Instead of ending up at our usual haunts of local parks we decided to try somewhere different, and headed for Coombe Abbey Country Park. It was a bit further in the car than we usually go, but a change of scenery was called for. We packed a picnic and the football and headed out for our adventure.
It was quite windy, and we got a bit buffeted about as we ate our sandwiches and chicken drumsticks, but just to be outdoors with a bit of sunshine smiling down was so good for the soul after what has felt like a long winter of grey skies.
M explored the playground after we'd eaten, and there was a horrible moment when he fell 6ft off a climbing frame, and, because I was looking after F, there was nothing I could do but watch from a distance as the inevitable happened. Fortunately, there was no damage done, but both M and I were quite shaken up. I felt like I'd let him down because I wasn't there to catch him. My wobbly legs eventually returned to normal and an ice cream mollified M's tears (and smeared his whole face!), and we set off to explore the rest of the park.
There were some of the tallest trees I'd seen for a while in the park, and lots of nooks and crannies to play hide and seek behind. Daddy even climbed a tree when it was his turn to hide - his inner 12 year old boy coming to the surface I think!
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| Got the focus wrong here: it would've been a lovely photo |
We kicked and threw the football, collecting dirt and grass stains galore, and just had such fun together messing around.
It really did us all good to get out into such a lovely natural playground and spend a couple of hours exploring. I want to find some more lovely places like this to visit this year, and make the most of our weekends. Coombe Abbey has been put onto my wish list of places I'd like to stay some day when F is a bit older, and we're able to leave him overnight.
What a beautiful post. Parenting is always throwing things at us, that fall sounds so nasty but look how quick he bounced back, children are designed to withstand these things so much better than us adults. I think it is how they find their limits and learn, it sounds like you were more shaken than him and the day soon resumed with the fall all forgotten. Lovely photos of a happy family day and I'm all for all year round picnics. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fiona - I was very shaken, more from thinking what might have happened if he'd landed on his head. It was great that we were able to pick up the day where we left off after the comfort of the ice cream! x
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