At One With Nature

Ahh, nothing like a nice, relaxing family walk.  Well, I imagine there’s nothing like it but I wouldn’t know, because we don’t have them.

Yesterday we thought, it’s beautiful sunshine and the dog needs a walk, so we’ll go for a leisurely stroll together.  It was certainly ‘leisurely’ because every three steps we had to stop to attend to grazed knees, stones in sandals, dropped hats, snotty noses, tired legs, to resolve arguments, repeat what the order of the day was going to be (lunch, sleep, playing in the paddling pool) and to throw one reluctant puppy in the water to cool off and then wait with baited breath to see if she remembered how to swim.  (She did, thankfully).

God loves a trier so this morning I’ve taken the two little ones and the puppy for a walk after the school run; the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting and the breeze was gently ruffling the leaves…until we arrived.  Then the tranquillity was destroyed by a frustrated toddler trying to get out of his pram, an overexcited puppy barking and sniffing the bits of any other dog he saw, a screaming, crying, repetitive three year old, and a screeching fishwife.

I do so enjoy being at one with nature, don’t you? 🙂