at 9.30 perks up and starts chatting about sewer pipes - so I take him to nursrey where he doesn't nap so he falls asleep on the sofa..." Then a sketch of toddler adorably passed out on the sofa. Then more text: "...and just when I was drawing this he woke up and rolled off. Managed to get some supper in him and put him to bed!"

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Imogen Foxell @imogenfoxell.bsky.social · Feb 17

Sketchbook diaries from November: Science Oxford and fireworks; cat ears in the park; trying to think of good things in the wake of the US election (obviously the world has gone from bad to awful since then); printer wrestling and chocolate owls

#kidlit #parentingComics #parenting #soloMumByChoice