A little bush adventure

We are almost at the end of the school holidays and keeping the kids amused and occupied for two weeks has been relatively easy this time round.  We have been to the movies, had a playdate, family visits and birthdays, but mostly the kids have just played together quite nicely.  Henry and Milly have played harmoniously in a little Lego world they have created with Lego people and Sylvanian families.  Buster has even joined in on occasion, unless he's been kicked out of the group because he's pulled apart any Lego creations.

 

However, one day last week Milly said she would like to go on a bush walk.  It was a beautiful, warm autumn day and we were all keen.  We are fortunate to live near a nature reserve that has a number of walks through it, so we decided to go on a little bush adventure.  With water bottles packed, mosquito repellent applied, and our hats on, we set off.

 

 

 

We hadn't gotten far on our walk, when we realised one member of our family was lagging behind due to his legs being a little bit little.  The all important walking stick he had found earlier was weighing him down and he was getting tired.  Plus, let's face it, he just likes to be carried around every where.  So it was Michael to the rescue.

 

 

Further down the bush track we heard a rustling of leaves and for a second worried it might be a snake or lizard.  Instead we saw a small dark lump toddling through the bush and moved in closer to see what it was.  It was an echidna, and it was burrowing itself in the leaves under a tree.  We have never seen an echidna outside a zoo or animal exhibit, so to see one "in the wild" was the highlight of our walk.

 

 

 

But not everyone was happy.  Someone didn't want to be on the bush walk anymore, and we hadn't been walking more than 15 minutes.  Someone said their legs were tired and they refused to keep going.

 

After some gentle persuading, we managed to get everyone moving again and continued on.  Suddenly, Milly recognised one of the paths we had chosen to take, as she had been on a school excursion to this reserve late last year.  She became re-energised and excited because it was all feeling familiar again and she thought there might be an end to the walk in sight.

Our nature boy Henry was leading the way and spotting tiny insects everywhere he looked.  It was such a peaceful walk and we didn't see or hear another sole on our track.

And all it took was finding a colourful feather to bring a smile back to her face.