Supposed to be a WAG get together at the beach in Climping today. Having spent two days at home already this week Julie and I had decided to go whatever the weather although everyone else dropped out. I rang her first thing and we agreed to bring wellies and raincoats, picnic and spare clothes and go for a blow the cobwebs away hour or so down there.
Davies was on the pc first thing doing some rubber stamp game with which he created a lovely picture (did do a screen print – will get it on flickr later) and Tarly came and curled up with me and fell asleep for half an hour while I was on my laptop (she’d been up since 5am, so it didn’t do her any harm). Against rapidly blackening skies and rising winds we drove over to Climping and pulled into the car park. Julie arrived shortly afterwards and just opening the window to talk to her across the cars was enough to convince us that actually getting out of the cars would be a mental idea 🙂
So instead I followed her to some woods (small NT conservation area with lots of tree cover), dressed the kids up in waterproof jackets and wellies and set them free! They had a great time slipping and sliding about, talking to some of the volunteers about the ditches they were digging around the paths (to create waterfalls during the winter) and clambering about on tree stumps. Excellent place for all weather walks actually and only about half an hour’s drive from home so will plan to come back at least once per season to see how the woods change through the year. There is some sort of mini beast treasure hunt / spotter activity going on there this weekend which looks really interesting so we will keep an eye out for other such stuff going on when we are free.
In the car park the children found a large muddy puddle and after a brief moment of consideration I decided that childhood is all about splashing in muddy puddles in the rain and agreed they could go mad and have a play. So while Julie tried really hard to persuade her two not to do it my two posed for the camera and got themselves as wet and muddy as they could. Stripped them down in the back of the people carrier, changed them into dry clothes and we sat with the two cars parked right next to each other and the windows open, chatting and eating lunch.
The rain got even heavier so our half hearted plan of another walk round after lunch was put off and Julie headed for home while we went off to Jenny’s house to take her up on an emailed offer to come and dry off and drink tea at her house if we’d been rained off.
Spent a very pleasant couple of hours there drinking tea and chatting (oh yes, and eating chocolates :-)) while the children vanished into her house joining her younger three in eating popcorn, watching Finding Nemo and playing with every toy in the house. Davies really likes playing with Carys (I think if he were older he might blush in her presence, but even he doesn’t realise that yet!) and Tarly and Fergus finally realised that they are actually a perfect match in terms of terrorising toddlers with mischief in mind and teamed up to play some game with the cat flap and keep taking it in turns to come in and look cutely at me and Jenny to win chocolates! Very nice 🙂
Home for tea, bath to remove dried mud and other grime and guess what? It’s still raining! About to have a bath to remove my own dried on woods grime and then settle down to watch Lost.
What rain!!! We’ve got lots of wind but lovely blue skies LOL Glad you could find something great to do outdoors whatever the weather! xx
Comment by Karen b — 24 August 2005 @ 10:56 pm
Rain rain rain! All we had here too :-(.
That sounds like one of the perfect days- wish I’d been with you. Next time!
Comment by Roslyn — 25 August 2005 @ 9:28 am