Last weekend, my family and I went on a walk in the countryside close to us. Unusually, this was at the kids' request and they had been waiting to do this walk for a whole year!
The reason...conkers!
To be more specific: we did the same walk a year ago, and the walk passes along a lane lined by horse chestnut trees. The lane was littered with conkers and the kids, delighted, filled their pockets to bulging with the nuts. We took them home and distributed them in bowls around the house. They actually make a very attractive addition to the household!
The kids enjoyed gathering the conkers so much that they asked if we could do the same thing the following year. I duly noted the date in my diary and that's what we did at the weekend.
Generally the kids don't much enjoy walking in the countryside--they don't see the point--so it was great to have them actually asking to go out on a walk for once.
And we enjoyed the walk (and the conkers!) just as much this year as last.
Showing posts with label countryside. Show all posts
Showing posts with label countryside. Show all posts
03 October, 2015
23 May, 2015
The Cotswold town of Burford
We had a fabulous family day out in the Cotswold town of Burford today. We used to visit Burford a lot when we first moved to Oxfordshire, but haven't visited for a long time and, as far as I remember, we haven't taken the kids there. So, we packed up a picnic and decided to give it a go.
We started off by doing a four mile walk in the countryside surrounding Burford. The Cotswolds landscape is truly gorgeous and we climbed lots of stiles (the kids love stiles), saw some foals (the kids love foals) and took in the tiny church in the village of Widford (very peaceful with beautiful wall paintings). We had our picnic in a lush valley bottom, halfway round the walk -- the perfect picnic spot.
After our walk, we got 'proper' ice creams in Burford (waffle cones and non-mass produced ice cream) and had a look round the numerous shops in the town. We particularly liked the Cotswold Cheese Company (lots of lovely cheeses, olives and savoury biscuits, with a cafe at the back where you could enjoy tasting platters and a glass of wine) and Burford Woodcraft (we were keen to show this shop to the kids as we bought our current coffee table there when we first moved down to Oxford, almost twenty years ago now).
On the way back to the car, we popped into Burford's church, which is very large with spectacular stained glass (fitting for a former wealthy wool town), and bought a couple of plants for our garden from a 'nursery' (actually an extensive Cotswold stone house which sells all sorts of cottage garden plants to passing tourists).
I arrived home feeling relaxed and restored. An excellent outcome for a bank holiday Saturday!
We started off by doing a four mile walk in the countryside surrounding Burford. The Cotswolds landscape is truly gorgeous and we climbed lots of stiles (the kids love stiles), saw some foals (the kids love foals) and took in the tiny church in the village of Widford (very peaceful with beautiful wall paintings). We had our picnic in a lush valley bottom, halfway round the walk -- the perfect picnic spot.
After our walk, we got 'proper' ice creams in Burford (waffle cones and non-mass produced ice cream) and had a look round the numerous shops in the town. We particularly liked the Cotswold Cheese Company (lots of lovely cheeses, olives and savoury biscuits, with a cafe at the back where you could enjoy tasting platters and a glass of wine) and Burford Woodcraft (we were keen to show this shop to the kids as we bought our current coffee table there when we first moved down to Oxford, almost twenty years ago now).
On the way back to the car, we popped into Burford's church, which is very large with spectacular stained glass (fitting for a former wealthy wool town), and bought a couple of plants for our garden from a 'nursery' (actually an extensive Cotswold stone house which sells all sorts of cottage garden plants to passing tourists).
I arrived home feeling relaxed and restored. An excellent outcome for a bank holiday Saturday!
31 January, 2015
Walking with children
My husband and I love walking. Pre-children, we would go out every Sunday, come rain or shine, and do a brisk five or six miles. We would always come back happy, refreshed, and with the satisfaction of having seen things that we could never have seen from a car window.
When our oldest was born, almost thirteen years ago now, we carried on the tradition for a bit. While it was still possible to transport her in a front or back carrier, she came with us. But then she became too heavy. Once she could toddle by herself, there was no way she had the stamina to do long country walks. And then we had a second baby.
So, you get the picture. No more walks.
A decade later, now that the kids are grown and perfectly capable of walking, we occasionally try to do a family walk. But it's always a struggle. The problem is lack of inclination on their part. They moan about the car journey to get to the walk's starting point, the exertion, the mud, the cows...and, surprise, surprise, a walk suddenly becomes much less appealing.
Last weekend I made scones. We went out on a walk with the promise of returning to a home-baked cream tea, and that made quite a difference. The kids barely complained once. However, they did, from time to time, start chanting 'stile, scones; stile, scones'. Apparently the several stiles that they had to climb coupled with the scones that were waiting for them back home were the only things that made the walk bearable!
Result...I think.
When our oldest was born, almost thirteen years ago now, we carried on the tradition for a bit. While it was still possible to transport her in a front or back carrier, she came with us. But then she became too heavy. Once she could toddle by herself, there was no way she had the stamina to do long country walks. And then we had a second baby.
So, you get the picture. No more walks.
A decade later, now that the kids are grown and perfectly capable of walking, we occasionally try to do a family walk. But it's always a struggle. The problem is lack of inclination on their part. They moan about the car journey to get to the walk's starting point, the exertion, the mud, the cows...and, surprise, surprise, a walk suddenly becomes much less appealing.
Last weekend I made scones. We went out on a walk with the promise of returning to a home-baked cream tea, and that made quite a difference. The kids barely complained once. However, they did, from time to time, start chanting 'stile, scones; stile, scones'. Apparently the several stiles that they had to climb coupled with the scones that were waiting for them back home were the only things that made the walk bearable!
Result...I think.
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