Thursday photo #193

What a pleasantly uneventful week. Since the children went back to school, I have unintentionally taken my foot off the pedal with work. Or rather, I haven’t really put it back on again after the Christmas break. And do you know what? It’s brilliant.

Winter cycling

Saturday used to be when I’d catch up on work and everyone else went out for the day. But this weekend, there was nothing that couldn’t wait. So, we all headed to our favourite place, National Trust Croome. It was the first time Libby had seen the new tree house art installation, and both girls loved playing in there.

They also took their bikes. It’s easy to stop bike riding over the Winter. Everywhere is muddy, their hands get cold and they end up filthy. Even the thought of the washing puts me off a bit. But inevitably, when we get out there it’s brilliant fun.

The girls went bombing off on their bikes as always. Whizzing down hills, falling off in the mud and getting back on again. By the end of the day we all felt so much better for having blown away the cobwebs. And more importantly, the girls kept up with their cycling. With Libby having only recently mastered the brakes properly and Lia only having learnt to ride a bike in September, it’s important that they don’t get out of the habit.

Croome is the perfect place to walk and cycle because when we started to get chilly, we were able to stop and warm up with hot drinks and cake.

Flying a kite

On Tuesday it was quite windy, so I decided to take Lia to fly a kite while we were waiting for Libby to finish school. It was the perfect way to get some fresh air and Lia was really excited about it. So, we headed for a muddy field with the kite. Within a few minutes, I’d pieced it together and it was up in the air.

Unlike myself and my husband, Lia seems to naturally be able to fly a kite with very little effort. There was no running around, no dramatic crashes and no getting tangled up in trees. Lia held the handle, I threw the kite in the air and she flew it successfully. That was until she decided she didn’t like it. It was too high, she wanted it to come down. She was worried it was going to take her with it and fly away.

Our kite flying afternoon didn’t last long, Lia was happier heading back to the car to read a book while we waited for Libby. Perhaps it’s not her vocation after all.

Our Thursday photo #193

This week’s Thursday photo was of course taken in beautiful Croome. The girls LOVE the photo because they were both pulling the same face, despite not having discussed the face they were going to pull. I’m not quite sure why this is so exciting, but apparently for a three year old and a five year old, it is the best thing ever.