To the Park and Beyond

Apart from being a mummy to a small person, I am in fact a wearer of several other hats. Obviously, being mummy to a small person is my most important hat at present and I have to say that it does at times feel like I am neglecting my other hats in that one's favour. Over Christmas, the small person reached the great milestone of six months old....bigger clothes, self-propelled motion and real food being just a few of the benefits that come with or shortly after this wonderful point. This made me think. I know, I've been doing a lot of that lately! Perhaps, I thought, maybe, now would be a good time to get back to some of the other aspects of life that I have been letting slide or abdicating to other people. 

The main thing that I think I really must pick up again and start running with (literally, at times!) are my dogs. There are two of them. Monty, a Golden Retriever and Ted, an intriguing cross between a Corgi and a Springer Spaniel. I adore them, even when they are naughty and I am afraid that Ted in particular can be very naughty when he chooses. They are a happy-go-lucky duo, not best friends (which was the intention when we decided to add a second dog) but always there to back each other up, snuffle in each other's holes and try to steal each other's treats. Being a dog owner is something I take very seriously and it has taught me volumes about dogs, myself, human nature and actual nature. Probably lots of other topics too but those are the ones that spring to mind. One of my greatest pleasures is walking my dogs and enjoying the outdoors with them. Even while I was pregnant, I still got out with them and toured the local fields, just at a more sedate pace and with an even greater need for a good sit-down afterwards.

Since the advent of the small person, I have had to abdicate a lot of the walking to my partner. Not all but certainly most. I have really missed it and one thing that is on the to-do list is to get back to it. It sounds simple, how hard can it be to get out and walk the dogs? Well, when one of the dogs (Ted) is extremely anti all other dogs except Monty and when you have a pram or pushchair to deal with too, it really can be quite tricky. Our favourite walking has always been to go out across fields, hills and forests ( lucky for us these are all within easy reach ) but we do also have a nice park right outside our front door. Off-roading with a pushchair is not easy, regardless of the flashy suspension and the extravagant claims of the makers of said pushchair. A baby-carrier (BabyBjorn) was purchased and is very good, giving me hands-free capability and as long as the small person is mounted on my front I can manage the loading and unloading process alone. The drawback being that the 'small' person is now weighing in at almost 20 pounds - that's a pretty hefty person when they're strapped to your chest and you are walking across country!

Anyway, it is one of those things that has been sent to try me and I shall ( I have decided, so there) rise to the challenge. Once more, I shall don the muddy boots and set off to find new pastures, woodland, and if Monty has his way as much swampy nastiness to paddle through as we can. The small person shall extend her acquaintance with the outdoors whether she likes it or not. It's not only on the to-do list, I have started doing it with walks in the park and across fields already achieved and more planned. Hopefully exciting action photos will soon adorn these pages. For now I leave you with the after-walk pictures....