Thursday photo #333

This week I’ve had a brilliant time doing lots of things I should have said no to. It was already quite busy and I do tend to get overwhelmed when there’s loads going on. But I said yes to meeting friends for walking and swimming adventures. Partly because there’s a good chance I won’t be able to meet people in a few weeks time. Mainly because the colder the water gets, the more addicted I am to getting in it.

Outdoor adventures

I’ve been hearing about Carding Mill Valley for years from friends. Mainly due to its beautiful little reservoir that is so popular with outdoor swimmers. But it’s just a little too far for me to venture over there just for a swim. So when I was looking for somewhere to meet a friend for a walk that was roughly halfway between us, it was a great opportunity to explore Carding Mill.

As soon as I arrived, I wished I’d gone sooner. The first thing I noticed was the stunning landscape. My friend referred to it as being like something out of the Neverending Story. The next thing that caught my attention was the wild ponies wandering free on the hillside. I immediately made up my mind to go back there with the children soon.

I couldn’t resist a quick swim in the reservoir, it’s always great to swim somewhere new. In fact, it wasn’t the only new place I swam in this week, we tried out another spot on the Avon too. But it was my trusty regular swim spot that really inspired me. A sunrise autumn equinox swim wasn’t on the agenda at all until it was suggested on Monday. Sure enough by 6.30 am Tuesday, I was ready to watch the sunrise while swimming in the river Avon. It was worth the early start.

Litter picking

I work with Mindful Chef quite regularly and also buy their frozen meals for busy days with the children. So when they asked us to take part in their coastal clean up, we were delighted to help. We don’t live near the coast but they were happy for people to head to a local park or open space to do the clean up instead. The girls are always keen to pick up litter so it was great to be provided with everything we needed to get stuck in.

We chose to clean up on our beautiful Malvern Hills. I was quite heartened to see that there wasn’t actually loads of litter about where we went. We still picked up quite a bit though. I think it’s an important thing for children to do. Whilst they would never drop it, picking up litter is an easy thing to do that is helpful for both the local community and the wider environment.

Thursday photo #333

I took a photo of the girls litter picking. They saw the whole thing as a real adventure and particularly enjoyed climbing up and down steep slopes to grab bits of litter that they’d spotted.