“Daddy, I don’t want to go for a walk,” said Izzy. We’d spent most of the day inside either doing domestic chores or at Helen’s gymnastics class. being a beautiful autumn day, I wanted the kids and I to get out and enjoy some fresh air, hence why I insisted we go for a walk. As you can tell from Izzy’s response, she wasn’t so keen on the idea.
About an hour later, we had to go home. “Do we have to go home?” asked Izzy. “I love it here,” she added.
Sometimes as a parent, you simply know what’s best for your kids and have to plough ahead with your plans, regardless of any resistance you might meet. Clearly this was one of those times!
While Helen and Izzy climbed trees and explored the forest landscape we were walking through, I couldn’t help taking photographs. With horse chestnuts on the ground, the leaves on the trees turning golden brown and freshness in the air that you only experience in September, it was clear that autumn has arrived.
For days I had been walking or driving past the most autumnal of scenes and promised myself I’d get out with my camera. This had been my intention during yesterday’s walk and while I had remembered to bring my camera with me, I had failed to put a memory card in it so it was useless.
The above picture was taken on my phone. This is the kind of scene you only see in autumn. There’s nothing technical behind this picture at all, it’s just very seasonal and it has some surprising detail, especially for a picture taken on a phone.
I have to ask, for those of you with children, do you meet resistance when the idea of walk is mentioned? Do you find, once you have got your offspring out of the house, that they enjoy going for a stroll? Finally, do you like this picture? Does it remind you of autumn?
Going on this walk was definitely worth it for Helen. Another family had been crowding round a tree while their kids’ climbed it. When they’d moved on, Helen had a go a few a climbing the tree herself and found a £10 note on the floor. We decided to run after the family to see if it was their’s. The dad conceded it probably had fallen out of his pocket, but said Helen could keep it for being so honest!
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24 thoughts on “An autumn walk that paid well for Helen”
What a profitable trip! Nice of you to run after the family and see if the money was theirs. Freya loves being outside at the moment. I’m not sure how long that will continue, hopefully a while. I love your photo. It screams autumn. #MySundayPhoto
it was a profitable trip. I remember finding a £1 note on a beach in Dorset as a kid.
Brilliant photo! Those conkers are corkers too! #MySundayPhoto
Thanks, it was certainly looking very seasonal, this I can tell you.
that all sounds very familiar to me, getting kids out is the hardest part, once out they love it!
Yes, getting them out is the hard bit. Staying out is the easy bit!
A very seasonal photo 🙂 Grace is usually up for a walk and Rex has no say in the matter at the moment! Well done to Helen – and how lovely of that man.
Oh when the kids were young enough to put up any resistance. That said, it was a long time ago now.
Hi John, the lack of SD card did make me smile. How many times do we have to forget before we’ll learn to carry a spare? You photograph is definitely autumnal and phones take good photos these days don’t they? , Lovely prickly balls of sweet chestnuts (and you didn’t take them home to cook?)… I’m probably lucky that most of my twos younger years was internet free and television was pretty rubbish too, so getting out was what we did. We would go looking for dinosaurs in the sand dunes or hunting for Peter Pan at what we called Peter Pan island. It was only when we joined the walking group that my daughter, who was fifteen decided that she would much prefer to enjoy having the house to herself than walking (and who could blame her?).
I love this idea of going dinosaur spotting. In fact the kids have been asking for ages of we can go to the Jurassic Coast and go fossil hunting. Inspired by you I may try this. And yes, phone snaps get better all the time fdon’t they?
Ohhhhh, i seriously need to find some sweet chestnut trees. I could just nibble some roasted chestnuts. Your daughter is wonderful for being so honest.
Pay a visit to Kent….It’s rammed with horse chestnut trees! Yes, it was even her idea to return the money.
I’ve always had resistance about walks and they always end up enjoying them! How lovely of the man to let Helen keep the £10 note.
Yes, the £10 note made it all that bit more worthwhile! If that happened every time, I think resistance to walks would be non-existent.
Such a great Autumnal photo. All of the conkers seem to have disappeared in Lancashire; not sure if it’s the local children or not but the shells on the ground are bare. How lucky was Helen! We had exactly the same objections when wanting to get out of the house for a walk today. Moans about going out. Complete you and so much fun and laughter on the walk then moans about having to go home; Even though it was raining. Kids can be so fickle!
Oh yes, kids can be very fickle indeed. I am trying to encourage mine to be more decisive! As for Lancashire’s missing conkers, I’m not surprised they’re long gone. I saw them falling in July this year.
Such detail on a photo capture. I quite agree, a very seasonal capture – I love the texture and colours.
And yes, I’ve noticed the older my son gets the harder it is to get him outdoors – and yet he is always so happy once actually out. Sounds like a lovely walk you had with your family.
Kids are such contrarians aren’t they? I was surprised with the textures and colours seeing as it’s a phone snap.
That is excellent work for a phone snap! Well done.
Thank you, didn’t want it to be a phone snap but needs must and all that!
What a wonderful collection, I think we might go out looking for some soon
Thank you for linking up to #MySundayPhoto
Lovely autumnal picture, we have been spotting the chestnuts as well while we are out.
Totally agree on the parenting front that we have to get them out and lovely that they enjoyed themselves so much they did not want to go home.
A nice lesson on honesty is the best policy. Did she share it with Izzy? #MySundayPhoto.
Yes Elaine, there is a reason schools have two breaks a day for the kids: They need to get out and burn off energy. It was indeed a great lesson in honesty. Cash has not been shared with Izzy, but Izzy is earning some cash in other ways so it will balance out eventually.
These are certainly wonderful treasures #MySundayPhoto