The School Run
Monday to Friday at 8.30am we set out on our walk to school. It takes roughly fifteen
minutes to do our journey to school and most of those minutes are along
the canal towpath. Some days are much quicker than others, when the school
run quite literally becomes a Run (well for the Little People at any
rate, I just try to walk as fast as I can without panting). Some days
are dawdle-days and we arrive late. I enjoy both, enjoy the rosy
flushed excitement after the Little People have been racing on the Fast
days (see the above photo), and enjoy the holding of hands, chatting, I-spy and observations as we amble along
together on the Slow days.
We are not fair-weather walkers, we walk every day come rain or shine. We've seen the canal so cold it's frozen over and forced the ducks and swans to ice skate. We've seen it so wet that it's risen and flooded the tow path completely. We've seen it so windy that the water has blown across in windy waves, tossing the canal boats as if they were at sea. We've seen it so damp that the water has been shrouded with a grey mist. And we've seen it like today, beautifully calm, still and bright.
I do happen to think these poor trees are a bit harsh and a bit too clippy, but nevertheless I do love the reflections they make in the water.
We love to see the boats come and go, we are quite nosy towpath walkers. It's so intriguing to glimpse into these little houses-on-water, see the dinky little rooms, people eating breakfast, washing up, reading a book, pottering about. Some of the boats are lived on permanently and some are hire boats with holiday makers aboard :: there is always something new to see every day.
We admire the flowers that decorate the boats with colour.
Both real flowers and painted ones.
And the way each boat has it's own name and personality, a whole cast of boaty characters as we walk/run our way to school.
And then there's the wildlife :: ducks and swans swim over to say hello.
Today is our last school run before the looooong summer holidays begin tomorrow. Of course we'll still walk along the canal as the weeks go by, but we'll be heading into town to the cafe, or scooting along to the park instead of going to school. And it will not be 8.30am either. Oh I am SO looking forward to the holidays!
This evening we are going away for a few days, heading down country to Dorset to see my folks. We are very excited, looking forward to the sea and family time.
So I shall be back next week :: I know a lot of bloggers are taking a summer break, but I intend to still be here wittering my way through summer if you care to drop by. It may be a bit more erratic, may be more pictures than words and will probably feature the Little People quite a bit. But I would love for you to pop up to the Attic from time to time to say hello. Please do.
See you soon xxxx