walking

I've always loved being out in the nature, and so does Nora. Since we have a dog, our toller Zam, we are forced to go out no matter the weather. And that's a good thing, because I realized that once outside, the weather is almost never as bad as it seemed from the kitchen window. As most parents know, water is very interesting for little ones. To hear the drip-drop sound from the rain, to jump in puddles, to make mud cakes ...



Sometimes we are in a hurry, but often we have time to look at all small things, to make sheep out of pines and sticks, to watch a caterpillar cross the path, to examine a mushroom (but the one on the photo is a no-touch one, we only look).



While walking there's time for Zam, too. We make tricks, we hide treats (look in the tree).



Time for all of us to play.

And sometimes I feel a bit stressed, I say "come on, let's go", but then I ask myself why I'm in such a hurry. Are we heading anyway? Do we have an appointment? Are there more important things to do somewhere else that have to be done right now? And most of the time, the answer is no. No, we don't really have to hurry because most things can wait another ten minutes and we, Nora, Zam and I, will stay more peaceful if we have the time to play first. Hurrying is, often, just a bad habit.



Picking flowers is a good habit. At this time of the year we often have fresh flowers on the table, thanks to Nora.



And this is our favourite spot. Right under the oak tree there are two stones and when passing by we always sit down for a while. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we sit in silence. Sometimes I tell Nora a story, it can be about a tiger (her favourite) and his friend, the elephant.