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As we explored the banks we became aware of prolific bubbling in the pond. It would be in one area for a while then slow and move to another. It was fascinating to watch. There were clumps of what looked like eggs nearby by. The conclusion we came to was that this bubble making and eggs were linked. I love writing these updates for the ebook as it reminds me to investigate and learn more about these things we see on our adventures. The children were delighted to see lots of seeds by the pond. When Rosie was little she thought these were sausages growing in the wild. So she called them sausage plants and the name has stuck. They enjoyed helping scatter the seeds. Always a good trip when a bone is found as well!

17th April. When we met Alison on our Priest's Gyhll Expedition she mentioned they had walked up from a pond in and out of which the River Keekle flows. When I lived in Moresby and before the 3 younger children were born we would often walk through Walkmill and out along the"Plastic River" aka the Keekle. We would usually stop at the stone bridge mentioned into a previous post and then turn back. Sometimes we might continue on and come out at the end of the path and walk back via the road. Although for a time the end of this path was closed off by a local resident. Another local resident fought to have it reopened. Only once had I continued on following the Keekle rather than the main path. I had been rewarded by the suprise discovery of a lovely pond. For years I had not returned as it is a long walk for little ones. Alison mentioned the pond could be accessed from the other end so on this day we drove and parked up ready for our adventure. To get to the pond we had to go through trees and undergrowth and cross a stream or maybe it was actually the Keekle itself leaving the pond! Need to have good look at a map as in all there are 3 ponds with a number of different waterways flowing to them. I have heard during our subcommittee meetings with the Parish Council and West Cumbria Rivers Trust that the pond was used when the area was used for open cast mining. More to learn there. The children were excited to see the pond appear. There were a number of birds on the pond including a pair of nesting swans on the far side. We saw where the Keekle entered a pond and also saw some of the plastic liner which seemed to have been washed down the Keekle and deposited there.

Katie (my sister) and I went on a litter pick in our wild area. We did this because more people had been walking near by so there was more litter. This is a picture of the rubbish we picked up. By Tom Macmillan

14 April. Making nature pictures when we got home from our walk.

14th April. Another walk in the woods we can access from the road we live in. This time though instead of the usual circular walk we do of entering from our road, walking down through the woods and then out a t the bottom and up through the houses, we did the opposite. Maybe it was this break from the norm that inspired the girls to explore the stream. They loved following it going upstream through the woods. At times it was right next to the path and we walked alongside them. At other times they disappeared into the trees to follow it. When they reached a long low tunnel we were all of the same opinion that the best thing to do was to walk round it! We had set off with the plan to gather items to make a nature picture on our return home. So that's what they did on their stream adventure. They are mindful of what to take and what to leave depending on rarity or abundance.

4th April. As we were walking down Priest's Ghyll who should we see walking up the far side of the Gyhll across the stream? Alison and her family who are also undertaking a John Muir award! The photos are of them taken by us and of us taken by them! We had a socially distanced chat across the stream before carrying on in our different directions. After we fought our way through the jungle of the ghyll we came out near the River Keekle. Exploring the lesser known territory was wonderful as was then saying hello to the familiar view! See the stone bridge shown going over the stream not far before it meets the Keekle? When we went on a West Cumbria Rivers Trust walk and talk along the Keekle last year, they told us that otter droppings had been found under that very bridge! This day we saw no evidence of otters but the children did say hello to some little creatures and their eggs living in a rock.

4th April. So here we have a very young tree the children were delighted to find. Right at the beginning of its life. As you can see there were many trees who have fallen over.. a bit of a tree graveyard in parts. At one part of our walk the wind picked up and we heard an eerie creaking noise. We could the trees swaying and creaking and could imagine how the others had fallen. Unusually we saw a tree with a metal tag and number on it. Only one though! We will try and find out why.

4th April. So here we see Willow having her turn sitting in the tree they named the "horsey tree" . In the previous post we saw Rowan sitting in it. He enjoyed it but wanted someone to stay near. Rosie, older, more confident sat with "no hands". Willow, possibly attempting some kind of side-sadle horse play, started to fall. The risk of falling is all part of the joy of climbing. As a parent I want to protect my children and also allow them the chance to climb. Risk is part of life. It cannot be eliminated or avoided if we are to live fully. Also, life is precious so joy of climbing must be balanced with safety. More often than not I have found that with supportive discussion children are generally able to come to their own conclusions about what may or may not be a good idea when climbing. Weighing things up together and discussion of variable factors of note such as branch size and strength, I hope will give them the tools for assessing situations themselves when they are older and I am not there! In the background see Jon and Rowan at a fallen tree across the stream. The next pictures show all the children climbing across the fallen trees over the stream. They loved crossing the stream on these unintentional bridges! Rosie could walk across independently. Willow was happier sitting and got across independently that way. Initially Rowan was determined he could walk accross himself unaided like Rosie. Given the chance to try he then decided standing with help or sitting with supervision worked for him. Experience and physical ability will usually grow over time. Confidence can vary day by day and even during the same outing and is influenced by many factors. I love seeing the children climbing trees and banks in woodlands. As an environment woodlands offer the potential for each child to go at their own pace, exploring and developing their skills, confidence and risk assessment skills! The playgrounds are closed at the moment to reduce risk of contagion from the virus. However, nature's playgrounds remain open and must do our health the world of good!