Ooh, I love a fire and it was just what I needed on Thursday.
I
love the holidays when doing fun things with the kids, but I hate
trying to fit in the boring chores that still need to be done. The kids
rooms need a good clear out and I would love to give them a fresh coat
of paint before they go back to school too.
So
Thursday morning, we spent the morning tidying. I gave them a time
limit and said we would just spend a few hours and then go out to play,
as I don’t want whole days to be wasted with chores.
While
I am on top of them with tidying, they are fine, popping the toys into
the correct box, picking up all those bits of lego, they sorted out toys
for charity and a car boot sale too. I had to rescue my Indigo RainBow
Brite Doll (1983) as they wanted to give her away!
But
once, I’m in another room or fixing lunch for them, they get distracted
and start playing with the newly found toys and nothing seems to be
done.
I sent them downstairs so I could vac our newly
found carpet! I come downstairs to find the older three kids vegged
out in front of the tele while Izzy was running around the room pulling
everything out- books, DVD’s, baby toys, clothes that had beeen folded
neatly to bring upstairs.
It’s always the same, as I
tidy one part another part is getting messy. I felt disheartened and
nearly sat down in tears, but work needed to be done. I turned the tele
off and got the big kids to help fix the living room.
We needed to get out!
We walked down to Castle Pill Woods again for the camp fire we had promised the children after our BBQ last time.
We set the kids the task of finding sticks and then lit the fire.
With this task done, the kids went to play on the tree swing. We looked back to the shelter and saw this view!
It always looks beautiful, but even more so with smoke coming through the roof. It gives the shelter energy and brings it to life.
The boys went to play in their den, while the girls continued “working”, fetching more sticks.
We’ll have to bring a basket next time!
They enjoyed laying and finding sticks.
We popped some dinner on the fire for them. We could warm some soup or curry as Autumn and Winter approach.
Later, they toasted marshmallows again. These will turn into Chesnuts as the dark nights draw in too.
(Have I made you start singing, “Chesnuts roasting on a an open fire..,” yet?).
After dinner, there was more playing. The kids have free rein from the swing, to the camp, and up to a little bay of water.
Caitlyn and Izzy are best of friends at the moment. They are always to be heard giggling heartily together. As I write this baby Izzy is tickling her older sister’s back and cuddling her head against her. Izzy is chatting all the time in her own way, but she understands absolutely everything we say.
I love how Izzy gets so excited when she spots Caitlyn.
She ran up to her so quickly that she nearly fell over! Luckily there was another save from an older sister. When Makala and I walked her down to the water, she kept her legs up the whole time, so was swung there, rather than walking! She normally likes to do, “One, two, three, whee!”, but this was, “Whee!” all the way!
The kids took turns to tend the fire.
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| Photo: Makala Doughty |
Izzy was really good by the fire again. It may have been the lure of all the food that kept her on the bench rather than by the fire!
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| Photo by Makala Doughty |
We sat around the campfire. There were a couple of really heavy rain showers. It felt like being in a rainforest, with the pouring rain, the heat from the fire and the lushness of the woods.
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| Photo by Makala Doughty |
We sang songs and told ghost stories, with Rebecca’s Torch Key Ring under their chins!
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| Photo by Makala Doughty |
We stayed down there all evening as it was so relaxing. We left as late as could before dark. It would be lovely to be around the fire in the dark but not to walk back through the woods and over the narrow bridges with a drop to one side in the dark!
We will have to camp soon, so we can stay by the camp fire until dark and tired and pop straight in our tents to sleep.
Is anyone else having a little panic as the holidays are going so quickly? Please slow down and let me enjoy this time with my kids! xxx
Ooh I think they are all worthy of being Country Kids, what a great find, perfect for great outdoor fun for all the family. Thanks for sharing your adventures with Country Kids.
Thanks. It's a lovely place and very rarely used. x
Wow, that looks like such a fab place! Am well jell (and 'lushness' is such a brilliant Welsh word 🙂 ). Has made me want to go and toast marshmallows now. And go camping. And that's just not me! Brill photos, especially the swinging one. I'm hoping to get my girls' rooms painted over the holidays too – what colours are you going for?!
Heehee, I mean it in the geographical sense not the "Stella" or "Gavin and Stacey" way- honest! Just repainting, so Fairy Dust and a pale lilac for girls and Danny has a Space Blue and Sky Blue xxx
oooh, are you doing different walls different colours?! There's fancy (I said in a Welsh accent just like my Grandma's 🙂 )! We're having Fairy Dust in youngest's too – but a dubious mint colour for my eldest. Slightly regretting saying she could have what she wants…!
Thank You for inviting us along on you family adventurers Claire, We have had so much Fun, and I'm shore we will have lots more :)How great to be able to go back and read about it all, Lovely just lovely THANK YOU xx
Oh wow what a fantastic day out. Photos of the sausages cooking are just great – my kids have never eaten food cooked on an open fire, so it really has inspired me to put on our to-do list.
I too am having a minor panic about how swiftly the summer hols seem to be drawing to a close – you have been makig the most of them though by the looks of it – what fun!
That looks one hell of a good day out! Bet they slept well… Building camps in the woods and making rope swings was how I spent my childhood summers. Then, of course, ALL summers were like the one we've had this year. They were, honestly. No it's not just selective memory… 😀
WOW looks like a great time was had by all x