Good Lord, has it been a week already? I know promised you a double bill from last weekend, but fine weather intervened and I have been off honing my pop-up for the forth coming Billbabong Triple-X 'Dude or Death' Big Slab challenge up Mullaghmore way. And to everyone else but Moss, that means I've been out surfing.
Anyway, after the steam-driven excitement of Saturday, we took ourselves off to contemplate the more serene beauty of the woods in the Noboribetsu mountains. There is a nature centre there and they run a series of monthly encounter programmes for both children and adults. This is Cian's second year taking part, and last year's shy reticence has given away to a commanding familiarity, as he chats freely with the guide, Sato-chan, and tells the other, younger kids where to go and what to look at.
That said, the number of parents eager to have their children learn something about the world's wild places seems to have declined quite precipitously. This time 12 months ago, there were close on 50 children in attendance; last Sunday we were down to 19, and seven of those were under the age of two (and they spent most of the time asleep).
In some ways this was a welcome development as, say, we could actually stop and hear the trilling call of the Siberian Rubythroat as opposed to listening to the frightened shriek of the Siberian Rubythroat as 50 excited kids stampeded hither and thither through the forest.
Still, you have to wonder. It was a glorious spring day with both woods and meadows to gambol among, leaves to be plucked, tadpoles to be poked, and small creepy crawly things to be ran away from. What more could you possibly want from a Sunday morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment