{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual, inspired by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Reconnecting

We saw friends from our home ed group for the first time in weeks today.  We've not been at the group since before easter - either we've been unwell, or the kids haven't wanted to go.  
One of the families hosted a woodland afternoon at her house.  Her garden backs on to some farm land, and the farmer lets her walk the dog and play as long as they don't damage any of the trees.
It's a lovely spot.  The field next door has resting race horses, and they are friendly enough for then kids to get close to.

Meg loved the freedom to explore the area.  It was full of nettles, but somehow she avoided getting stung.

Betsy enjoyed making lots of treasure hunts in the sandpit, complete with an x to mark the spot.  The treasure was a big stone, and she asked me to find it over and over!

Freddie spotted a mayfly on the grass.  I've never seen one before, it was beautiful.

The afternoon culminated in the kids making a fire in the garden.  Freddie loved this.  We all had such a wonderful afternoon, it was so lovely to see our friends again.

In the flow

More splashing about in water here today.  We went to the playground next to the stream again, better prepared with waterproofs and wellies.  After swinging and sliding in the playground for a while, we set off to the stream.
We saw squirrels darting up trees, and climbing along a branch over our heads (a squirrel bridge, Freddie said).  We chatted to dogs and their owners. We walked up and down the stream.

A day full of good moments.

Finally after weeks of rain, washing on the line

Mint coming up out of the soil, and the first flowers opening on the clematis.

Some time spent sewing, while Rob and the kids were at the playground.

Meg, snoozing on the sofa, exhausted by the playground!

Watching Rob and Freddie, who were looking for ants to put in the ant habitat.

Making apple and strawberry juice (it tasted like sherbet, delicious).

There were lots of other moments - playing it with the kids, eating slow cooked ham for dinner, chatting with Betsy while she had a bath - but I didn't take any photos of them.  A day full of good moments.

.....blue skies......

at last!  We played outside in the garden, and on the little road when Rob got home.  The first swifts have arrived too, a harbinger of summer.

We're still loving the puddles....

We walked around town, doing some shopping.  We drew a few glances, dressed head to toe in waterproofs and wellies.  We needed them for the park afterwards, see:

I'd made some more boats, and given them a layer of beeswax to help them last a little longer.  They were fab!

Paper boats, and pressing flowers

I made some little paper boats for the kids to float in puddles this afternoon.  They lasted approximately 30 seconds before they succumbed to the water!

The kids enjoyed them regardless.  We'll make some more tomorrow, and paint the bottoms with melted beeswax to make them a little more seaworthy.
They enjoyed a big splash about for a while, before we took a cycle (Freddie)/run (Betsy)/scoot (Meg) around the block.
Along the way we saw the pretty purple flowers we'd noticed a few weeks ago, and picked one.  We also picked a couple of bluebells (Spanish rather than English).

Freddie opened up my old flower press, and put the flowers in.

We'll leave them for a couple of weeks and check to see what they look like.