Blog Challenge: Great Adventure #19

Friday was another surprisingly sunny day, so after a late afternoon nap (Ebony’s, not mine), we decided to head to a nearby park for some paddling. I packed a swimming costume (again, Ebony’s, not mine) just in case, and we set off. It was just me and Ebony this week so I didn’t take the camera and had to rely on my phone, so sorry about the crappy photos.

We used a different entrance to the park, which ran along a private road so Ebony was able to walk much of the way. There were fields of sheep and cows, and the sun was beaming down on us. It made me feel thankful we live in such a beautiful place (well, ok, maybe not our actual estate), and so close to natural beauty.

We went paddling for our great adventure in week 8 (you can read about it here), but haven’t been for a while because of the weather. Although it was a hot day, the temperature was starting to drop and the stream is shaded by trees so I wasn’t sure whether Ebony would want to paddle. I needn’t have worried though, as soon as we reached the water she took her swimming costume out of my bag, and lifted her arms in the air.

The water was chilly, but Ebony didn’t seem bothered at all. She stomped about splashing through the water, wading past fallen leaves in autumn shades. She threw stones as far as she could (not far), and kept choosing stones for me to skim across the river. The river gets deep quite quickly, but is fortunately clear enough to spot this, and I had to keep asking Ebony to come back to shore. She’s far too brave nowadays, always marching off in the opposite direction.

We stayed in the water for a good twenty minutes, occasionally sharing it with canine visitors, and then Ebony announced she was cold and wanted “hoooome”, so we made our way back up the bank. We sat on a bench for a while and ate a snack while she dried off, and then I was able to get her dressed. The walk home took ages because Ebony walked most of the way back to the main road. There were acorns falling from the trees, and each time one dropped she had to go over, inspect it and pick it up. We watched a squirrel darting around in the trees, and she spent a while shouting “MOOOOOO!” at the sheep.

We had a really nice time exploring this week. Now that she’s a bit older and more able to communicate, our outings feel more like spending time together than me looking after her. I know how lame that sentence sounds, but it’s true.

I hope you’ve all had some great adventures this week too!

Have you read my first great adventures post?