We've been to Wales

We had a lot of this...

a fair bit of this...

Some more of this...

Some digging (let's not mention the dog in the garden at this point!).

Lots of splashing...

Some storming of the ramparts...

Some more of this...

A few views like this (this was 30 seconds walk from the cottage)

And these at regular intervals (and buses and vans and other wheeled things!)

A good time was had by all!

I Swing. And other park adventures.

As part of the regeneration of the local park they're chopping down some trees and making others safe (ie chopping off loads of branches). The upshot of this is mounds of earth and wood chippings appearing in the park as if we've had an attack of very large moles. It's hard to show how steep this pile of earth is but Isaac had great fun climbing it and then running down it before sitting and digging in it. Matthew said Finny was digging in it this morning too. 

We were having so much fun (well I say we, Isaac was having the fun, we were watching) on the way home from shopping that Matthew went and got the bear for a bonus walk. 

Isaac decided to head off to the play park though which dogs aren't allowed in so we didn't spend long as a family group.

I've been reading this week about how swinging (along with lots of other outdoor playing activities) helps the brain develop. I'm glad that's true but when it comes down to it it's also plain fun! Isaac said "I swing" at one point today and he takes obvious delight in it.

As do I!

Old Fashioned (and cheap) Fun.

Take one old sheet (free from Freecycle as it happens) and allow child to play at length. If you can put the sheet over something tall (like a parent) then this is even more fun but I didn't have my camera at that point.

The dog got involved too...

Take one large cardboard box and leave it on the floor whilst you sort the washing out. 

Put a towel on the floor, draw the stool up to the sink and then go about cooking dinner. 

I'm hoping with a bit of practice that he'll do real washing up soon ;~)

Playing.

I've spent most of the day seeing this view of Isaac. The boy loves running!

And running...

And spinning.

And erm I'm not entirely sure what he thinks he's doing here but he's been putting his head in the sand a lot today, maybe he's being an ostrich.

The dog had fun destroying a ball this evening.

I think I need to take more care of my hands... 

Self-portraits.

Isaac's been watching me setting up the camera to take pictures of what I'm wearing or to show slings where I set up the self-timer and then sit the camera on something. Several times this afternoon he took the camera off me and put it down on the lid of the sandpit and then either walked away in shot to wait for it to do something or at other times he just stood in front of it and pressed the shutter. I suspect it won't be long before he works out how to set the self-timer!

Garden.

It's been lovely weather in the last few days, although windy, and the garden is beginning to get some colour.

I love alliums. There's something magical about these clusters of little stars that's so pretty and yet so yet they're so structural. I had a few in the garden before it was redone and this one has survived and has popped up and looks gorgeous. 

Peonies are one of my favourite flowers and we inherited one in the garden. It's a blowsy pink and late flowering. It usually manages to be at its best when we go away in May and this year looks like its on course again to be in full bloom next week!

The new plants are beginning to get established and some are even starting to flower.

And the bulbs that I planted in pots are beginning to fade.