I decided to walk to to the post office to post the letter to Ann, as I also had one to post to Australia and it would need to be weighed, and to take the route through the woods, it had been raining this morning and it was very muddy but it was lovely - I noticed the different barks on the trees and the moss and lichen and what with the birds singing and it not being as cold as of late I really didn't notice how muddy it was at all and didn't want to come home! On my return I passed a granny (I assumed she was his granny by her age) with her grandson a boy of about 6 and she commented on the mud and she said she thought they probably shouldn't have come to which I replied that it was lovely and worth a bit of mud and she agreed that it made a nice change from staying indoors. I noticed she was holding the lad's hand and wondered why he wasn't dashing about sliding on the mud and getting filthy as boys of his age should!! Maybe his mother would not be best pleased if he got his wellies dirty. I do sometimes wonder if there is a generation growing up with no real contact with the natural world and what a lot they miss out on if so. It's not just knowing that milk comes from cows but how to make dens in the wood, scooping up mud and making it into pies, playing houses or shop in the roots of the trees and learning to whistle with a blade of grass or how to climb trees ripping one's clothes in the process - or am I remembering my childhood through rose tinted glasses? There is something about being in touch with Nature that fills a need in many of us I think and I fear for those children growing up indoors and not being allowed or perhaps able to get muddy and to play in the woods as I did this afternoon - no I didn't actually make mud pies nor did I climb any of the trees but in my memory I did!!
Oh memories...of a childhood spent running free on the little pebbly beach, making tree houses, dens, rowing out in the creek to put jamjars of flowers on fishing boats!! Can you imagine! Those were the innocent days in the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteI loved making mud pies and leaving them to dry in the sun! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely gift!
V x
My best friend Linda and I used to go on picnics in the local woods in the late sixties. We packed a couple of sandwiches and off we went!
ReplyDeleteJulie xxxxxxx
Jane, I was only reading something this morning which reminded me about the words that the OED had removed from the children's version of the dictionary - all the ones relating to nature and nature walks etc. How many children will now never know what a sticky bud or a catkin is because of these ommissions..... oh dear, I feel a rant coming on so will sign off ... but thanks for the observation. You always raise something to make me think about!
ReplyDeleteYes, I come across this all too often. My children always come back from time outside absolutely filthy but very very happy. If it creates a bit more washing so be it.........I do get some looks but I am not bothered my children's happiness is far more important.
ReplyDeleteThere is something wonderful about squelching through mud at any age isn't there! I did climb trees and played on the mud flats of the wash, which apparently are incredibly dangerous but I think we knew instinctively when the tide was turning and when we had to leave. None of us ever came to any major harm!
ReplyDeleteNature... I love it! And yes, I think so many children have no interest in venturing outside because they are glued to the TV or video games. I used to make mud pies, walk in the woods, help my 3 older brothers make forts and hide outs out of tree limbs, and line the hide outs with dead leaves. We climbed trees, my brother built a tree house and I sat up there and read books. Another brother and I used to play with cars and trucks in the roots of the trees, and in our sandbox. We had chickens (including a pet one, 'Judy') and plenty of pet rabbits. We built snow -forts and snowmen, rode sleds, rode our bikes, hiked over miles of farmland, and played ball, swung on swings, raked leaves and jumped in them. The outdoors is not just something to bear, but the other 'half' of life! Good for you Jane for your outdoor excursions. I think you and I would have a royal time together!
ReplyDeleteI agree that children need to be free to get dirty and sticky and do all sorts of things without someone hovering over them. I'm happy to see that my little grandchildren are allowed to play in the mud from time to time and enjoy spending time at the seashore or in the woods, or at the nearby parks. So much better than television or electronic devices.
ReplyDeleteOh, you're so right Jane ! Kids are not allowed to run around and play in the rain any more either. In our climate when it rains mainly in Summer ! When I was a kid as soon as it started to rain we would put on our togs (swimmers ?) and rush out to play around in the grassy roadside gutters that our fathers kept carefully mown. The good old days !
ReplyDeleteI had a similar conversation with my OH yesterday, regarding two children who live opposite me, I have never seen either of them out playing together or with anyone else and the only time I see them is when they get into or out of a car. Such a sad thing, I was always off over the mountains or down the valley in the river, I had a very happy childhood.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think there is a whole generation that has been glued to the TV and doesn't have a clue as to what goes on outside in nature. We got rid of the TV 30 years ago, and it was the best thing we could have done while raising our children. Some university friends asked one of my daughters how she knew so much about the plants growing along the river. We took many nature walks and they all played outside, got dirty, were kids. Some of my grandchildren are being raised on a dairy farm and are outside enjoying life a lot, but still spend too much time in front of the TV. Children are missing living and being children. Sorry for the rant....
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the post!
God bless,
Anne♥
It was interesting to sit in a restaurant the other day. Just outside the window was a large shallow puddle, magnetic for toddlers. Most of the parents pulled their children away from it, even though the little ones were in wellies. The one or two who were allowed to splash were beaming with happiness.
ReplyDeleteA walk in the woods is a lovely thing to do! I was always getting dirty as a child and would sit on the kerb digging the dirt out from around the paving slabs with a lolly stick! I recognize that lovely gift you received from Ann as I received one too with a slightly different pattern. It is far too nice to take out of the packaging! x
ReplyDeleteI will have my pending first grandchild with me one day a week when my daughter goes back to work and I have already made sure it's the day the local forest school runs, so you'll know I agree with your every word!
ReplyDeleteWell I suppose I must agree - I never see children out in the countryside around here on their own. And some of my best childhood memories are of our expeditions on foot or bike out on our own. But times are different now and parents obviously have their own concerns re safety. Maybe your granny felt her responsibility to keep her grandson safe - or it might just be that her grandson was worried for his grandmother slipping or falling herself!
ReplyDeleteAnd Jane just wanted to say re your lovely comment on Lowri, Hovel in the Hills (another favourite) is set rather further into the wilds of North West Wales whilst the Vale of Clwyd is a kinder landscape sheltered by the Clwydian Hills on one side and the hilly forested land of Clocaenog on the other. I also recommend Elizabeth's Kitchen in the Hills and Garden in the Hills if you come across them.