Outdoors

For many years the advent of Spring, with its warmer temperatures, marked a change in our rhythm.  You see for a few winters we took to hibernation, only venturing out to visit friends or do our weekly shop.  We are prone to having winters that are grey and heavy, with lots of grey cloud which brings the rain, damp cold is the very worse kind.  It gets inside you and chills you to the bone.  So when my children both reached that age where they were too heavy to be carried all day, but their legs were too short for walking about fast enough to keep me warm we virtually stopped going out in the Winter.

That time seems so recent, yet so far away now.  As the children grew I was determined to spend more of the colder months doing things outside but each time I tried something new, attempting to venture out seemed like trying to hold back the tide and when we were out all they wanted to do was go home.  I was clearly choosing the wrong activities.

I know that some people go for a walk at the same time everyday, I thought this sounded like a lovely idea.  But it just didn't work for us.  I thought perhaps if we did the same walk every week round our village, that might work?  No.  What has worked is setting aside one afternoon a week, usually the same afternoon to focus on being outside.  Going for a walk, a bike ride, birdwatching.....this year we have decided to vist the same wood every month to see how it changes through the seasons.  We did this once before, about three years ago and the children requested we did it again.  Our walks have taken us all over the place, up big hills, around lakes, through castle grounds, along rivers.  But what has been so wonderful is that we carried on doing this right through the winter without really noticing.

I know that much is written about the lack of time children spend out of doors, the lack of connection to nature.  What I always knew to be true was that the more time you spend outside the more time you want to spend, and that this would naturally lead to loving it rather than hating it.  We always fear the unknown.  So what started as a birdwatching trip once a month has turned into birdwatching every time we are out and about.  We have started to be able to spot birds by their flight and their song.  A very wet winter afternoon spent identifying trees by their winter buds has led to both children being able to identify a number of trees in this way far more reliably than I can!

I spent so much of my childhood outside.  I grew up in a town but we lived on a road with few cars, less people owned cars in the 70s, large gardens and there were lots of open spaces and tree belts nearby.  We rode bikes, built dens, cooked on fires in all weathers.  I worked outside for over ten years, all year round.  I need to spend time outside to feel recharged and connected.  

It makes my heart sing that, for now, I have found what works for us.

Weekending

Another week has flown by, the year is now three weeks old.  We started the week with snow!  We woke on Monday morning to about an inch the children were so excited especially my youngest as she does not remember the snow we had last year.  After shopping and a library visit in the morning she and I spent the afternoon outside building a snow castle, making angel patterns in the snow and clearing our neighbours path.

Tuesday started badly, we got a phone call and message from our Tuesday and Thursday friends, within a few minutes of each other, to say that neither could meet up with us this week.  My lovely weekly rhythm just stopped beating, the children were devastated.  I called our Wednesday friends to check that they were still on for meeting up and thankfully they were.  Even better they phoned back a couple of hours later to say come over for tea, stay the night and play all day on Wednesday. The children were really excited and could not wait to set off!  We spent some of the time making gingerbread men and reading the story about the gingerbread man that does not want to be caught. They had a great time playing, playing, playing it was amazing they were together for twenty four hours and did not fall out at all in that time.  The spent a large part of Wednesday out in the snow in the garden.

So on Thursday we headed off to a town we don't visit that often to swim and drop off something for repair, we took friends with us.  The swimming was great the pool was warm and pretty much empty, the children's swimming skills suddenly clicked for them both.  We had lunch at the poolside before heading into town.  We ran our errands before heading to a fantastic park for a play. We headed home tired and happy after a grand day out.

On Friday it snowed all day, big fat flakes that settled by the evening we had about three inches.  We made our own snowflakes indoors using a wire form a bit like this except ours have 8 spokes.  We have hung them on our tree.  We also read books about snow and winter, talked about hibernation, played the Winter cooperative game and enjoyed the cosines of our house.

Over the weekend we went to a lovely birthday party on Saturday.  My eldest who is not a fan of parties sat and read two Roald Dahl books whilst the party went on around him!  On Sunday we played at home, made some more play doh to play with, I sewed two cushion covers, read several books with the children and we took part in the RSPB Big Garden Watch.  You spend an hour counting the birds in your garden, you count the numbers each time you see them and then submit the highest number you see at any one time.  We had few visitors this year compared to last.  It was really, really windy and as our garden is pretty exposed the birds were not visiting even though we put out lots of food.  Those that did were clearly struggling against the wind!

Weekending

It has been lovely this week to get back into our weekly rhythm, it is comforting like a fire on a cold winter evening.

We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for our food shopping and a visit to the library.  As always after unpacking and lunch we spent the afternoon reading our new library books.

On Tuesday we visited our friends who we have not seen for ages for our usual play dates.  Illness, them not us thankfully, and Christmas has meant we have not seen them for about six weeks.  There were several families there again and the children all had a wonderful time playing together.  It was really calm and peaceful this time.

The next day we had a wonderful day of outdoor play with some friends.  We took a picnic and drove up the road for a lovely day out in the sunshine.  It felt so good to feel the sun on our faces again after so long.  The world feels huge when you can see the blue sky.

The next day we drove south to join our friends for lunch and a play.  Just after she had woken up, my youngest said something which proved to me that rhythm that I have worked hard to introduce into our week has all been worthwhile. We see the same the same sets of friends each week, each on a particular day.  She knew it was the day for our Thursday friends without knowing it was Thursday. It was good to catch up after a break over Christmas.  The girls had fun icing cakes.  The drive back was long through the dark and thick fog.

Friday we headed for a day round the county.  We started by dropping off a hire car that my husband no longer required as the job he was to use it for had been cancelled, such is the life of being self employed.  Then we drove to another town for swimming and lunch with friends.  After the children had played for a bit and the adults chatted we headed to pick up our flour order from a local mill.  On the way home we dropped in some more friends for a cuppa and to drop off some bits.  We got home exhausted after a long day out!

We had a fairly busy weekend based mostly at home.  On Saturday we headed out to the local famers market to pick up some supplies.  In the afternoon I cooked up a batch of soup to put on the freezer for eating this month.  On Sunday I had one of those days were I was highly productive without much effort.  I cooked up more soup, baked some bread, made some rolls, did some washing, hoovered the house, put together a big bag of stuff for the charity shop, read books with the children, danced, played, read some of my book whilst the children and my husband went for a bike ride and fell into bed happy and content.  A perfect end to the week.

Sunshine

   

 

 

Yesterday we arranged to go out with friends as the weather was forecast to be cloudy but dry.  We woke up to find a clear blue sky and sunshine.  It's the first time we have seen the sun properly this year, except for a few hours on the beach on New Years Day.  It was wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces again after so long.  The world felt bigger with the open blue sky, rather than thick grey cloud pressing down on us.

We had a great time, walking, playing, swinging, jumping, hiding, clambering, climbing, eating, drinking, talking and creating with our friends.  As I drove home through our village there were lots of mums walking to the school to pick up their children, I wondered wryly who had had the best day of learning.

Linking in with The Magic Onions for Friday's Nature Table a sharing of nature activities.

Weekending

This week has seen the end of one year and the start of the next, a time to herald in new beginnings should you so wish.

We started the week at a friends house where we were staying to celebrate the New Year.  We have been meeting up for years to celebrate together initially as adults but now as families, we are thirteen into total which requires a lot of organising on the food front.  On New Year's Eve the older children and most of the adults headed out early to walk up a big hill, it was windy and icy cold so they did not make it to the top but had a good walk nonetheless, they arrived back with a mass of wet clothing and kit.  The younger children and two adults remained at home for playing, drawing, painting, baking and in the afternoon a wet, muddy walk in nearby woods.  They loved running around and got plastered in mud by the end.  In the evening we all sat down for a buffet tea prepared by some of the adults.  Once we had eaten and cleared up we moved the tables to one side and danced to some cheesy 80s music.  The younger children went to bed and the older one's stayed up to welcome the new year in at midnight.  We all collapsed into bed soon after.  The afternoon of New Year's Day was spent on the beach as is our tradition.  We had a big cooked breakfast before setting off and prepared a stew which was cooking in the oven for our return.

We set off home on Wednesday, we had been away for ten days and it was good to be home again.  The children always spend the first hour or so finding all their favourite toys to play with, reunited after a break.

Thursday we spent the day at home, unpacking, washing, finding homes for our presents and tidying up.  I had been so busy making presents before we went away that the house was not particularly tidy when we left.   The children kept themselves busy for most of the day playing with Lego.

Friday we had plans to meet up with friends and hoped that the weather forecast was correct.  We were grateful that it was and had a wonderful day out enjoying the outdoors.

Over the weekend we have pottered around at home, drawing, playing with Lego, reading books together, knitting, playing games, making dens and snuggling under blankets.  We joined some friends for dinner on Saturday night it was good to catch up and chat with them.  After a very different week I am looking forward to returning to our usual daily rhythms.

Gratitudes

I am joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to reflect, to slow down and be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for...

...the wonderful company of friends to welcome in the New Year.

...spending New Years day on the beach.

...the wonderful gifts we received from the friends we spent New Year with and the joy and appreciation of the gifts we gave them.

...sharing good home cooked food with friends.

...our lovely friends who welcome us into their house every New Year.

...a fun afternoon at a swimming pool with slides and 'beaches' on a cold wet windy day.

...a walk in the woods during a break in the rain, watching the children run wild in the mud, enjoying hot chocolate and cake under the trees it was great to feel the wind on our faces.

...my lovely husband driving us safely for so many miles to see friends and family over Christmas and New Year.

...a day outside with friends enjoying a fun play area and an interesting walk.

...time to stop and take in my surroundings wherever I am without the feeling or pressure that I should be rushing to be somewhere else.

Walking

We have been enjoying the outdoors today.  We had plans to meet up with friends and hoped that the weather forecast was going to prove right and we could spend some time outside.  It has rained pretty much every day since the beginning of December with very rare moments of clear skies.  It was cloudy today but, as the recent rain has also meant thick grey low cloud, it felt really bright despite the fact that the sky was all cloud.

We met at a wood and had fun on a play trail.

 
There were big long slides, stilts to climb on, a big truck climbing frame, a climbing wall, a stand on rope swing, a very large climbing frame, water play with Archimedes screws and channels, gravel play with buckets made from old tyres, small play houses and a fairy kingdom complete with carvings.  It was a great place for the children to play with a short distance to walk between each activity.  I would imagine in the summer it will be very busy but on a cool winter day it was, thankfully, quiet.

After our play we had a picnic lunch before heading off for a walk with words trail. Every now and again we found a marker post with a quote relating to woods and nature on it.

 Diversity is Nature's Way Vandana Shiva

We also found a great place half way round to rest little legs, drink hot chocolate and eat cake.

It was a lovely day out.

Beaches

Christmas and the month of December is a time steeped in tradition. I am still finding my way for Christmas traditions for my family, but our New Year ones are firmly in place and give me comfort each year.

Fifteen years ago ten adults booked a last minute holiday cottage, my husband and I were part of this group, and a tradition was born.  At that time we all worked together, none of us were married and one couple were expecting their first child.  Fifteen years on, six of those adults still meet up every year along with seven children.  We stopped booking holiday cottages once we bought our own homes, although we are such a big number now that we no longer meet in our home but switch between the other two family homes as they are much larger.

Cooking for thirteen is a mammoth exercise and involves immense amount of food.  The utility room of the house we stayed at this year had bags of food everywhere, if you wanted something out the fridge you had usually had to dig for it and the washing up never stopped.

The children always have great fun, with seven children ranging in age from three to fifteen there is always someone to play with.  There were times when they all disappeared playing in various parts of the house.

We always get together for four nights and three days and plan to spend as much of that time outside, weather permitting.  Whatever the weather we always spend the afternoon of New Years Day on the beach.  It always amazes me that every year we drive to the beach through driving rain and wind to find a beach basking in sunshine.  It is never warm, as you would expect in the middle of winter and is always very windy but the sunshine lifts the spirits.

This year the light was particularly beautiful with the sun low in the sky making the sand look like honey.  The men take a dip in the sea, well a run in and out.

Football or rugby get played.  Holes get dug, one year so big we all sat in it and had cake and hot chocolate.  I love to spend time on the beach near the sea and it is, for me, the perfect place to start the year.

Bonding

I have spent the last 48 hours in the company of my youngest, whilst my eldest was at home with daddy.  We have had a really special time together, I have not spent so much time just with her since she was born.

We were away from home as I was assessing a D of E Expedition this involved a lot of waiting around, often in bleak cold places.  It was often not possible for me to carry any bits to keep her amused whilst we were waiting but they would not have been needed anyway.  We spent the time talking, cuddling, nursing.  She has sung for me, beautiful made up tunes often with words.  We have spent much time playing at life, getting in and out of imaginary cars, going imaginary shopping, cooking imaginary food and eating it.  She would find bits of grass, leaves whatever was lying around and make picnics with them for imaginary dolls.  I could sit and watch her play for hours.  She has been completely content.  She is always much happier when outside, even it is really cold she puts on extra clothes and is still happy.  The last two days have, I think, been heavenly for her I have loved spending this time with her.

We have been mainly.....

We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library. We found a lovely book about elephants this week and a great story sack about India.

We joined our friends for our regular play date on Tuesday. I managed to get organised to leave the house a bit earlier this week to give the children the maximum time to play with their friends. We had got a bit slow about getting out the house, often I would realise it was lunchtime, where do the mornings go, then we would have lunch at home and by the time that was finished it was early afternoon before we were heading off. The play was the usual noisy fun, running around outside, jumping on the trampoline and playing in a nearby stream.

Wednesday saw us heading to friends again. We joined them to make pizzas for lunch, which made a delicious mess. I thought that we had made a lot of pizza but it all got eaten and large pieces of homemade chocolate cake. The children played in the garden for the afternoon as the weather was dry. They were running around, playing football and chasing a chicken that had roamed in from next door and was eating the strawberries.

The next two days were spent at home. We spent much of the time building made up star wars Lego models with pieces that we have. My eldest has a few sets of star wars Lego, we decided our homemade versions were a lot better. In between we played games, read books, weeded some of the garden and started a new bedtime routine in the evening. I started to read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo to my eldest which he is enjoying.

On Saturday we got up early and caught the bus into the local town, taking a picnic with us. I visited a lovely yarn shop that I had not been to before to get some circular needles to knit a hat. We also spent time in a couple of bookshops before catching the bus back home. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading our new books and playing with Lego. On Sunday we welcomed Daddy back after a week a way. He arrived home in time for lunch, after which he spent the afternoon outside unloading and washing the car with our youngest as a helper, she has missed her dad. Another week over, it is still cool and wet, maybe that is to be our summer this year.

Rain

Today it has rained, on and off, all day. I have felt no desire to be outside today, we have watched the rain from the window enjoying the warmth of the house. We have had a few days away this week and have been enjoying some time at home.

When you hear about the rain on a weather forecast it is so often accompanied with negative words such as unfortunately. This has always struck me as odd, what is unfortunate about rain. We need the rain to sustain life. There are swathes of the south of England currently in 'drought' conditions. How can rain be that bad?

I guess flooding is rain that is bad, if it involves buildings. It strikes me that building on a flood plain is not a wise thing to do. When it rains hard and for long periods the water needs somewhere to go. It joins the streams and rivers, if these become full the rain water will spill over into surrounding area where ever that is. If we try to control a river by whatever means surely this will create problems there or elsewhere. The water needs to go somewhere. If there are buildings on a flood plain, that is where they will go. I am mystified as to why, in this country we continue to build on areas close to or on flood plains.

My garden always looks beautiful in wet weather, everything blossoms and grows, it has fullness. In dry periods it looks withered and small. It also saves hours of endless watering to ensure that my veggies grow and produce.

If rain is forecast I might re-think plans if it is an activity that would be difficult in the rain. But most of time I don waterproofs and carry on. Some of my best days out have been wet and wild.  Do you enjoy the rain?

We have been mainly........

spontaneous this week, with a whole week of superb weather last week,  I was sceptical that the heat could carry on much longer, by the end if the week the jumpers and socks were out again.

We started the week with our usual visit to the local town for shopping and the library. We found another lovely book this week which has been a great hit A Bus Called Heaven written and illustrated by Bob Graham.  It is about a community that is transformed by an abandoned bus found on street.  They come to together, lead by a little girl called Stella, to transform the bus into a community space.   The illustrations are beautiful, and there is plenty going on the the picture, they tell the story in themselves.  We have had another book by this author How to Heal a Broken Wing which is about a little boy who finds and cares for a pigeon with a broken wing.

We were unsure what the weather was going to do for the next day, it was forecast to be cold and wet, in the end it was hot and dry! We joined our friends for our regular play date. This time we took food to cook tea, I figured that if the weather turned wet we could bring it home and eat it there. Last week we had had such a great afternoon that we did not want to leave so we all agreed if the weather was good to bring food to cook on a BBQ. We headed to the river and stayed there to cook tea whilst the children played. We arrived home tired and happy.

We usually join friends on a Wednesday but I could not get hold of them to find out what they wanted to do, the night before. In the end they contacted me that morning and their plans sounded exhausting to me, and required a picnic, I had nothing in the house to put one together. So we decided not to join them on their busy day out and had some time at home to recharge. We had fun playing games with cars, bricks, Lego and water, not all at the same time.   I also started a new knitting project, my first in ages.  I am knitting this in a purple yarn.  When I bought the wool it was a really hot day, so it seemed a bit daft, knowing what the weather can do I am sure it will get worn before the winter arrives.

We had a early start the next day as we headed south to get on a train. We had a longish journey on a couple of trains including one underground to reach our destination. We were visiting a museum about u boats, my eldest is currently interested in the Second World War. Sadly, it was rather wet, and as some sections of the museum were outside it rather marred our visit, but it was still very interesting. I had completely overestimated the time we needed to visit the museum and a conversation with a friend the night before, saw us jumping back on a train and looking for another museum. I had looked up the nearest station before setting off in the morning but had no idea how to get to the museum from the station, and we had no map. Luckily for us it was well signed posted. Continuing the World War Two theme this was an old secret bunker used as a control centre by the RAF and the Navy.  It was really interesting and for me was the best part of the day. There were audio commentaries in most of the rooms which is ideal for children as they can look for things as they are talked about. My eldest can read but finds some museums hard work if they have a lot in written words in them. We had plenty of time to make our way back to the station for our train home. A long but enjoyable day.

On Friday we joined our friends to the south for another birthday celebration, the sun shone in the afternoon and we enjoyed tea and cake in the garden. The children had fun playing together, the boys with lego, the girls, well lets say they are still finding their feet with the whole playing together thing.

Over the weekend the house had a much needed tidy up. The recycling was taking over the kitchen and the compost bin was full to the brim. We also headed into town to top up on food, we are going away for a few days next week, but needed a little bit of food for the back end of the week. We also welcomed daddy home after another two weeks away, it is great to have him back. The weather has turned cold again, I hope my plants don't stop growing again otherwise I am not going to be eating any of my own veggies this year. I hope you have had a good week too.

Cars

I have been to a big city today, it is always such a shock compared to the small village I live in. City life is not for me. It reminded me though, of something I heard on the radio recently.

The declining amount of time that children spend outside is a topic often under discussion.  It should be an integral part of a child's life, but for so many it rarely is. I have heard several reasons suggested for this, stranger danger, our aversion to risk, not wanting them to get dirty are a few, the media coverage of certain events in the last few years, has I am sure, also played a part. Television has gone from a few hours in the day to 24 hours a day, with hundreds of channels, during the last 30 years. We often hear of reports into the ever increasing number of hours of television watched by children. There is also gaming consoles, computers and the Internet which can keep children inside. Once a child is outside what are they actually going to do? If they are spending most of their time inside watching t.v. or on the internet, a activity which gives little opportunity for imagination to grow, if they then go to pay outside where there are massive opportunities for the imaginative child, they will not find it easy to know what to do.

One reason, for this decline, I heard suggested recently is that of cars. Again, there has been a massive increase in car ownership in the last 30 years. Roads that were once safe for children to play are now full of cars. They have priority over pedestrians in most places, they travel very fast even when there is a speed limit. The pavement, for some, has not been a place of safety.  Perhaps we should be looking more closely at the planning in towns and cities to encourage more priority for people over the car, particularly in housing areas. I am not suggesting that this is the only reason, this is a complex issue that has many, many layers to it. But I do feel that it is vital that we as a society address it sooner rather than later, when it may be a harder issue to solve.

We have been mainly ............

alternating between revelling in the sunshine and hiding in the shade to cool down this week. It has been wonderful to finally feel some sun on our skin, but a bit of shock as the temperature rose by about 20 degrees in the space of a few days.

We started the week with our usual trip into the local town. We did our food shopping and visited the library we found a lovely book by Alan Durant, illustrated by Debi Gliori, Always and Forever. I did not realise until we got home and read it that the book was about death, it is written in a lovely gentle way that is perfect for explaining this sometimes difficult and awkward subject to children.

The following day we had our weekly play date at a friends house. It was such a beautiful day that I packed clothes to go to the river with, as I felt that that is what we might do. We took our picnic and sure enough we spent a glorious day by the river. We were really late home as they were having so much fun paddling in the river and playing games in the large field along side.

We were up and out again early the next day with another picnic for another sunny day out. This time we travelled to a nearby town to meet friends for a walk along an old railway line to find another river for paddling. We were glad of the trees on the way back. Our friends had to go off for an appointment, but we went in search of ice creams and a play in the excellent playground nearby.

We had a day at home the next day. I had quite a lot to do preparing food and making a cake for my youngest's birthday the following day. I had one of those days when I felt that I was not achieving very much, I seemed to be good a starting jobs but no good at getting them completed. I had finished making her birthday present the night before, a project that had taken about two months, I was not sure it would be ready in time. Whenever I complete something important, such as this was, in time I usually feel very tired for a period afterwards. I think it must be the relief at getting it finished and the ceasing of worrying that I might not be ready in time. I am sure that this accounted for the feeling that all tasks that I tried to do during the day seemed enormous. I felt like I was wading through treacle!

The next day we celebrated my youngest's birthday which you can read about here.

Over the weekend I had planned to go to a local country fayre. My eldest however woke with really sore feet. They have been a bit dry and sore since we went on a canoeing expedition and I thought it was clearing up however it was much worse. After a bit if research I established that he has athlete's foot. We have been applying coconut oil to help with the stinging and soreness which has helped a lot and it improved over the weekend. Some friends dropped by for a cuppa and to drop off a birthday present. We also spent some time in the garden which you can read about here.

I hope you too have been able to get outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Porter

I feel like a porter these days every time we go out of the house.  It is worst when we go out for the day.  In the winter, where I live, at least you know it is going to be cold and often wet, so you take clothing suitable for that weather.  At the moment we seem to be having four seasons a day, the result, clothes for four seasons.

Today we left the house to go out, it was warm, really warm we were all wearing short sleeved t-shirts for the first time in weeks.  I had this feeling that the warmth would not last, as it does not seem to at the moment.  So I packed a bag of waterproof coats and trousers, a bag of thick coats, a bag of jumpers and body warmers/gillets, a bag of wellies, my bag with change of clothes, wallet etc and we were out for the day so we had a picnic bag.  I need a cart to lug it all to the car, no that would not work there are two many steps, maybe I could keep a donkey.  When I get home I lug it all back into the house where it sits taking up most of the hall, there is no point unpacking all of it as we are off out again tomorrow.  I could leave it in the car, but I have done that before and then one day when we were due to go out it was pouring with rain.  Did the warmth last today?  No, it was really cold when we got to where we were going so I was glad of my lugging and loading

Anyone else feel like they are constantly packing and unpacking, loading and unloading stuff for a day out?

We have been mainly.........

missing daddy this week.  I have already posted about him returning into the fold, but during the week leading up to his return it was really hard for the children.

We started the week with our weekly trip in to the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library.  We arrived home with our new selection of books which is always exciting.

The next three days we had play dates.  The first at a friends house the other two days at ours.  At our friends we managed to stay outside for most of the day.  My oldest spent most of the time building and setting up a base on a shed roof, at one point he was up there with two other friends sitting in deck chairs looking through binoculars and chatting away!  On the days we had friends to play I could tell that not all was well.  My oldest didn't seem to want to play, preferring to be alone on the sofa with a book.  I was concerned that the week was too busy for him and I had not allowed enough time alone. On talking to him discovered that he was missing daddy and did not feel like playing much.  We were due to go out the next day, so I suggested that we wait and see how we felt in the morning as to whether we would or not.

We started the day at home playing with lego.  The time raced by, we all sat together on the floor amongst a sea of pieces and minifigures, creating models, playing with them and the minifigures.  Around lunch time my youngest announced that she wanted to go out somewhere.  My oldest looked at me, I said that the choice was his today and we would do whatever he wanted.  About an hour later he announced he did want to go, but only for a play.  We were joining a home ed group who were doing a workshop.  We packed a picnic and off we went.  We had a lovely afternoon in the sunshine sitting with our friends as they built their creations.  I didn't see my oldest for the whole time we were there.  He announced in the car on the way home that he had a great afternoon.

We had another day of sunshine the following day it has been along time since we had two days of sun!  We had a great day which you can read about here.  We all went to bed excited about the return of daddy/husband in the morning.

Spontaneity

Every now and again we have a great day when we have nothing planned.  At some point soon after they wake up, my children usually ask, what are we going to do today?  This morning I answered we have nothing planned.  On coming downstairs for breakfast I realised that we had a parcel to pick up from the post office.  The weather was not looking good at that point so did not make a plan in my head of when to pick it up, but we had to by 12pm or it would have to wait till Monday.

As the morning wore on the weather brightened and the sun actually came out.  I raided the fridge and the cupboards, put an impromptu picnic in a bag, got us all dressed and off we went.  Parcel picked up, we headed for the park.  It was still cool in the wind but we had great fun.  Playing on the park equipment, a game of tig and throwing and kicking a ball.  The children did not want to come home we were out for most of the afternoon.  I love days like this, where you have no plans but still have a great relaxing day. 

It is now coming to an end with a most beautiful sunset, I cannot remember when we last had one this year.  I do hope this warmer weather we have had for the last two days lasts a bit longer.