bike riding | TheBoyandMe

Days 27-33 of Project 365

February 2, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 48 Comments

27-33 of 365

27. 'One Giant Leap' (Off to Porthkerry Park on Sunday to play in the sunshine and check out how high the water was in the brooks.)

28. 'Hello, Down There' (a trip to the local Victorian park on the way back from the supermarket. This is part of our bid to spend 15 minutes outside in the fresh air every day, inspired by Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and Cerys from Nature and Play. Some days are really easy, other days – like a work day – are harder. Today was also the day of the epic play-dough making session; three colours and still he wanted more?!)

29. 'Do You Like My New Hat?' (Big activity day today, Tuesdays often are as I try to cram as much quality and quantity time in as possible before having to go back to work the next day. We made a wintery hat which ended up looking more like a space hat, did a science experiment involving moving water, went to gymnastics and also went scooting in the pouring rain in Cardiff Bay. Thanks for that Jenny and Cerys!)

30. 'New Jigsaw' (A work day but when I came home The Boy was able to play with his brand new jigsaw from Orchard Toys. Watch this space for a review!)

31. 'The Gruffalo' (Thanks to a 'heart-pressing' session when The Boy saw one of his friend's wearing a Gruffalo hat, he decided he wanted to dress up in his costume. I got the mirror down so he could see what he looked like. The irony was that five minutes later, the nanosecond I'd finished taking photographs, he insisted the costume came off. I think he scared himself!)

32. 'Slumber' (Absolutely exhausted, I let him have a longer nap today. I certainly paid for it as we had a ridiculous wake-up time of 5.20 this morning. Now where's that Gro-clock I was sent for review?!)

33. 'Rebel!' (We nipped down to Cardiff Bay Barrage for a cycle and a scoot in glorious sunshine, but dear God it was Arctic! The road across the barrage isn't used by vehicles and is a safe route for cyclists of all ages. The Boy has a minimal awareness of the highway code and road signs, clearly!)

My favourite photo of the week is The Gruffalo photo.

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Country Kids: Practise Makes Perfect

October 14, 2012 by TheBoyAndMe 12 Comments

One of our favourite jaunts is across the Cardiff Bay Barrage to Pizza Express. Today was no exception, and so with The Boy's bike and scooter accompanying us we trotted off in search of dough balls and coffee ice-cream.

It's a beautiful walk on a sunny day and today was just that; the air was crisp and the gloves were on. I love this time of year because the sunsets are beautiful and the light for photography is amazing. And can I just point out that while he's cycling and scooting on a road, no cars are allowed on it so it's safe!

Two thirds of the way across the barrage is a skate park, and I knew that The Boy would find it fascinating as he'd been watching the teenage boys skateboarding past us and he was trying to position his feet in the same way as them.

Pretty soon it was time to continue our journey, but he couldn't quite take his eyes off the stunts they were pulling.

One day my boy, one day.

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Country Kids: Sports Day

July 1, 2012 by TheBoyAndMe 18 Comments

Today started with the rain pelting against the bedroom window. Marvellous! After such a lovely day yesterday we were going to have to put up with rain spoiling our plans to work in the garden. I may as well just give up trying to sort out any weeds or plants, as it will be October before it's dry enough to make it look vaguely attractive.

After a leisurely morning pottering around the house, we headed out to one of The Boy's favourite places; the local softplay centre. Never again! The less said about that, the better.

When we emerged from the dingy, smelly pit, it was brilliant sunshine and glorious blue skies, so we headed to a beautiful park in a nearby town that I haven't been to for twenty years. While there, The Boy was able to practise his bike riding a little more. Considering it's only his fourth time riding it, he really picked up speed very quickly and scared the hell out of me in the process. I was so impressed with him for pedalling and steering so efficiently, he only had one tumble and that was because of a small pothole.

After he'd had enough of pedalling (and my stress levels couldn't take anymore), he decided to have a race with daddy, competing in the 100 metres with a good time of 37 seconds. Clearly going to be a cross country runner like his daddy.

A potentially boring day was saved by the Summer sun, it makes you realise how much better you can feel with the sun caressing your skin and bird song in the air.

God only knows what's happened to the sound on this video, apologies.

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