Joining in with Amy for the first anniversary of her Five on Friday link-up.
1. Games are popular round here in the winter, especially with the littlest boy. If he can't find anyone to play with he'll play all by himself. The other day he played Monopoly on his own. Last night I played Connect 4 with him until it got a bit wild, then a few rounds of Postman Pat pairs. He doesn't mind that the cards are quite babyish, in fact he's rarely bothered about things like that. He beat me rather a lot. I'm guessing there's so much information in my brain that it's almost full, with no room for Postman Pat memory cards.
Other favourites are Whot, which I played when I was little, Labyrinth, Coppit (again one I used to play), Yahtzee and chess. The evenings are getting lighter though, yesterday he was still outside playing football with a friend at 6 o'clock. So before long it will be all about the ball games.
2. There are one or two buds in the garden. The camellia, rosemary and also the peach blossom. I'm not sure if the peach is earlier than usual, I think it might be. A late cold snap won't do much for our chances of peaches. Nor will the perennial flying footballs, see 1. above.
3. I am powering through the pain of giving up eating yummy things for Lent. After two or three weeks I'll be fine, it's just the first bit that hurts. My willpower fades as the day goes on. By teatime I'm hopeless.
4. A little something from Nick Hornby that made me smile. Some homework excuses, borrowed from publishers' rejection letters. Here's one to give you a flavour of it. "I'm sorry I haven't done my homework, but my homework diary is currently full, and I'm not looking to take on anything else right now." The boys have made notes.
5. The beautiful Bewick's swans (photos by the biggest boy) will be heading off back to Arctic Siberia before too much longer. I shall look forward to their return in October when they'll have their youngsters with them. As time goes by I appreciate the rhythms of nature more and more. I love to see wildlife featured on other blogs. I wonder, those of you who like the natural world and walking in the countryside, was it something you did when you were little? I'm wondering if this is an important part of creating a love of wildlife and the outdoors. If so, I really hope it's something I'm passing on.
Wishing all a good weekend. CJ xx
Such beautiful swan photos! I love walking which I've inherited from my Dad and now the children walk miles too. Mind you there have also been times when they've been glued to a game . . . :-)
ReplyDeleteYour son's photographs are fantastic, he should enter them into a competition. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteFamily games are the best. We haven't been very good about doing it regularly, but we are all usually very happy when we do. Favorites, Rummy 500, Scrabble, Bananagrams, Trouble (especially with my Mom) and this crazy game called Forbidden Desert. Labyrinth looks like a good time!
ReplyDeleteCoppit and Whot have certainly brought back memories, I used to love playing board games. Think I got into the habit from my Grandad who taught me to play Ludo from a very young age. Your son has taken some fantastic swan photos. xx
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely post. Labyrinth used to be a favourite in our house too.
ReplyDeleteI think enjoying nature early is important. I remember my Gran taking me on long nature rambles when I was small and telling me all about the berries, plants and wildlife. You are definitely doing the right thing by your boys. What fabulous swan photos , do congratulate your son for me. Good on you for giving up goodies for lent. I'm afraid I have no will power at all. Have a lovely weekend and I hope the sun shines :) Barbara x
ReplyDeleteI love your swan photos.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why, but I've never really got into board games, despite playing them as a child and with my own children. However, an appreciation of nature is something I do have more and more, and I think that started with regular country walks with my parents and brother as a child. Your son's swan photos are amazing - well done to him. Well done to you too for your self-restraint at Lent - - perhaps I should have a go too. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteCathy x
An enjoyable post and good pictures. Number 3 made me smile, and I do sympathise.
ReplyDeleteThanks, and to you too. Flighty xx
Our board games gather dust unfortunately apart from the fancy chess set but that's because I dust it regularly:) Instead my two play and talk to screens and it's always a hard thing to get them out when I walk my dog on the Fens. I'm hoping in a few years they will start coming for walks again. The blossom and spring bulbs are all peeking out now so those longer days are well on their way. Have a wonderful weekend x
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job exposing your sons to the wonders of nature around them, CJ! Your son's photos are a privilege to see and a testament to your success. I was reared on farms and my folks often brought my attention to the beauty around me. One pivotal good memory I have is of my Dad calling from outside for my mom and me to come outside to enjoy seeing a 'v' of geese soar overhead. I love to come visit your blog and see the wonders of the world around you. Thanks for posting. xx
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteOlly had Labyrinth for Xmas. As little one's games go, it isn't bad. I don't think that I could cope with Pistman Pat pairs. Do you have Dobble? Gorgeous swan photos by your eldest, especially the last one.
Leanne xx
Ah those homework excuses! Too brilliant! I shall share that link with all and sundry forthwith.
ReplyDeleteGlad all well with you all. xx
Love the homework quotes! I grew up in a country village, at primary school we were often taken out and about on walks, to see the local farm, visit the church, and one day we even went out and helped to rescue a hot air balloon that came down in a field, so yes, I grew up with nature and outdoors and loved it! Thank you so much for joining in the anniversary of Five On Friday, I really do appreciate it so much! Have a good weekend! xx
ReplyDeleteFabulous Bewicks pics.. They are so difficult to capture in flight. I know because I've tried! I hold my grandmother entirely responsible for my love of nature. Every time she took me out as a kid we visited some wildlife park or other.
ReplyDeleteOh I do love Bewick's swans – those photos are very good (especially the 3 birds together). And I love that homework excuse. Brilliant. It's made my daughter giggle (she's got earache and is not feeling very giggly). I've always loved being outdoors and walking in the countryside. My grandmother knew the names of all the wildflowers and trees. It's definitely good to start young. Have a great weekend x
ReplyDeleteYour son is quite the photographer; I especially love the last one against the stormy sky. We're big Yahtzee fans here too. We added 'Ticket to Ride' to our board game collection this Christmas - I think we may need a bigger games chest. You have peaches? I'm so envious. Do let us know if you manage to grow a giant one! xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteOur family camped a lot when I was a kid, but I think my love of the wilderness began with my grandfather. He lived in the mountains in Pennsylvania and I loved spending summers with him.
I think the love of nature is definitely fostered in childhood.
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Love love love your son's swan photos! I so wish I'd gotten some to fly over me! LOL! Mine are Tundra swans. Yes, I totally think you will set your children on a lifetime of loving the outdoors by doing the things you do with them out-of-doors. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. Your don has a keen eye. Really lovely
ReplyDeleteOops should read 'son'
Deletegorgeous swan photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful swan photos. You have a very talented son.
ReplyDeleteYour photos of the swans and the buds are wonderful:)
ReplyDeleteWow, your son's Bewick photos are amazing, well done to him! We did a spot of birdwatching last week at Breydon Water, estuary, Great Yarmouth - lots of different ducks and waders. It's just along the river from Berney Arms where countryfile were last week looking at the RSPB work. I don't usually watch the show anymore but just happened to notice they were going to be in Norfolk.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't really do many country walks when I was young but my grandad lived in the countryside so we were always playing in the woods. I remember picking crab apples and blackberries with my mum, and also noticing the fallen hazel nuts and beech masts. My nan lived near a brackish lagoon near the beach that we used to enjoy walking around. Since being an adult I've discovered that it's actually a really important habitat. They've got goosanders and mergansers on it at the moment, nice. We also used to go to a local pick your own farm, the sweetcorn was brilliant to get lost in. Unlike my own sweetcorn that barely gets over knee height. So yes, I think all that definitely influenced my love of nature and the countryside :)
Love those pictures. I'm a huge fan of nature, animals, plants and walking but I grew up in an urban slum clearance area where there was no grass and the only wildlife was of the unwanted rodent variety and the odd stray dog. But looking back I think my dad did his best with Bank Holiday trips to the countryside (I vividly remember my one and only sighting of a kingfisher and the taste of a wild raspberry) and pots of scented geraniums indoors. I'm sure you're doing a grand job with your boys. Just keep on doing what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteI play memory games with the kids I work with and I swear I can't remember a thing! Where was the shoe? The boat? The swans are incredible.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you and Happy Weekend,
Meredith
In response to your question about nature, I am much more interested and aware of the natural world now, as an adult. I remember that we did go on hikes when I was a child, but my parents were not that knowledgeable about the natural world; it was just the act of getting outside, not knowing the individual plants and trees, etc. I hope that I am cultivating a strong interest in nature in my child.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember not loving nature. My knowledge increased when I was teaching, Before health and safety and minimum adults to children ratios, often on a good weather day I would say to my class - "Let's go for a walk". Just me and 30+ children, no mobile phone, no high visibility jackets, no risk assessment. I just popped my head round the headmaster's door and told him where we were going. Guess what we actually survived unscathed.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed important to pass on the love for nature. I have sweet memories of walking with mom when she pointed to a small nest with tiny eggs inside. A cute bird had his home there. She told me never to disturb these nests. This happened more than once. I no longer had small children but we tried to pass on respect for nature. Your photos of the swans are very beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYour biggest boy has captured some fabulous images of those swans!
ReplyDeleteI like your 5 on Friday idea. Might have a go myself, but seeing as I only blog on a Sunday I'd have to rename it.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Love the swan photos especially the three against the blue sky.
ReplyDeleteI loved board games as a child and my husband and I will grab Rumikub or backgammon of an evening when we are both bored of the TV.
As to nature I think it starts when we are young. I had I-spy books as a child and we have spent ages pointing out elements of the natural world to our daughter and now she is as enthusiastic as we are. You are setting a great platform for your boys xx
I thought we were all passed board games, but now there is a resurgence of them (my 17 yr old son just headed out the door to play board games with his gang tonight!). We've spent a few long summer days on the patio playing Risk! All my growing up years we were kicked out of the house to enjoy the great outdoors. We grew up in the countryside with a horse, goats and a dog, so we were always going for hikes, bike rides, trail rides with the horse & dog and our friends. Our friends all spent long hours outdoors as well. We were lucky that we lived near a large network of trails along an escarpment. There were also creeks on our property that we could follow. My friend had a cottage far north that I was invited to every summer, and we loved canoeing and swimming up there and wandered for miles through the woods. The love of the outdoors has never left me. I think it's me that encouraged my husband to start camping with our own family, and there we have instilled a love of nature in them as well. Even though we live in town now, there are lots of conservation areas close by that I have taken the kids for hikes since they were very small. But I think you can still appreciate nature if you get out in it even if you've only been exposed to it later in life.
ReplyDeleteWendy
gorgeous swan photos -- utterly gorgeous.
ReplyDeletei'm failing in an epic fashion on my own quest to give up yummy things. but i start each day afresh and add another day on to Lent {I heard somewhere that's an option when fasting at Ramadan - no idea if there's truth to that, but I'll take it anyway}
I love board games, but I'm terribly competitive and so get impatient with anyone [read: children] who don't play properly. I realize that makes me an ogre.
yes to the rhythms of nature...the ravens are nest-building, which is the promise of spring. once the swallows return, I'll know it's official. xo
Fab swan pics- he can be justifiably chuffed to bits with those. I have (more or less) stopped drinking alcohol and can testify that it gets easier the longer you go without (apart from those days when only a G&T will sort things out of course). I grew up outside (almost literally) so can't do without my wild times and spaces, as you know :o) XX
ReplyDeleteThe whole loving nature was definitely part of growing up. We were members of the local Watch group, always out and about in the countryside with my parents and they were forever passing on their knowledge of birds, flowers, trees etc. I just wish I could get my boys to be interested. Sadly their dad didn't have the same upbringing and they take far more after him than they do me. :-(
ReplyDeleteI too spent many hours playing Coppit as a child, loved it, and we still have our original game now. I'm afraid I don't give up anything for Lent, but I do not know what you mean about the first few days/ weeks being the worst, keep going!
ReplyDeleteCaz xx
The swan photos are incredible. Went to read all the homework excuses and loved them. As a former teacher I would have deeply appreciated anyone of them in place of the usual homework that was turned in.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the flow of time and the seasons. I don't remember being particularly interested in the beauty of nature as a child. I might have been but it was not something my parents passed on to me. I am like you, I try to give my kids a sense of wonder and awe about all things nature. Alistair and I are learning about different ducks just now. xx
ReplyDeleteHey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.
ReplyDeleteMost of my happiest childhood memories are of roaming the nearby countryside on my bike, being aware of the changing seasons, and loving the outdoors. We lived on the edge of a town so within minutes could be walking or cycling in it, and I'm sure early exposure helps future enjoyment of nature and wildlife. Like you I made sure to expose my daughter to the countryside from a young age, and even though she didn't seem interested in nature during her teens, she now ( at 20 )loves walking in the fields and orchards nearby, admiring the beauty and spotting seasonal changes around her, just as much as she loves being in a busy town or in London! It was so worth the controversial move to live in a small hamlet when she was a teen, and despite initial moans and saying she was a town girl it has paid off as she is now firmly a country girl and finds calm in a busy world when out walking - gives a sense of perspective as well as observing nature!
ReplyDeleteGreat posts as ever, am enjoying a catch up!
Take care
Gill xx
Your son has inherited your way with a camera when it comes to capturing birds, and you are most certainly passing on a love of wildlife to your boys. Your photos are just lovely as always.
ReplyDeleteUno is a very popular card game here, especially with Bella. She's a demon and plays to win every time. Total card shark.
Seeing those board games reminded me of the time that my niece remade a game of "Who's Who?" with photos of family members (including pets) and named it "Who's Shoe?" It was a great way to get to find out about more distant family members!
ReplyDeleteI think much of my interest in natural history comes from my upbringing. I do wonder how much of my love of the great outdoors is being passed on to my children - at the moment I have one interested child and 2 disinteresteds, but that might just be a reflection of their ages. It looks as if you are passing on your interest in wildlife to your son, which is wonderful!
Yes I think you can certainly pass on a love of walking and wildlife by starting young and you are ding your children a great service. We had the most wonderful nature walks at my Primary school and then arranged the nature table with our finds when we got back. All the seasons were marked by sticky horse chestnut buds, pussy willow, primroses, hyacinths in flasks, sprouting runner beans, horse chestnuts, physalis lanterns and honesty moons. I remember it all so clearly. We also fished for sticklebacks and kept frogspawn at home although we didn't strictly live in the country and had no car to get to it easily.
ReplyDeleteUno was our favourite card game with the boys for years and they still like playing Halfpenny Knock to humour their dad.
The swan photos are amazing, CJ, bravo to the boy for capturing the pictures. We play some board games (also simple card games that do involve stakes of one pence pieces, but if you lose your 10pence worth, then you're out). Totopoly is a favourite here. Going for walks is compulsory here as the kids aren't old enough to stay at home alone. They moan a bit sometimes but on the whole they enjoy getting out. xx
ReplyDelete