Private Thoughts Made Public

Last weekend I walked into town and bought an Ordnance Survey map of the local area. I love maps and can study them for hours on end (heheh, you’re beginning to get an idea of how boring I am now, aren’t you?). Anyway, looking at the local map, I discovered a 30-mile footpath trail called the Irwell Sculpture Trail, which passes about 200 yards from my front door. “Got to be done”, the adventurer in me said. “Not all at once though”, the coward in me quickly replied…
So today I coerced my niece (aged eight), my son (aged four and a half) and my sister-in-law (age a secret) to come with me for a bit of fresh air and exercise. I’ve lived in built-up areas all my life, so to cross a road, walk up a gravel path for 20 yards, and find myself surrounded by fields full of sheep, trees and a canal was rather refreshing. Today’s walk was dampened (literally) by the weather, but that cleared up, and even my son nagging for something to eat or to go home again after 20 minutes didn’t put me off. I was going to have a walk, dammit, and nothing was going to stop me.
We walked for a couple of hours and got the tram back. Along the way we fed ducks and swans, petted a couple of horses that were ambling along the canal path (actually they weren’t always ambling – once we got past them they turned around and started running after us…. “run away! run away!”), saw a swan nesting, and eventually got into town for a bite to eat. Well there goes all the good work we’d done in the morning, wrapped up in newspaper and covered in salt and vinegar. Still, we’d earned it
No, we didn’t walk back. We caught the tram.
Quotes of the day from my son (who pushed in his buggy for 95% of the way):
“This is boring. It’s all walking walking walking and sitting sitting sitting!”
“I’m not allowed any fizzy drinks or crisps today because yesterday I had a whole tube of Pringles hidden in my room and I was sick all night. If I’m a good boy I might be able to have some crisps next week.”
“Where have all the shops gone?” (after we’d been walking for an hour and a half and still not reached the town centre)
“I want some cake!”
(after lunch): “Let’s go to the toy shop now Daddy. You can buy me two toys. Come on………. hurry up!”
A joke from my niece: “There are two birds, one called ‘ickle me’ and one called ‘tickle me’. ‘Ickle me’ flies away, which one is left?”
My son’s answer, after a moment’s thought and a little chuckle: “The other one”
Beats watching TV on a bank holiday, I can tell you.
Photos to follow after I’ve got them off the camera and worked out how to upload them.