Wellies or trainers, Mum?

The winter weather can often be cold and dreary, I don't know about you but I am often tempted to stay indoors in the warm rather than venture outside. With the brighter and warmer than usual weather lately we have been getting out and about to enjoy the fresh air lots.

As soon as we say we are going out the Little Ones jump up and want to know if they need shoes or wellies, there is rarely a time when one of them says they do not want to go. Even if someone doesn't want to go, by the time we all have our shoes on and have strapped everyone into the car everyone is usually onside and happy to be getting out.

We have half a dozen favourite places that we visit often, depending on the weather and time of year, various points along the Gloucester-Sharpness canal are beautiful and this time we chose to visit a spot with a lovely cafe that serves giant tea cakes and yummy hot chocolate.

We like to wander along, letting the children be children, taking in the scenery and bits of nature we spot or collect. The Little Ones have a thing about sticks at the moment and Little 3, and often Little 2 as well, are wielding them. They have to be taken home with us, they won't let us leave them behind, you could have a small bonfire with the pile of sticks at the end of our drive!!

There is something relaxing about walking along watching boats and birds, Little 2 is a bit of a watcher and will spend ages just standing and watching if you let her, we often have to call to her to catch up or hurry along a little. She will run ahead and stop, watching something until we have all long passed then dash to catch up and speed past again, such a funny thing.

Then of course there are puddles, it might be all children or it might be just mine but the lure of a puddle is just too much to resist. They run off ahead and in they go, swishing their feet, making ripples and generally finding that joy that only children seem to be able to find in the simplest of things.

When everyone has had enough, I will produce the snacks, sometimes a yummy treat or a packet of biscuits and we will head back to the car, on this particular occasion though it was back to the cafe for giant plates of ham, egg and chips for lunch, yum.