A day in the country...

Living in London's Suburbs can sometimes feel a little claustrophobic. Traffic everywhere, house after house after house... And though I won't deny it's significantly more ideal than living in the inner city, I can't deny I don't occasionally want to up sticks and be somewhere where I feel I can breath (cue timely trip to Lake Constance... We fly to Austria tomorrow... Phew!) Having said that, it's easy to forget how privileged we are, here in London's outskirts, with some beautiful parks and countryside... Just a short cycle ride away.

So yesterday, to make the most of the bank holiday, we donned our cycle helmets and cycled 5 minutes to our local country park. Within minutes, you would not have believed we were so close to the suburbs... I felt like I was right out in the countryside...

And breath.

We cycled and cycled; spotting pretty meadows full of wildflowers, horses grazing, rambling country houses and countless dogs and their walkers (all of whom were greeted by a "woof" by a little person behind me.) Ava sat behind her Papa, pointing at everything they passed and chattering away, commenting on Heidi's "beautiful singing" (which sounded rather more like tuneful wailing from where I was sitting - bless her!) and putting in her opinions about which direction we should turn next.

After a while, we discovered a field, perfect for a picnic, and made ourselves at home. Nothing fancy; cheese and pickle sandwiches, cucumber, and chopped pineapple. The girls roamed the field, and we sat back and breathed in the 'country' air (OK... of course I was snap happy too...)

Just good to remember to be thankful for all the beautiful open places I do have nearby!