We arrived home at 3pm, unpacked the car, and fell into the house. I immediately turned around, and walked back out of the houseto the corner shop to buy milk while W threw the first of many loads into the washing machine.
It’s been a great week. Good to get away from work for a few days, and good to really push the childrento challenge them on steep hillsides, long walks, through sunshine, rain, hail, and biting winds. We survived each day with nothing more than damp clothes to recover fromand saw our eldest effectively learn to fly. The scared little girl that has never been good with heights, climbing frames, or anything remotely “daring” started the week with a brand new pair of walking boots. Her first walking boots.
She ended the week descending a steep scree slope from Castle Crag, laughing as the stone gave way beneath her feet, and pretending to surf the mountainside. Proud? Much?Little Miss 5 amazed us with her boundless energyrepeatedly leading our group with pumping arms, and endless rounds of “why this”, or “why that” aimed at any grown-up within earshot. Our walks along the edge of Derwentwater and up into the hillsscaled upsaw her cover perhaps 15 miles each day. Little Miss 6 never once asked to be picked up. She fell in a lake, she got caught in a hail stormand she survived to tell the tale.
Hopefully this holiday has provided memories the children will carry for the rest of their livesmemories of being scared, of being tired, of hot dinners, warm beds, and comforting warm hands when the wind whistled.