Tunstall forest

The glorious weather continues but the boys will just get frazzled if we stay at the beach all day so we decided to take a stroll in a forest 40 minutes away by car. I have since found out that there is a closer one - Dunwich - but the butcher, Ross, told me today that it's always full of people. So the extra 20 minutes was worth the tranquility. In the two hours that we were there we saw just one couple walking their dogs.

I took Misha to the one path I know, which is an easy quadrangle and quite open. Although we didn't take the pram, Alastair doesn't always feel like walking and prefers shoulders if he can get away with it (which he always can with Misha, but it's never certain with me!). Gregor is a great walker already and does what we do. Mindful that Alastair still doesn't look where he's walking and is constantly tripping over things, we resisted going too deep into the forest with just our shorts and bare legs.

Gregor is into sticks at the moment. Whenever we are walking where some are, he'll pick them up to add to his collection that I just chuck out again when he's unaware. Sometimes he tries to "spire" you, and utters strange phrases and names of things he gets from his schoolmates that I have to smile at because it's lovely to understand their influences, even if they are ones you wouldn't actively promote. But mostly he's just busy doing his thing.

And peeing in the bushes is no exception.

Alastair, as ever, is happy in Gregor's company and watches all that he does, but is increasingly branching out on his own too. He is becoming proudly aware of his achievements and is more confident, particularly as his walking and balance improve.

After the cow debacle the other week, I thought that this pastoral setting would restore Alastair's faith in countryside animals, but he demonstrably protested at their baaing. Ho hum...