Before Jessica started school I had the idea in my head that we would be able to walk to school in the morning perhaps along the beach or around the back of the island, I mean we were always up by 6am anyway, so why not make something of the morning and school fitting into the middle of the day. This was naive thinking. We are now the classic family of no matter what time we get up the last 5 minutes out the door is always a rush and the walk to school, along the road, is done with lots of 'come on, we are going to be late!'. A large part of this is due to having to tag a 4 year old along who wants to stop and look at everything on the way because she hasn't seen that leaf since yesterday and has certainly not seen it yet today!! Something I don't want to complain about because seeing everything a new each time we look and to still feel curious is a joy I try to cultivate in myself, however I just wished she would save it for on the way home from the drop off.
Instead I have been trying to make the most of our time after school. If the tide is right we can go straight down onto the beach and along to old quay before heading up the road. Last week with my mum we even managed walking the coast all the way around to higher town quay, not a long walk but an interesting coastal path and what makes it worth it is Jessica finding a tiny dead fish which before I could even say the words she told me she thought it was a baby Wrasse, my thoughts exactly. Jessica then proceeded to carry the fish all the way home to show Daddy and for him to confirm that she was correct. We are outside type of people and I feel it is so good for Jessica just to get outside after school for the feeling of space and freedom. At home we can't last long inside for the day, it is like there is not enough room for us and I don't really mean in a physical sense.
It can be a fight; trying to persuade two children to want to go for a walk and go in the same direction but it is nearly always worth it, even if it is just down to the green and back. As Amelia still shows me there is always something new to see. One of my favourite walks was after a long rainy day indoors with Amelia, they both certainly did not want to do for a walk but I dragged them up over the back and it wasn't until they saw a patch of parasol mushroom that they became animated, and then they spotted Great Bay beach, a beach we really don't visit often enough and that was it, we were going there! The tide was half out so once on the beach the girls wanted to climb along the rocks towards the next cove but half way round decided to scale up the side of a cliff to reach the coastal path. What made the walk though was the conversations. My mum always told me not to bombard the girls with questions as they came out of school because when you're tired the last thing you want to do is rehash all that you did that day. I have found if you just leave that space open Jessica will start filling it, and I try and not fly in with too many questions but just little prompts and an openness to listen. It is fascinating to learn what little bits of her day are the important bits that she wishes to share.
Another conversation that I loved from our walk that day was when I asked Jessica what she would do if I happened to slip on the rocks and bump my head. Her initial response was 'I don't know', with a shrug of the shoulders, but when I reminded her that my phone was in my pocket she told me how she would phone 999 and ask for the coastguard. To which I queried her,
'ok, where are you?'
'St. Martin's, on Scilly'
'where on St. Martin's'
'on the rocks'
'which rocks?'
'on Great bay, going to Wine cove'
It was one of those moments where I felt bursting with pride, realising how much Jessica is growing and reassured that I would get saved if something happened. I do love though that after tearing ahead of me and Amelia, up the cliff rocks like a mountain goat Jessica reached the top turn around and proclaimed in a sudden scared voice, 'oh we are really high, I don't like it!'. Just like her Auntie Kerry: easily up the tree but always getting stuck on the way back down (sorry Kerry!) x
*after writing all this I would like to note that yes some days we do just come home and laze on the couch watching Katie-Morag, it is called balance...
From a different day, when we found ourselves on the beach by ourselves with that beautiful winter sun!!
Instead I have been trying to make the most of our time after school. If the tide is right we can go straight down onto the beach and along to old quay before heading up the road. Last week with my mum we even managed walking the coast all the way around to higher town quay, not a long walk but an interesting coastal path and what makes it worth it is Jessica finding a tiny dead fish which before I could even say the words she told me she thought it was a baby Wrasse, my thoughts exactly. Jessica then proceeded to carry the fish all the way home to show Daddy and for him to confirm that she was correct. We are outside type of people and I feel it is so good for Jessica just to get outside after school for the feeling of space and freedom. At home we can't last long inside for the day, it is like there is not enough room for us and I don't really mean in a physical sense.
It can be a fight; trying to persuade two children to want to go for a walk and go in the same direction but it is nearly always worth it, even if it is just down to the green and back. As Amelia still shows me there is always something new to see. One of my favourite walks was after a long rainy day indoors with Amelia, they both certainly did not want to do for a walk but I dragged them up over the back and it wasn't until they saw a patch of parasol mushroom that they became animated, and then they spotted Great Bay beach, a beach we really don't visit often enough and that was it, we were going there! The tide was half out so once on the beach the girls wanted to climb along the rocks towards the next cove but half way round decided to scale up the side of a cliff to reach the coastal path. What made the walk though was the conversations. My mum always told me not to bombard the girls with questions as they came out of school because when you're tired the last thing you want to do is rehash all that you did that day. I have found if you just leave that space open Jessica will start filling it, and I try and not fly in with too many questions but just little prompts and an openness to listen. It is fascinating to learn what little bits of her day are the important bits that she wishes to share.
Another conversation that I loved from our walk that day was when I asked Jessica what she would do if I happened to slip on the rocks and bump my head. Her initial response was 'I don't know', with a shrug of the shoulders, but when I reminded her that my phone was in my pocket she told me how she would phone 999 and ask for the coastguard. To which I queried her,
'ok, where are you?'
'St. Martin's, on Scilly'
'where on St. Martin's'
'on the rocks'
'which rocks?'
'on Great bay, going to Wine cove'
It was one of those moments where I felt bursting with pride, realising how much Jessica is growing and reassured that I would get saved if something happened. I do love though that after tearing ahead of me and Amelia, up the cliff rocks like a mountain goat Jessica reached the top turn around and proclaimed in a sudden scared voice, 'oh we are really high, I don't like it!'. Just like her Auntie Kerry: easily up the tree but always getting stuck on the way back down (sorry Kerry!) x
*after writing all this I would like to note that yes some days we do just come home and laze on the couch watching Katie-Morag, it is called balance...
From a different day, when we found ourselves on the beach by ourselves with that beautiful winter sun!!