Country Kids: The Garden Of Eden

That right there is sunrise over the garden of Eden. No I don't mean the tourist attraction in Cornwall, I mean the wonderful valley which Coombe Mill nestles in. That was the view that we had each morning when we pulled back the curtains in our cabin.

Breathtaking isn't it?

Little wonder that the three of us spent the entire time smiling, laughing and enjoying the fresh air. The Boy enjoyed a plethora of new experiences, and we both were able to smile and revel in his new found confidence.

This is The Boy who strode into the poultry and wallaby pen on the first morning, who fed donkeys and stroked their noses, who glared down an alpaca. My little precious bundle who walked into the pigs' pen, cuddled their rumps and then uncurled their tails, who walked in amongst the goats and fed them, who walked within ten feet of a deer. This is The Boy who let a fragile chick stand on his head and arm.

coombe mill

And after he'd finished discovering all about the fauna, we popped over to the official Eden Project to take in the flora in the biomes where The Boy saw how bananas grow, that coffee comes in green beans, that those elusive tomatoes which mummy won't let him near (he's allergic) start out green.

The Eden Project

We even picked a grain of rice from their mini paddyfield and saw how hard they are when they come straight from the plant!

Arriving home , Mr. TBaM and I remarked to each other how much he'd grown over the weekend; and as parents isn't that our job? To guide them when exploring their new world.

coombe mill

Country Kids: At Home With Coombe Mill

We've come for a short break down to Coombe Mill for a few days and I have to say that I think I've found paradise on Earth! Having been to a few places that have Scandinavian lodges as their accommodation, it is refreshing to come to a similar place but with the difference that this has the great outdoors as the entertainment and what an outdoors it is.

This thirty acre site has a beautiful and melodic river running through it which is the soundtrack to our stay, a plethora of children's play areas for different abilities and desires, and the most fantastic animal farm we've seen.

Yesterday we had fun exploring the play areas…

… including some twilight trampoline jumping!

Today we set off after a hearty breakfast to enjoy the feed run. I'll admit I was sceptical about this as The Boy has always been apprehensive about animals, especially those which are similar in size to him, so I expected lots of, "Can you carry me?!"

However…

… he even told us he uncurled the pig's tail!

But for him the best bit of the day was this…

… under a small amount of direction, he was genuinely steering this tractor!

coombe mill