#49: Find A Geocache
At the grand old age of 4&¾, The Boy has accomplished 37 of the '50 Things To Do Before You're 11&¾' tasks created by the National Trust; a list designed to get children outdoors doing the fresh-air things which children should be doing in the most innocent years of their lives. The range of tasks very much encourages children to step away from technology and embrace their 'natural childhood', however there is one that does involve technology and that is geocaching.
On a wet and grey Sunday a fortnight ago, we decided to try it out for the first time with The Boy.
A Balmy Easter Monday
We're so lucky where we live.
So lucky to have miles upon miles of glorious coastline; swathes of golden sand, mounds of perfectly elliptical pebbles, an abundance of rock pools populated with crazy creatures, and a vast tidal range allowing for hours spent on the beach.
Enjoying childhood.
#47: Cook On A Camp Fire (Country Kids)
One of the must-does for our break this week to Coombe Mill in Cornwall was to visit the beach and cook on a fire. Luckily we had the wonderful Wild Family Fun with us, whose job as an outdoor activity facilitator means she's a bit of an expert at starting a fire with vaseline and cotton wool.
So while I explored the rock pools with The Boy and his cousin, Mr. TBaM and The Boy's aunty set to starting the fire up in order to boil up some hot water using the Kelly Kettle she'd brought with us. A Kelly Kettle is an ingenious system which requires a fire to be lit in the metallic base, and then the 'water-jacket' kettle is placed over the top. It ends up with a fire chamber which creates an upward chimney draft ensuring efficient and rapid boiling even in windy or wet weather. And it was very windy that day! [Read more…]
When Only The Beach Will Do
Crashing waves.
Frothing, foamy, Neptune's white horses.
Gusting winds.
Sand blowing diagonally through the air.
Squeals of laughter from a gleeful and playful family enjoying the abandoned swathes of golden sands.
All that squelchy sand is a blank canvas for running, jumping and falling over in.
And do you know where he went after he's verified how saturated and sand encrusted his gloves were?
Yep, right to 'give mummy a cuddle'.
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Linking up to Country Kids, Outdoor Play Party and Flashback Friday
Days 33 – 39 of Project 365
33. Timing (You'd think I've called this photo 'Timing' because of the good capture? Nope, it's ironic. I was aiming to get both of them splashing at the same time, but do you know how hard it is to get two children to play ball with a muddy puddle?)
34. Sprinkles (I had a go at making marshmallow from scratch last weekend, and set it up to photograph on Monday. Easy, yes? Not when I'd used pectin instead of gelatin so it was vegetarian but it's not such a good setting agent. When I was trying to coat it in the mixture it started glooping, acting quickly I put it in the fridge, went and set up the shoot and rushed the marshmallow through. Then I had to invoke the emergency spoons to contain it!)
35. Baby-face (A tired Boy after school today, he reminded me just how little he still is.)
36. Quiet Moment (The Boy absolutely loves his Tidy Books book box – competition live over here – and it was so lovely to see him sit down next to the box of his own accord, pick up a book and start to explore it himself. I've looked forward to this moment since having a child. That's after he'd built a tree up the wall out of train track. As you do.)
37. Focus (Bath time is becoming a real battle with The Boy. Not just bath time, but bedtime in general. We've moved getting ready for bed forward by 15 minutes from 7pm as there was just too much stroppiness. He looks really calm here, but dear God when he has to get out? Hell on Earth! He holds on to the bath taps, won't let go and you wouldn't believe how strong he is! Mr. TBaM has to call me to help him, otherwise The Boy is going to hurt himself.)
38. Ahoy there Cap'n (My obsession with ride-ons continues!)
39. Fresh (Today has not been a good day generally. It started well but then I became all depressed and could have locked myself away forever never to be found by anyone. Eventually I 'faked it until I could make it' and we managed to get to Barry Island for a huge blow through. I felt so much better afterwards, which just goes to prove the findings of the UNICEF survey which highlighted children in the UK as the most depressed in the western world in conjunction with the fact that we're the third worst in the world at getting children out doors. We all felt a damn sight better for the 'fresh air' i.e. 50mph+ gales.)
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Clothes In The Wash, Me In The Bath!
This has always been our motto with The Boy.
From a young age we've encouraged him to explore the natural world and allowed him to get as mucky as he wants to outside. Clothes after all are to keep us warm and protect our bodies, if they get dirty then they go in the washing machine. If The Boy gets dirty then he goes in the bath.
As far as I am concerned, there really is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. And there really is no excuse for preventing children to have fun in the natural environment. Least of all getting clothes dirty.
Which is why when the sun broke through the clouds last Sunday we met up with my brother and his family at the local nature reserve. Apart from a three minute downpour when we were feeding the swans, the sunlight was revitalising and much needed.
Especially for showing the way when climbing trees.
But then of course all that rain that we've had makes for some glorious squelchy fun. Mud, glorious mud.
So after some jumping up and down in muddy puddles, sliding down muddy banks and trying to catch squirrels, we had a small accident.
This is why we have a washing machine.
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Linking up to Country Kids, Outdoor Play Party and Flashback Friday
Winter Sunshine
We love going to the beach at any time of the year, but it's incredibly difficult to find the enthusiasm when it is pouring down, and there's been a terrific amount of precipitation recently! However, last Sunday when the sun made an appearance and reminded us all of how wonderful the Winter sunshine truly is, we set off further down the coast with my brother and his family to explore Ogmore beach.
The main beach was packed but we actually headed around the coastline a few hundred yards to a beach which is a bit tricky to get down to and therefore has less visitors. The point about how tricky (in wet conditions) it is was made when I slipped on the muddy path walking down and ended up with a derriere covered in mud within three minutes of leaving the car!
However once we were down on the beach, the sunshine was warming and the conditions idyllic. We set out our picnic blanket and sat down on the rocks chatting and munching away on pasties and grapes while The Boy and his cousin roamed amongst the rockpools, collecting pebbles and creating some beach art.
As witnessed in many episodes of Doctor Who, this stretch of coastline has a wonderful strata in the cliffs and the beaches are crammed with rockpools galore. The perfect place to find crabs or starfish!
Ogmore beach is well known for the wonderful array of fossils in the rocks and cliff-face, and under the guidance of my sister-in-law who has been beach schools trained, we all set to the task of finding a variety of fossils. Finding what was once a fish, or a barnacle-like creature, is absolutely amazing and so rewarding; it reminds you of your place in the history of our planet.
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Exploring The National Trust: Lanhydrock, Cornwall
This time of year is so very cold, dark and oppressive that I find it very difficult to summon up the energy and desire to be the super mum who is proud of preaching, "There's no such thing as bad weather you know, just bad clothing." Because actually there is such a thing as bad weather, you just have to have the will to brave it, accept it and face it. Call it the post-Christmas blues if you like, but I'm struggling to pull on my thermals and wellies.
However I'm beginning to think of the wonderful places that we do visit in the more agreeable weather, especially as it gives me the will to think about adventuring when it's 20°C lower than my preferred temperature.
A Perfect Sunday Morning
Last weekend, we ventured down to the south coast of England for my sister-in-law's wedding in Highcliffe Castle. In the morning, prior to the ceremony, we decided to check out the venue and discovered that beyond the raindrops pooling into miniature lakes in the car park, was a small woodland which offered some steep steps down onto a beach. Hoping for dry weather the next day so we could further explore, we went off and did 'the wedding thing' like dutiful family.
The next morning was one of the most beautiful days of this Autumn so far; brilliant azure skies with wispy clouds, sunlight glistening on a turquoise sea, and diamonds sparkling in the golden sunlight. We raced down to the castle's car park, debated wellies and donned them in case of squelchy mud, and then headed through the woodland where we found the best climbing tree we've seen in a while.
Locating the steps down to the beach, we trotted down them and discovered an astounding view across the English Channel from the Needles to Hengistbury Head. This is when we discovered that the wellies had been a good decision.
As we walked along the water's edge towards the beach huts of Friar's Cliff, dogs raced around us picking up pebbles and balls thrown by their owners, excited to be allowed on the beaches again. The Boy hunkered down and decided to build a sandcastle, digging down with his bare hands to his uncle in Australia. He didn't get very far, mittens aren't the best tools for sandcastle making it seems.
At Friar's Cliff, the beachward drift has been haltered with groynes which are perfect for little boys to practise their balancing arms!
It was a magical hour or two, really refreshing after the excesses of the day before. We've been so intent on finding trees for climbing and collecting conkers from, that we've forgotten how magical the beach is at this time of year; the tourists have gone, leaving the locals to enjoy what's on their doorstep.
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Linking to Country Kids.
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