The best medicine.

This morning we went a wandering, my smallest and I.

We grabbed our treasure basket and we walked up through the forest and then down through the top orchard.

It had been a while since she'd been well enough to explore outside and we both felt that it would be the best medicine

We wandered along slowly. We stopped and examined and admired and noticed everything.

We stomped in squishy mud, we sliced off bits of furry moss, we looked at shapes in the clouds, we listened to the wind rustling through the trees, we cut flowers of every shape and size and colour and we admired the prettiest fungi we had ever seen. We saw cockatoos and bees and ducks and a ladybug. We climbed trees and orchard ladders and walked along logs pretending we were circus performers. She fell over a few times and thought she was lucky not to land in the prickles.

And she astounded me with her knowledge of which blossoming tree would grow which type of fruit come summer time. Pears and quinces and apples and plums. Yum!

And as we went we filled our treasure basket.

In the beginning there were just bits of gum nuts and twigs and leaves in the bottom of the basket. But as we went we gathered and gathered and slowly it filled until it was over flowing. And carrying an over flowing basket of blooms made us feel like brides. And talking about brides became a conversation about babies. And then she told me that one day she would grow up and have two babies and I would be a granny. And her babies would be a girl called Isabella and a boy called Sam. 

And my breath caught in my throat. Its so silly. But next week my baby will be five and then one day my baby will have babies. Its a long way off but its big. 

And then we took a break and sat up against a big tree for a while. Her breath was still rattly and her skin was still scratchy. I probably should have taken a drink with us.

But we sat there and watched the ants and bugs and we wondered where they were going. And we dug holes with the knife and I showed her how to open and close it. And she practised for a while.

And then we went home.

We had talked about laying all our treasures out so we could look at them, but she was too tired by then. She came in and had a quiet afternoon on the couch instead. Hopefully they'll last til tomorrow.

Hopefully our wanderings were as good for her as they were for me. All that fresh air. All that spring time. The best medicine.

I hope you've had a lovely day.
I hope there was colour and blossom and some treasure too.

And I hope you know that lace charts in knitting read from the right to the left.
And don't have to learn that fact on row 38 like I just did.

Did you learn anything new today?
Did you treat yourself to some good medicine?
Do you have a favourite song?
Are you worried for me about the prospect of brushing that not brushed for a sick week hair?

Later lovelies. xx