Got some catching up to do! Sorry about the blogging silence – have had a super busy few weeks with work and lots of choir projects (performing and recording in Swedish no less!).
But we have squeezed in some outdoor fun with the children amongst all that! Over the February half term break, we spent some time with my parents up in Northamptonshire. The children had a mini-break by themselves for a couple of nights for the first time, leaving Matt and I alone in London for the first time in years. What a treat! We saw movies, went out for dinner in the city and had a sneaky lie in (well, till 8am – but that’s heavenly!).
Despite the luxury of some grown-up time together, we couldn’t wait to get back to the kids for a weekend in the countryside. With the weather dry and milder, we decided to explore the area surrounding my parents village of Greens Norton. Before having kids, Matt and I loved hiking, but so far we’ve struggled to get Alex and Sophie to walk for a particularly long time without much whining and complaining. But this weekend, we finally managed to get in a lovely long walk, spending over two hours roaming through fields together.
Alex found plenty to clamber on, and loved all the stiles we had to cross as we passed through the fields.
Sophie clearly loved the cute bridge we had to cross during the walk – we had a good look for trolls and attempted a game of pooh sticks in the very small, slow stream!
The highlight of the walk for the kids was how close they got to the local sheep! They were pretty excited just to be in the same field as a flock:
But a couple of fields later, met a very inquisitive group of sheep who seemed as interested in the children as they were in them!
As the sun started to set, we did struggle to persuade the kids to move on!
As the sun grew lower in the sky, it broke through the clouds and revealed the most beautiful golden light. We loved watching our shadows grow as we continued on.
As we followed the small lanes back to the village, there was plenty of scope for lots of splashing!
Nearing the village, we passed through pretty Pocket Park, a peaceful area featuring loads of snow drops and ponds.
I was so proud of my pair – they loved exploring in the fresh air. It may be time to get them some proper walking shoes at last!
Diary of a Herne Hill mum 
Fresh air, sticks and muddy boots! Al the essentials for a great day out. Thanks for sharing with #CountryKids
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I feel like you are turning a corner with the children and entering a new era. Time to yourselves and then family time in the country where they can run ahead, not whinge they are tired and be good company for you. It is a lovely life stage, enjoy it all and yes walking boots sound like a plan.
Thank you for sharing your fun with me on #CountryKids
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I’d love N to go on a walk and not moan, but then I’m not that big a fan of just walking through fields. Shame, because there’s plenty of our own to walk on. Looks like it was a lovely walk and that light was gorgeous #countrykids
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This looks like a nice place to walk, the park looks so pretty with all those snowdrops.
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Looks like a beautiful hike that you all enjoyed. It can be so hard to walk when they get a whinge going!! Glad they had fun #countrykidsfun
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What a beautiful place – lovely to get out of London for a bit I bet. Used to live not far from Herne Hill and used to crave weekends away. Thanks for sharing #countrykids
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What a lovely walk and so glad that Alex and Sophie enjoyed it so much. I love Sophie’s face on the bridge. The light in the late afternoon shots is just gorgeous and those snowdrops look so pretty 🙂 #countrykids
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