We got back from a week at Center Parcs on Friday with my sister and her husband! It is a bit like a holiday in a bubble - we were on sight the whole time, but it is just fabulous! All of us really enjoyed ourselves :) One of the first things we saw on our arrival was a bunny hopping around in the forest behind the chalet :) And the the next morning we opened the back door, watching a little red squirrel in the surrounding trees, and he came in! We couldn't believe how tame he was!
It rained all week (we were literally just up the road from all the major floods), and the air felt so fresh whenever we were walking through the forest to and from the chalet :) We spent most of the time swimming so we were wet through regardless!! There was a good little covered area by the lake where we stood on the decking, sheltered from the pouring rain, and fed the hungry ducks who I think had been relatively starved due to people generally shuffling past at a quick pace under their umbrellas, not slowing to give them the attention they're probably used to!
We met some real reindeer down by Santa's Grotto on Wednesday, though they were upstaged by the ponies as far as Isaiah was concerned, and he got to have a ride on one :) We didn't indulge in the grotto but Isaiah did fluke a sneaky peak through the back entrance where he caught a glimpse of Mrs Claus and one of the elves!.. On being asked which pony he wanted to go on he, as easily the smallest rider, picked by far the biggest pony; apparently its size would qualify it as a horse! - he doesn't do things by halves! He hung around watching the ponies standing in the rain for ages after dismounting - he found them fascinating; the staff were running out of things to say to us! He also spent an extended period of time getting a close up look at the shire horses and their big hooves and horse shoes while they were resting between carriage rides.
There was also an excellent adventure playground made up of various wooden walkways, rope bridges and the like, plus a zip wire and swings. We all had loads of fun there too, in our wellies! It must have seemed huge from Isaiah's level; he loved exploring it! I took Jeremy on the zip wire in the sling! He didn't complain though I'm not sure he knew what was going on as his Uncle David pointed out his little hat had slipped over his eyes after I got off!
You have to pay extra for a lot of the stuff at Center Parcs but as you can see we have the most fun doing the free stuff! We never got round to using the log burning fire though becuase the heating was too efficient..maybe next time!
Sunday 22 November 2009
Sunday 1 November 2009
Hale Beach, Sudley House..
Oh dear, I need to try and keep up with this blogging thing, or at least remember I have one!! Time runs away from me and it would seem weeks have now passed since my last post! There has been a trip to Cornwall in that time though so I shall cut myself some slack..
Anyway, I digress..
Isaiah and I went for a walk down the country lane, looking at the farmers fields on either side, to Hale Beach recently. I followed his lead and therefore didn't get to the waters edge but spent all our time at the beach exploring round the rocks which are beautifully smooth and weathered by the water, if that's possible..! He had fun with an old rusty barrel which he climbed on top of and pretended was a drum. He also discovered what a kissing gate is and used it repeatedly thereafter! Jeremy slept in the sling and enjoyed the fresh air on his face and new things to look at when he woke up :) The 10 minute walk back took about an hour because we were going at snails pace until a passer by used the phrase 'a hop, skip and jump and you'll be there!', which was a godsend because I was secretly starting to lose the will to live and this sprang Isaiah into enthusiasm so we hop, skipped and jumped the rest of the way, from stone to stone, puddle to puddle, etc!
This week we visited Sudley House for the first time and ended up spending the entire day there - we arrived before they had opened and left as they were locking up! It is one of the Liverpool museums so free entry and is really closeby so I don't know how we've managed not to really know about it fully til now!
The gardens have some fabulous low trees in them ideal for small people to have a go at climbing, and there's a lovely veranda at the back of the house overlooking the gardens (now Sudley Park playing field) and River Mersey to Birkenhead. We had a picnic lunch on the veranda and a clamber on the wall and stones. I wouldn't massively recommend he cafe, though isaiah found it very exiting and as we walked up the hallway away from it he stopped a passer by in her tracks, saying "Do you know what's down there? ..A CAFE!!!!!!!"
The inside of the house was great too; really child-friendly and the staff were exceptionally friendly as well! Isaiah pulled up a chair to stand on to get a really good look at a model ship in the library room, and he studied it for ages, twice (after going round once we went round again)! He also had a good look at some of the artwork on the walls, especially the piece of Jesus as a young boy. All three of us had an extended play/reading time in the childrens rooms which exhibit genuine childrens toys from the day as well as modern ones to play with. Jeremy, of course, sat on the mat and mainly just slobbered on the toys, but he was loving getting his hands on them all :)
Anyway, I digress..
Isaiah and I went for a walk down the country lane, looking at the farmers fields on either side, to Hale Beach recently. I followed his lead and therefore didn't get to the waters edge but spent all our time at the beach exploring round the rocks which are beautifully smooth and weathered by the water, if that's possible..! He had fun with an old rusty barrel which he climbed on top of and pretended was a drum. He also discovered what a kissing gate is and used it repeatedly thereafter! Jeremy slept in the sling and enjoyed the fresh air on his face and new things to look at when he woke up :) The 10 minute walk back took about an hour because we were going at snails pace until a passer by used the phrase 'a hop, skip and jump and you'll be there!', which was a godsend because I was secretly starting to lose the will to live and this sprang Isaiah into enthusiasm so we hop, skipped and jumped the rest of the way, from stone to stone, puddle to puddle, etc!
This week we visited Sudley House for the first time and ended up spending the entire day there - we arrived before they had opened and left as they were locking up! It is one of the Liverpool museums so free entry and is really closeby so I don't know how we've managed not to really know about it fully til now!
The gardens have some fabulous low trees in them ideal for small people to have a go at climbing, and there's a lovely veranda at the back of the house overlooking the gardens (now Sudley Park playing field) and River Mersey to Birkenhead. We had a picnic lunch on the veranda and a clamber on the wall and stones. I wouldn't massively recommend he cafe, though isaiah found it very exiting and as we walked up the hallway away from it he stopped a passer by in her tracks, saying "Do you know what's down there? ..A CAFE!!!!!!!"
The inside of the house was great too; really child-friendly and the staff were exceptionally friendly as well! Isaiah pulled up a chair to stand on to get a really good look at a model ship in the library room, and he studied it for ages, twice (after going round once we went round again)! He also had a good look at some of the artwork on the walls, especially the piece of Jesus as a young boy. All three of us had an extended play/reading time in the childrens rooms which exhibit genuine childrens toys from the day as well as modern ones to play with. Jeremy, of course, sat on the mat and mainly just slobbered on the toys, but he was loving getting his hands on them all :)
Saturday 10 October 2009
Garston Adventure Playground
We made our first visit to 'GAP' this week after a number of attempts over the last few months, all of which failed due to napping.. Anyway, that seems to be becoming a thing of the past for Isaiah and so we are not usually bound by related time constraints at the moment as Jeremy will sleep anywhere at this stage :)
The visit was arranged by the Merseyside home educators network and all credit to them for this fabulous find! We hire the whole place so get it all to ourselves. I never knew it was there, tucked away between the railway line and Garston library. There's also an indoor area with hockey hall and softplay but we didn't venture in there as we prefer the outdoors whenever possible, plus it was a lovely day that we wanted to make the most of with it being October!
We made a grand entrance down the steep slide, which is set into the earth down the hill into the lower area of the two-level playground where there are various wooden climbing apparatas and a crocodile made from a painted fallen tree! There's also a tunnel cut into a natural earth mound.. So, generally a fun space to explore :) Isaiah enjoyed himself on the hammock and playing in the outdoor sandpit, and we went home with the inevtably acquired stick :)
We also had a lovley time back at Greenbank Park this week, among other things. Isaiah and his little friend had a good run around the walled garden, looking for fish in the pond and posting pebbels in the postbox (I'm not sure if I should allow that but I don't really see the harm!?!)..
The visit was arranged by the Merseyside home educators network and all credit to them for this fabulous find! We hire the whole place so get it all to ourselves. I never knew it was there, tucked away between the railway line and Garston library. There's also an indoor area with hockey hall and softplay but we didn't venture in there as we prefer the outdoors whenever possible, plus it was a lovely day that we wanted to make the most of with it being October!
We made a grand entrance down the steep slide, which is set into the earth down the hill into the lower area of the two-level playground where there are various wooden climbing apparatas and a crocodile made from a painted fallen tree! There's also a tunnel cut into a natural earth mound.. So, generally a fun space to explore :) Isaiah enjoyed himself on the hammock and playing in the outdoor sandpit, and we went home with the inevtably acquired stick :)
We also had a lovley time back at Greenbank Park this week, among other things. Isaiah and his little friend had a good run around the walled garden, looking for fish in the pond and posting pebbels in the postbox (I'm not sure if I should allow that but I don't really see the harm!?!)..
Thursday 1 October 2009
Speke Hall and Crosby Beach
We had a lovely day at the National Trust's Speke Hall yesterday with my parents. The weather was lovely so Isaiah played in the little adventure playground there for an extended period of time, twice, and rode his bike around the gardens inbetween :) He found a fallen apple and had a couple of bites but it was pretty bruised so the rest got shunned. There were loads of Yew trees and my dad informed me their berries are poisonous. I recognised them as the ones mentioned in a previous post that Isaiah and Davey tried to eat, so it's a good job we stopped them!
Isaiah went exploring off the beaten track with Grandpa, in the trees and bushes, and we spotted a member of staff in Tudor costume, who was amusing to see wandering around the grounds - adorning tights and a feather hat (among other things, needless to say)!
Crosby Beach was fun today. The babies didn't love it (we were with friends) - I spent my time sheltering Jeremy from the wind - but they ended up sleeping much of the time - I guess the sea air must have taken it out of them! The kids had a great time though! To my surprise they didn't venture toward the sea at all despite my carrying wellies and change of clothes etc, but they spent ages collecting wood and shells, playing with the sand and on the rocks. Isaiah upturned the two buckets our friends had brought and lay the plank of wood across them that he'd found, then proudly declared "We've made a bench!" They then proceeded to decorate it with the shells they'd collected. We had a picnic and later on the three of them disappeared over to the rocks and it transpired they were 'filling a hole with sand so that people wouldn't fall in it'! It turned out to be a pretty big hole; they were there for at least an hour!
We then made the treck back past the marina to the car and Isaiah slid his hand along the fence most of the way, stopping at an area of decking to listen to the water sloshing up against the rocks. He walked a considerable distance quite happily :) I'm glad we managed a trip to the beach before the weather gets too wintery, not that that will necessarily put us off but it may!
Isaiah went exploring off the beaten track with Grandpa, in the trees and bushes, and we spotted a member of staff in Tudor costume, who was amusing to see wandering around the grounds - adorning tights and a feather hat (among other things, needless to say)!
Crosby Beach was fun today. The babies didn't love it (we were with friends) - I spent my time sheltering Jeremy from the wind - but they ended up sleeping much of the time - I guess the sea air must have taken it out of them! The kids had a great time though! To my surprise they didn't venture toward the sea at all despite my carrying wellies and change of clothes etc, but they spent ages collecting wood and shells, playing with the sand and on the rocks. Isaiah upturned the two buckets our friends had brought and lay the plank of wood across them that he'd found, then proudly declared "We've made a bench!" They then proceeded to decorate it with the shells they'd collected. We had a picnic and later on the three of them disappeared over to the rocks and it transpired they were 'filling a hole with sand so that people wouldn't fall in it'! It turned out to be a pretty big hole; they were there for at least an hour!
We then made the treck back past the marina to the car and Isaiah slid his hand along the fence most of the way, stopping at an area of decking to listen to the water sloshing up against the rocks. He walked a considerable distance quite happily :) I'm glad we managed a trip to the beach before the weather gets too wintery, not that that will necessarily put us off but it may!
Saturday 26 September 2009
Yew Tree Farm and horses in the park!
Our usual weekly pattern tends to include a trip to Yew Tree Farm shop on a Thursday, with more of an emphasis on lingering around the animals than on the actual shop :) When we first arrived this week, Isaiah had fun running up and down the mound of stones in the car park, being king of the castle and watching the ducks from up high while I fed Jeremy. He didn't find the sheep very interesting this time, and the hens were nowhere to be seen as has been the case for the last year or so (!), so he then ran round to the donkeys, with me in hot pursuit clutching Jeremy! We watched and interracted with the donkeys for a good 45 minutes; they were quite sociable with us and Jeremy was at just the right height for a good look at them, facing out in the sling - he was fixated!
Isaiah was a bit unsure when one of them cranked up a reel of really loud "EYORE"s, but was enjoying it by the end of the rendition! We observed the younger, darker one having some 'mummy milk', which came to a prompt close when the mum had obviously had enough of him there and bit him on the head! Then he lay down and rolled around on the ground and a little goat came bounding up bleeting hello to us :) The last couple of times we've been we've been able to go in the sheds and have a look at the baby turkeys growing for Christmas.. but they weren't there to see this week. When we first saw them and I explained to Isaiah why they were there he said, "but they probably don't want to be eaten".. I had to agree!
We've also been back to Calderstones again a couple of times since my last post. The most noteworthy discovery of these visits is definitely that there is a field of horses there that I never knew about! I'm really surprised it doesn't seem to be common knowledge! It is kind of tucked away but very accessible. We had a lovely hour or so sitting right up next to them just on the other side of the fence. There were two white horses just grazing, so peacefully. It felt really special sharing the space with them and just quietly watching them be, with noone else around. Isaiah wanted to climb through and join them but was thankfully content not to! We visited the stables afterwards too :)
Isaiah was a bit unsure when one of them cranked up a reel of really loud "EYORE"s, but was enjoying it by the end of the rendition! We observed the younger, darker one having some 'mummy milk', which came to a prompt close when the mum had obviously had enough of him there and bit him on the head! Then he lay down and rolled around on the ground and a little goat came bounding up bleeting hello to us :) The last couple of times we've been we've been able to go in the sheds and have a look at the baby turkeys growing for Christmas.. but they weren't there to see this week. When we first saw them and I explained to Isaiah why they were there he said, "but they probably don't want to be eaten".. I had to agree!
We've also been back to Calderstones again a couple of times since my last post. The most noteworthy discovery of these visits is definitely that there is a field of horses there that I never knew about! I'm really surprised it doesn't seem to be common knowledge! It is kind of tucked away but very accessible. We had a lovely hour or so sitting right up next to them just on the other side of the fence. There were two white horses just grazing, so peacefully. It felt really special sharing the space with them and just quietly watching them be, with noone else around. Isaiah wanted to climb through and join them but was thankfully content not to! We visited the stables afterwards too :)
Friday 18 September 2009
Caldies and more
We've been out and about a fair bit lately, as per, but I don't always get time to write about it! We had fun at Long Lane playing fields yesterday, running to and spinning round goal posts, picking the last blackberries of the season, rolling on the grass and picnic-ing (sp?!) in the bushes :)
Today we were back at Calderstones for most of the day. We didn't get far due to stopping to investigate under trees, in big bushes and over logs :) We played hide and seek round a big fallen tree, kicked dry leaves at each other under a holly tree, and pretended the inside of a bush was our house; it had windows and everything (clearings in the leaves)! Isaiah said "Can we stay here all day mummy?", and we basically did :)
We also found some fabulous sticks amongst some other bushes, and proceeded to have a pretend sword fight :) We were even lucky enough to chase a very pretty black, white and orange butterfly, which kept landing right in front of us and let us walk right up to it :) We met a dog called Millie who we stroked and, in a very excited manner, Isaiah said "I've never met Millie the Dog before"!
There was a lovely evergreen covered in juicy-looking red berries, and upon closer inspection, Isaiah declared, "Me and Davey ate these!", which they did indeed attempt to - until Davey's dad and I intervened! That was about a month ago - I was impressed he remembered the exact berries!
The weather was gorgeous and I was really tired after having both of them up in the night a fair bit but when we get out into nature all our spirits lift!
Today we were back at Calderstones for most of the day. We didn't get far due to stopping to investigate under trees, in big bushes and over logs :) We played hide and seek round a big fallen tree, kicked dry leaves at each other under a holly tree, and pretended the inside of a bush was our house; it had windows and everything (clearings in the leaves)! Isaiah said "Can we stay here all day mummy?", and we basically did :)
We also found some fabulous sticks amongst some other bushes, and proceeded to have a pretend sword fight :) We were even lucky enough to chase a very pretty black, white and orange butterfly, which kept landing right in front of us and let us walk right up to it :) We met a dog called Millie who we stroked and, in a very excited manner, Isaiah said "I've never met Millie the Dog before"!
There was a lovely evergreen covered in juicy-looking red berries, and upon closer inspection, Isaiah declared, "Me and Davey ate these!", which they did indeed attempt to - until Davey's dad and I intervened! That was about a month ago - I was impressed he remembered the exact berries!
The weather was gorgeous and I was really tired after having both of them up in the night a fair bit but when we get out into nature all our spirits lift!
Sunday 13 September 2009
Sheffield
We made a much aniticipated trip to my parents' today where, after a yummy bbq in their garden, we spent the afternoon at Forge Damn. They're right on the edge of the Peak District and this park joins a residential area with the countryside so is easily accessible but totally authentic without the man-made feel of some self-contained city parks. Isaiah had loads of fun running alongside the river, getting right up close to the waterfall, feeding the ducks, and exploring off the beaten track - playing in the woodland on bouncy fallen trees with Grandpa :) The air felt so fresh; I'd love to live somewhere like this, though it's apparently the third most expensive ward outside London!!
Saturday 12 September 2009
Church Farm
We got a pack of yoghurts recently because I had heard they had vouchers in for this place, so we went today and got a discount on entry :) It was a beautiful not-a-cloud-in-the-sky type day so ideal for looking at the animals and playing in the adventure play area. Isaiah, however, chose instead to spend most of the time in the indoor sandpit and ride-on diggers area! He was also very enthusiastic about the tractor ride and hen house - both also under cover! He did have lots of fun in the adventure play area too, to be fair :) Oh, and he found the highland cows fascinating and stood watching them for a good 20 minutes. They came right up to us and Josh asked him if he thought the cow would say 'moo', to which isaiah replied "They're not cows, daddy, they're highland cows; you got it wrong didn't you"!
Jeremy squeeled with glee (a new sound he's discovered) at sitting in the sandpit too; I undid his dungarees so he could really experience the texture, and I poured the sand on his feet, legs and hands; he relished the new sensation and 'grabbing' the sand himself :) I even managed to let go of him for a while, though I was right next to him obviously - he sat up for the first time yesterday, leaning all the way forward, for a few seconds!
My favourite part of the day was egg collecting in the hen house! We got to go right in and Isaiah found some of the freshly-laid eggs and put them in the farmer's egg box! It's just fab for him to see where they come from and be involved in the process; I love it! In addition, I learnt that hens eat their eggs!
The view over the estuary to Wales was lovely as well :) I highly recommend the place; nice and low key too :)
Jeremy squeeled with glee (a new sound he's discovered) at sitting in the sandpit too; I undid his dungarees so he could really experience the texture, and I poured the sand on his feet, legs and hands; he relished the new sensation and 'grabbing' the sand himself :) I even managed to let go of him for a while, though I was right next to him obviously - he sat up for the first time yesterday, leaning all the way forward, for a few seconds!
My favourite part of the day was egg collecting in the hen house! We got to go right in and Isaiah found some of the freshly-laid eggs and put them in the farmer's egg box! It's just fab for him to see where they come from and be involved in the process; I love it! In addition, I learnt that hens eat their eggs!
The view over the estuary to Wales was lovely as well :) I highly recommend the place; nice and low key too :)
Thursday 10 September 2009
Sap
We were back at Acorn Farm today for a birthday. Had a lovely, sunny picnic in a sheltered spot under a tree which Jeremy gazed up at from my arms :) I glanced at the tree and noticed it was oozing with sap. Well, I know it was sap now anyway; it looked like melted glass if that makes any sense! It was amber in colour and appeared to be coming out any exit points it could find, such as the knots in the trunk. I've never noticed it before. From a very brief bit of research it seems that it only happens at certain times of year and contains nutrients, but I know nothing about it - where it comes from, why there's so much the trees literally overflow with the stuff..
Isaiah had loads of fun yelling at the pigs, "PIG!! ..PIG!! ..GO IN YOUR HOUSE, PIGGYYY!!!!"
When Josh got home Jeremy was looking with him intently at the pink flowers in the back garden (I can't remember what kind they are; I always get them mixed up with rhododendrons but I know that's not what they are)!
Isaiah had loads of fun yelling at the pigs, "PIG!! ..PIG!! ..GO IN YOUR HOUSE, PIGGYYY!!!!"
When Josh got home Jeremy was looking with him intently at the pink flowers in the back garden (I can't remember what kind they are; I always get them mixed up with rhododendrons but I know that's not what they are)!
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Growing knowledge
I saw a May tree today and knew what it was!
Also found out that there will be potatoes in my soil that need to be dug up. Apparently I need to dig quite deep for them. I don't know how to do that without damaging the surrounding ones.. I had expected them to come up attached to the plant like beetroots do.
Also found out that there will be potatoes in my soil that need to be dug up. Apparently I need to dig quite deep for them. I don't know how to do that without damaging the surrounding ones.. I had expected them to come up attached to the plant like beetroots do.
Monday 7 September 2009
St James' Gardens
When we found ourselves in town today with nothing to do I took the kids to the gardens in the grounds of the Anglican cathedral. We had a lovely time; they are set way down below the level of the cathedral itself as, I learnt today, they are actually an old quarry site (not for the cathedral's stones, which I think are from Woolton quarry, but for a number of other public buildings in Liverpool). It's a fairly steep incline down to them and part of the path is surrounded by a stone tunnel which gives it real character and an understated grand entrance, enchanted sort of feel. The kids had great fun running through the tunnel (we were with friends)!
After the quarry was levelled out it became the cathedral's graveyard and there are still lots of gravestones around it but it has plenty of open space too; it's quite sizeable. I noticed a tree that I didn't recognise; it had intertwining branches, and leaves that resembled those of oak but more delicate and with red berries. When I got home I looked it up with Isaiah and we discovered it was a May tree and that the berries must have just turned red as the book said the berries are green until early September!
Isaiah was delighted to find a concer while I was sitting on a bench feeding Jeremy. He seems to be a real kinesthetic learner, at this stage anyway, and once he'd had a good feel of it he popped it straight in his mouth for further exploration - not to eat it, just to enjoy its shape and texture further! He and his friend then took great pleasure in shouting into a cylindrical building in the middle of the gardens, listening to their voices echoing. Isaiah also took the opportunity for a good climb when he came across some stone walls :)
We spent some of the afternoon at home in the garden where I noticed one of the potato plants was flowering so Isaiah and I pulled it out for the reward of one very small salad potato! I wondered if some had been left behind, still in the soil, so Isaiah got his spade and we dug down a bit in search of any stray potatoes but accidentally cut into a growing potato from the neighbouring not-yet-flowering plant, so I decided to leave it be for fear of doing more damage. I wonder if there are some potatoes down there that didn't come up with the roots.. While we were doing this I lay Jeremy face-up on the grass and he went really quiet, looking up at the sky and enjoying the feel of the grass on his head and round his bare little feet!
As we played I noticed a hover fly by the fuscia, which appeared to be collecting pollen, but I thought it was just bees that did that - to make honey? Anyway, Isaiah explanied that hover flies collect pollen to make toast so that's that cleared up.
In addition we discovered a little green caterpillar in the garden, which Isaiah told me he was going to watch wrap itself in a cocoon and then turn into a big butterfly.. And when Josh got home from work they found a snail with a surprisingly smooth shell. Isaiah didn't want to hold it though he had been playing with the caterpillar for sometime (very gently!), but Josh had it on his hand and his palm was all slimey. That's not something I would voluntarily do but I'm glad Josh did because I wouldn't want Isaiah thinking such creatures a 'yucky'. I do hold worms but snails are a step further! I suppose I would if I really felt it would be beneficial! They also spotted an earwig in the trailer of Isaiah's bike which he manually relocated to its natural habitat. That's something Josh wouldn't touch - he has an irrational fear of them due to some film he saw with oversized earwigs or something!
There's a singed circle in the middle of our lawn where Josh and Isaiah built a little fire a while ago without thinking about such consequences.. Isaiah pointed out to Josh today, that he needs to plant some grass seed there so that it will grow grass like it did where they did so on another area about a year ago; some things really stick in his head!
After the quarry was levelled out it became the cathedral's graveyard and there are still lots of gravestones around it but it has plenty of open space too; it's quite sizeable. I noticed a tree that I didn't recognise; it had intertwining branches, and leaves that resembled those of oak but more delicate and with red berries. When I got home I looked it up with Isaiah and we discovered it was a May tree and that the berries must have just turned red as the book said the berries are green until early September!
Isaiah was delighted to find a concer while I was sitting on a bench feeding Jeremy. He seems to be a real kinesthetic learner, at this stage anyway, and once he'd had a good feel of it he popped it straight in his mouth for further exploration - not to eat it, just to enjoy its shape and texture further! He and his friend then took great pleasure in shouting into a cylindrical building in the middle of the gardens, listening to their voices echoing. Isaiah also took the opportunity for a good climb when he came across some stone walls :)
We spent some of the afternoon at home in the garden where I noticed one of the potato plants was flowering so Isaiah and I pulled it out for the reward of one very small salad potato! I wondered if some had been left behind, still in the soil, so Isaiah got his spade and we dug down a bit in search of any stray potatoes but accidentally cut into a growing potato from the neighbouring not-yet-flowering plant, so I decided to leave it be for fear of doing more damage. I wonder if there are some potatoes down there that didn't come up with the roots.. While we were doing this I lay Jeremy face-up on the grass and he went really quiet, looking up at the sky and enjoying the feel of the grass on his head and round his bare little feet!
As we played I noticed a hover fly by the fuscia, which appeared to be collecting pollen, but I thought it was just bees that did that - to make honey? Anyway, Isaiah explanied that hover flies collect pollen to make toast so that's that cleared up.
In addition we discovered a little green caterpillar in the garden, which Isaiah told me he was going to watch wrap itself in a cocoon and then turn into a big butterfly.. And when Josh got home from work they found a snail with a surprisingly smooth shell. Isaiah didn't want to hold it though he had been playing with the caterpillar for sometime (very gently!), but Josh had it on his hand and his palm was all slimey. That's not something I would voluntarily do but I'm glad Josh did because I wouldn't want Isaiah thinking such creatures a 'yucky'. I do hold worms but snails are a step further! I suppose I would if I really felt it would be beneficial! They also spotted an earwig in the trailer of Isaiah's bike which he manually relocated to its natural habitat. That's something Josh wouldn't touch - he has an irrational fear of them due to some film he saw with oversized earwigs or something!
There's a singed circle in the middle of our lawn where Josh and Isaiah built a little fire a while ago without thinking about such consequences.. Isaiah pointed out to Josh today, that he needs to plant some grass seed there so that it will grow grass like it did where they did so on another area about a year ago; some things really stick in his head!
Sunday 6 September 2009
Delamere
Delamere Forest has been like a second home to our family of late; over the past few weeks we've been at least six times! Today we met Josh's parents there for, what turned out to be, a rather wet walk round the lake, but this time we were prepared! The boys rode their bikes, though Isaiah was on and off his and ended up being carried by Josh on his bike for the last stretch as the walk proved a bit too long for his little legs.
Being in a forest we were surrounded by nature but a couple of notable aspects were a flock of geese honking and flying over the lake, Isaiah discovering the plant that I'm named after, and many a larch tree, which I can now recognise thanks to Josh's mum! The pine cones on them are quite delicate; I likened them to little wooden flowers! Apparently the larch is the only 'evergreen' that isn't actually evergreen - it sheds its needles in winter. Isaiah delighted in his finds of various pine cones and Grandma produced him with a brackon branch as an umbrella, the stem of which he proceeded to slide his hand up and down, pretending to open shut it! We mused over whether or not the lake is man-made as there are trees in it which must have started their lives without being covered in water. Josh's dad wondered if it has appeared as a result of subsidence from mining. Toward the end of the walk we happended upon the woodland area of musical instruments, which we have passed by on our last few visits so it was fun spending a bit of time in there sheltering from the rain and hitting them with our sticks to hear the sounds they make.
When we got back to the visitor centre it was all closed as is often the way (we always seem to be the last there!) but we sat in the picnic area watching the birds and avoiding the wasps, and managed to make an acceptable meal for Isaiah by throwing together a few bits and pieces we had between us. He was very hungry because we'd tried to feed him on the course of the walk but he had been far more interested in running into the woods and exploring :) Seeing the various birds around the forest really got me thinking it would be good to be able to name them all; I feel its a bit of an insult to Isaiah to refer to all but a few as 'birdy'! After all, he knows all kinds of different names for flowers, and Thomas the Tank Engine characters! I might take a little reference book next time..
Upon our return home Isaiah stopped in his tracks as he ventured from the car to the front door. He had spotted two slugs travelling across our path so close to one another that the back one's head was touching the front one's bottom; he found this fascinating and showed Josh who pointed out the white areas on the sides of their heads which they apparently breath through!
Being in a forest we were surrounded by nature but a couple of notable aspects were a flock of geese honking and flying over the lake, Isaiah discovering the plant that I'm named after, and many a larch tree, which I can now recognise thanks to Josh's mum! The pine cones on them are quite delicate; I likened them to little wooden flowers! Apparently the larch is the only 'evergreen' that isn't actually evergreen - it sheds its needles in winter. Isaiah delighted in his finds of various pine cones and Grandma produced him with a brackon branch as an umbrella, the stem of which he proceeded to slide his hand up and down, pretending to open shut it! We mused over whether or not the lake is man-made as there are trees in it which must have started their lives without being covered in water. Josh's dad wondered if it has appeared as a result of subsidence from mining. Toward the end of the walk we happended upon the woodland area of musical instruments, which we have passed by on our last few visits so it was fun spending a bit of time in there sheltering from the rain and hitting them with our sticks to hear the sounds they make.
When we got back to the visitor centre it was all closed as is often the way (we always seem to be the last there!) but we sat in the picnic area watching the birds and avoiding the wasps, and managed to make an acceptable meal for Isaiah by throwing together a few bits and pieces we had between us. He was very hungry because we'd tried to feed him on the course of the walk but he had been far more interested in running into the woods and exploring :) Seeing the various birds around the forest really got me thinking it would be good to be able to name them all; I feel its a bit of an insult to Isaiah to refer to all but a few as 'birdy'! After all, he knows all kinds of different names for flowers, and Thomas the Tank Engine characters! I might take a little reference book next time..
Upon our return home Isaiah stopped in his tracks as he ventured from the car to the front door. He had spotted two slugs travelling across our path so close to one another that the back one's head was touching the front one's bottom; he found this fascinating and showed Josh who pointed out the white areas on the sides of their heads which they apparently breath through!
Saturday 5 September 2009
Acorn Farm
The four of us headed out to Acorn Farm this morning. It's a fabulous place making interesting use of an otherwise industrial site; you would have no clue you are surrounded by factories and the like - it's a real gem! It was very quiet when we arrived, perhaps because of the threatening rain, which is never something to put us off! I think we may have been the first there actually.
We saw reeds reaching up out of the overgrown area by the car park, so deduced there must be a hidden area of water down there.. Along with the lack of commercialism, I love the hands-on nature of this place; after chasing the ducks Isaiah enjoyed sitting on some bales of hay and got to hold a baby rabit and guinee pig, and even milk a goat! He eagerly fed the goats and sheep straight from his hand, and was excited to find one of the cockrel's feathers on the floor while we were feeding them. Jeremy also got a stroke of the rabit (with a little help), and enjoyed watching the chickens mooching about! We had fun in the lovely play area and finished our visit with a little family picnic in the wooden play house!
We saw reeds reaching up out of the overgrown area by the car park, so deduced there must be a hidden area of water down there.. Along with the lack of commercialism, I love the hands-on nature of this place; after chasing the ducks Isaiah enjoyed sitting on some bales of hay and got to hold a baby rabit and guinee pig, and even milk a goat! He eagerly fed the goats and sheep straight from his hand, and was excited to find one of the cockrel's feathers on the floor while we were feeding them. Jeremy also got a stroke of the rabit (with a little help), and enjoyed watching the chickens mooching about! We had fun in the lovely play area and finished our visit with a little family picnic in the wooden play house!
Friday 4 September 2009
Greenbank
We had a lovely walk around Greenbank Park today with good friends. Despite the blustery weather, and threatening rain with lack of suitable attire, it was good to get out in the fresh air after a morning of action-packed indoor activity.
Isaiah collected a great number of sticks as per usual, including a full-on branch with leaves, which we pretended was an umbrella. It also proved to be good for hitting things (and people..) but ended up floating in the lake as he likes to throw specimens in the water from time to time and watch them sink or swim, even though he is then inevitably disappointed to (re)discover they are, more often than not, irretrievable!
As we walked around the lake my friend spotted a heron over the other side, so we watched that and attempted to get a closer look but our toddlers' general noisiness, including Isaiah's hollers of "HERON!!! COME HERE HERON!!" had quite the opposite effect of enticing it toward us! We did get a good look at it though, and watched it creeping along the edge of the jetty looking down into the water. We waited to see if it was going to catch something but it didn't while we were there.
In the walled garden Isaiah drank from the bird bath, much to my digust!, and rubbed lavender plants as we often do, smelling his fingers to get a good whiff of the pleasing aroma!
Thankfully the rain stayed off and it turned out lovely and sunny, all be it windy :)
Isaiah collected a great number of sticks as per usual, including a full-on branch with leaves, which we pretended was an umbrella. It also proved to be good for hitting things (and people..) but ended up floating in the lake as he likes to throw specimens in the water from time to time and watch them sink or swim, even though he is then inevitably disappointed to (re)discover they are, more often than not, irretrievable!
As we walked around the lake my friend spotted a heron over the other side, so we watched that and attempted to get a closer look but our toddlers' general noisiness, including Isaiah's hollers of "HERON!!! COME HERE HERON!!" had quite the opposite effect of enticing it toward us! We did get a good look at it though, and watched it creeping along the edge of the jetty looking down into the water. We waited to see if it was going to catch something but it didn't while we were there.
In the walled garden Isaiah drank from the bird bath, much to my digust!, and rubbed lavender plants as we often do, smelling his fingers to get a good whiff of the pleasing aroma!
Thankfully the rain stayed off and it turned out lovely and sunny, all be it windy :)
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Calderstones
Ooh, our nature journal starts here! We went to Calderstones Park today with Isaiah's bike and a picnic for him. It was raining on and off so we sheltered under the trees from time to time. As we did so we spotted a squirrel running along the wall behind Isaiah, and Isaiah was particularly excited to notice a 'smooth tree'. I think it's a birch but the trunk is a coppery-brown colour and very shiny - almost like it's been wrapped with tape. He ran over and stroked it, commenting that it doesn't have any bark, then I noticed it did have a layer of bark but just round the bottom of it..
He cycled through the field, having a couple of friendly encounters with dogs and their owners, then through the dog-free area, followed by the entrance to the walled garden, where we had his picnic.
Jeremy giggled with glee when I lay him face-up on a picnic table under the trees; he really enjoyed looking up through the leaves and branches!
When Josh got home from work he was excited to have seen 9 furry caterpillars on the driveway so Isaiah went out to see them too!
He cycled through the field, having a couple of friendly encounters with dogs and their owners, then through the dog-free area, followed by the entrance to the walled garden, where we had his picnic.
Jeremy giggled with glee when I lay him face-up on a picnic table under the trees; he really enjoyed looking up through the leaves and branches!
When Josh got home from work he was excited to have seen 9 furry caterpillars on the driveway so Isaiah went out to see them too!
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