a stroll at the tunnel

it's the first day of school holidays for us here in wa and as luck may have it, it's also a public holiday so dad is home! so much to the disgust of our children, we decided to go outside and for a decent walk. we had actually decided to go to balls rapids (as we've lived right by it for 6 years and still haven't been!) but when we drove up, there was literally about 100 cars there... so we decided the swan view train tunnel was a better option.

for a kid that didn't want to go, he was pretty keen on the walk!

last time we brought the kids out here, alex was still in the pram. this time he loved running through the tunnel and splashing in the puddles left from all the rain we've had!

i have always been a huge fan of the tunnel. it looks so amazing, just there in the middle of the bush. i actually said to doug this visit that i wondered why they had closed it after so much effort... and when we came out the other end, i realised there was a bunch of signs with the history printed and in pictures. turns out, after all that work, it was a ventilation issue - all the smoke from the train was a hazard to the passengers and employees, so eventually a new track was constructed (around through the rock again) that bypassed the tunnel. 

it's a lovely walk, as the track is high on a ridge with a valley of bushland running down beside you, just a little horrifying with a three year old who seemed determined to dance along the edge

because as you can see behind us, it's quite the drop!

it was a lovely day, heaps of wildflowers blooming and cheerfully lining the track

i actually wish you could smell these - they smell like heaven!

and we all had a really good time.

i honestly wouldn't want to live anywhere else but here. i love the trees and the bush that just seem to go on forever.

of course we had to climb all the rocks, pick everything up, wander wander wander... walks are always so much longer with children. i remember when i was very small (maybe 4 or 5 years old) my grandfather joseph came to stay with us on the farm so that he could paint the house for my parents. we would go walking around the paddocks and he would walk so slowly, so he could look at everything. it was so nice to be with him and spend that time. he was my absolute favourite and i still look back on that time with love.

joseph didn't want to walk back through the tunnel but everyone else did, so we walked around the ridge and chatted, mostly about nintendo and lego (insert yawns and eyerolls here from me!)

then it was time to go back to the car and head back to the swan valley for the promised reward of icecream and a play at oggies cafe.

a walk with the boys

while maddie has been off enjoying a sleepover at the pinkers, joseph was miserable because he wanted to be there too. it was almost funny, but i started to feel sorry for him when he kept asking over and over when maddie was coming home. so i found him something to do yesterday that would entertain him for a couple of hours.

i bundled both the boys up into the car along with the pram and josephs little bike and drove out to the old train tunnel in swan view. joseph has been dabbling with riding the bike without training wheels for a while, but just wasn't committing to it, but recently he's been riding around the grass at the park and getting his confidence up so i figured it may do him some good.

i wasn't wrong! the minute we go onto the walking trail, he was off, leaving me behind in his dust as i pushed alex along. we got to the tunnel and actually walked all the way through (last time we came almost two years ago he was having none of it) which i will never do again with a pram, because it was near on impossible... i ended up having to swap the handle over and put the big wheels first, but it was worth the effort to make the boys happy.

success! out the other side. we set off again and joseph rode along 50 or so metres in front of me the whole time like he was embarrassed to be seen with me haha.

eventually i told him it was time to turn around so that we didn't get too far from the car and risk him complaining the whole way back and the little monkey sped off and took the trail back while i freaked out the entire walk back because i couldn't see him and worried he could have gotten lost or fallen down the drop down by the path. ohhhh being a mum is scary sometimes.

but... when i finally made it back there he was sitting patiently on a rock by the carpark. i was unimpressed, but very grateful he was safe.

we did have a lovely afternoon though and i was so impressed with joseph's newfound riding ability. it won't be long before he's got it perfect!

joseph's favourite part was when i let him climb up this giant rock and stand on the top where he could see for ages.

i guess being a boy mum isn't all that bad. ❤

daily walks

we've been walking nearly every day in the past few weeks while we are obediently staying home (other than this!) and social distancing. we have walked past this park over and over, but had no idea what was there! from the road it just looks like bushland...

then the other day madeline said again to me, "mum what's down there?" so we went down the very uneven path and found ourselves a little oasis. at the end of a wooden boardwalk style path there is a roman bath style lake, with a few steps around the edge going down into the water - and even a waterfall! it is just gorgeous, other than the colour of the water haha and they have started calling it the secret garden.

the kids were loving the bunch of ducks swimming about and promised they'd be back to feed them soon...

which we have every day since! they must be loving life. bread, cereal... you name it, my kids have fed it to those poor ducks. maddie has even named one of them deanna, but says she doesn't have any duck friends cause she is always off far away from the others.

we also explored this incredibly gorgeous lane way that we have often spied from the car, but have never had the chance to walk through. it is so beautifully cared for with such gorgeous bushes and flowers growing down both sides - which clearly has not been done by our local council...

apparently it's done by the people that live either side and i love them for it! what a gorgeous thing to do.

the kids love it and want to walk through there all the time now and i can't say i blame them... i am rather partial to it myself.

i am loving our walks - this time with the kids each day chatting is the best! 

walking to school

these kids are suddenly excited about walking to and from school... and seeing as the weather is changing and it's finally getting cooler, i am okay with it! maybe it will even be good for me... haha! the walk is about 1.6kms and part of it is up quite a steep hill...

which looks like this...

but feels like this! (thank you peppa pig for the visual aids)

but i will persevere... and this kid at least loves it! he has been dozing off most of the time, so that's a win for me! ♥

he's walking!

look at our clever little boy! 

two weeks ago he started to toddle along, shuffling just a step or two at a time... but look at him now! over easter he would take a few more, still hesitant... and careful

now he is walking a lot, from place to place, around the house and getting more confident by the day. his balance is good, he's proud of himself... and i am loving it. my sweet little babe, getting to be a big boy. isn't he clever!!