walk in the park and canalside fun - Bubbablue and me

A walk in the park and by the canal

This autumn and now winter, the weather seems to be all over the place.  One minute it’s mild and you don’t need a coat, the next it’s bitterly cold and there’s flooding and gales everywhere.  While the north of the country and Scotland are suffering with flooding, we’ve definitely been lucky with just the gales and some rain, but nothing too damaging – just a 14 foot trampoline which has flown across the garden and got impaled on the fence.

I do like us to get out at least one day at weekends, although one of those for N is quite often being out on the farm with his dad.  But if he’s doing ‘dangerous jobs’ N gets left behind so I asked him what he wanted to do.

‘Go to the park’.  Brr, it was one of the coldest days of the year, but I dug out hats for us, zipped up the coats, and out we went for a walk in the park.

walk in the park and canalside fun - Bubbablue and me

I decided we’d park near the playground, rather than at the free car park further away.  I didn’t think we’d be able to cope with the walk in that cold and it wasn’t really safe enough to take scooters when it was wet and slippy under the leaves.

chilly wind in the park

N just loves being outside.  But even he realised that going on the playground equipment probably wasn’t going to be very warming. Too much metal and gloves that he never keeps on.  For once the playground was empty as well.

finding a stick in the park

We looked at the berries and lack of leaves on the bushes.  N found a stick which was his magic wand…they’re doing magic as a topic in school, hence the wand reference obviously.

walking by the Banbury canal

Then mooched along the canal for a bit.

canalside walk in Banbury

making shadows near the canal

We were really lucky with the sun under the bridge and shining onto the water.

sunlight on the canal water

N enjoyed mucking about stepping on the bricks and not the cracks.  Talk about déjà vu from my youth.  I bet every child does that at some point.

running alongside the canal

shadows on where I stand alongside the canal

It didn’t take long before we were just too cold to carry on walking, so we turned back to walk back through the park again.  My 80p car park fee was a little wasted after only 20 minutes.

Afterwards, I dragged N off to the nearby garden centre to check out the Christmas decorations.  I’m a bit obsessed I think.  There’s no room left on my tree because it’s only 6ft.  I debated getting a 7 ft one in the sales although it does annoy me that so many are now pre-lit when I have gorgeous lights I want to use already.  My plan is also to gradually bring in peacock blue/teal colours to add to the purple and silver, but the past few years the blue seems to have gone out of favour so I’ve been struggling to find any. Maybe next Christmas.

bronze christmas decoration leaves
Loved these bronze coloured leaves

clear and silver christmas baubles

saying hi to Santa decorations

playing with the garden centre train
N loved this train

It was nice to get out in the open air, but so cold.  A new fleece is needed I think and to locate my gloves.  Rosy healthy cheeks are a great sign that we had some good fresh air, even if the walk was only short.

Do you go on many spontaneous walk?

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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13 Comments

  1. We always love walking around there too, Monkey is fascinated with the locks down by the Mill. I used to visit that garden centre all the time when I worked along Southam Road, but I’ve not been in there for years sadly. We have a fruit theme here for our tree although I’m tempted to move onto blues and silver too.

  2. Aaaw that’s definitely a must do . N looks like he is having such a great time. We love some spontaneous walks too and to get some fresh air. xx

  3. Sounds like you both enjoyed your walk in spite of the cold. Love the look of the walk along the canal and N looks like he is having fun with his “magic wand”. I remember trying to avoid the cracks too as a child – not so easy on a brick pavement though! 🙂

  4. I tend to walk every day because we have a dog but I do like discovering new places to take her. And I have told myself that this year I need to do more of the local hilly walks that I keep putting off in favor of flat ones!

    Here’s wishing you a very happy new year and all the best for 2106.

    1. Lol to hilly walks. I’m all for avoiding those. Although maybe I should do more hills because my sister in law lost all her baby weight and more by just walking the hills on the farm every day!

  5. It looks like you had a lovely short walk, it’s great that you braved the chilly weather to get some fresh air with N. N looks so happy waving his magic wand around, who was he turning into a frog? Now’s definitely the right time to look for new Christmas decs, even if you won’t enjoy them until next year. Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.

    1. Tried looking for Christmas decs, but nothing around. Either left it too late, or just wasn’t the style I wanted. Thanks for stopping by

  6. A bitterly cold walk is good for body and could I find! Although generally easier when not accompanied by children. We do generally go for at least one family walk at the weekends, sometimes the kids protest, sometimes they’re willing participants. #CountryKids

    1. We never go out as a family as the OH’s always working, although we did used to before we were married. I’d be happy to stay in, but you do feel so much healthier being out however cold.
      Thanks for stopping by John

  7. What a lovely impromptu walk. I think it is wonderful the positive influence school can have on children – see I assumed you had been watching Harry Potter.

    We do now and then go on trips at the drop of the hat, but with the autism it is usually not a good idea here.

    1. Ah now, they did watch a bit of Harry Potter because their topic last term was Magic Me, so they did making and creating potions and watched the classroom potions scene. Otherwise I’d not have let N watch HP quite yet.

      We don’t often do spontaneous, but I can see how autism would mean preparation and planning to ensure all were comfortable with going out.

      Hope you have a good 2016 Joy. Thanks for stopping by

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