I’m late, I'm late (cried the white rabbit in Alice) – by my own, self-imposed deadline of writing every
two days – it’s Wednesday and it’s 10.00 am and I’ve only been up for about
half an hour! So I’m late in more than
one sense of the word….
Monday, 3rd of August, the forecast was poor, so
we decided to stay around the house. All
was not well! Ali took the lads off for
a walk in to the “Wild-wood”, which went fine, until the return when she left
Noah at the back door whilst she followed Abel round to the front, only to find
that Noah had taken off for the woodland, and kept going, despite increasingly insistent
calls by us.
Ali followed him (I was looking after Abel at this stage) but Noah just kept on going – and wouldn’t stand still and so found himself lost, at which point there was no denying where he was – you could have heard him in the village – but STILL he kept rushing on!
Ali returned him, much chastened, to the fold – where he was left to a severe conversation with Grandad (why me?) and “penned” for ten minutes on a chair (no physical restraint was involved, but the power of severity reigned and he was just where he had been left when I returned).
And so began a lesson on woodland route-finding, with Dad and Grandad and way-marks and so on. Above all, the main lesson, “If you’re lost, STOP!”
And the bizarre thing was, on the way back, I led us to where we started – which was not the idea! I still cannot work out how that happened, so I’ll need to go back up on my own and try to work out where I went wrong.
However, stress over, we came back down to the fire-pit where Mark lit a fire for us with the steel. Obviously, such a good fire and lunch-time means only one thing when the boys are around; food. Crispy bacon and bread and salady stuff came down from the house and silly camp-fire songs including such masterpieces as “Oh, be kind to your web-footed friends….” Combined to end the morning on a cheerful note.
I don’t remember where the afternoon went, but by supper time the weather had done as predicted and poured solidly and so we ate supper in the main house for the first time this trip.
The forecast was almost as grim (70% chance of thunderstorms) for Tuesday the 4th of August but we decided to bite the bullet and agreed that, if the boys had woken naturally by 7.00 am we would head down to Montebello and Parc Omega. And, of course, they did.
So coffee consumed we drove via the side of
Lac Labelle to the Chateau Montebello for a three-course breakfast waited upon
by a most charming attendant. The boys ate
and ate and ate. Where do they put it?
The answer is – into energy!
On up to the Park / Parc and we began with the Animal show where we were introduced to various charming and interesting creatures, and latterly to a young Bald Eagle, flown on a trace.
Unfortunately,
the trace wasn’t enough to stop it heading for the crowd and landing on the
head of a girl, sitting just next to the boys, where it began to attack her hair band!
Ali followed him (I was looking after Abel at this stage) but Noah just kept on going – and wouldn’t stand still and so found himself lost, at which point there was no denying where he was – you could have heard him in the village – but STILL he kept rushing on!
Ali returned him, much chastened, to the fold – where he was left to a severe conversation with Grandad (why me?) and “penned” for ten minutes on a chair (no physical restraint was involved, but the power of severity reigned and he was just where he had been left when I returned).
And so began a lesson on woodland route-finding, with Dad and Grandad and way-marks and so on. Above all, the main lesson, “If you’re lost, STOP!”
And the bizarre thing was, on the way back, I led us to where we started – which was not the idea! I still cannot work out how that happened, so I’ll need to go back up on my own and try to work out where I went wrong.
However, stress over, we came back down to the fire-pit where Mark lit a fire for us with the steel. Obviously, such a good fire and lunch-time means only one thing when the boys are around; food. Crispy bacon and bread and salady stuff came down from the house and silly camp-fire songs including such masterpieces as “Oh, be kind to your web-footed friends….” Combined to end the morning on a cheerful note.
I don’t remember where the afternoon went, but by supper time the weather had done as predicted and poured solidly and so we ate supper in the main house for the first time this trip.
The forecast was almost as grim (70% chance of thunderstorms) for Tuesday the 4th of August but we decided to bite the bullet and agreed that, if the boys had woken naturally by 7.00 am we would head down to Montebello and Parc Omega. And, of course, they did.
So coffee consumed we drove via the side of
Lac Labelle to the Chateau Montebello for a three-course breakfast waited upon
by a most charming attendant. The boys ate
and ate and ate. Where do they put it?The answer is – into energy!
On up to the Park / Parc and we began with the Animal show where we were introduced to various charming and interesting creatures, and latterly to a young Bald Eagle, flown on a trace.
Unfortunately,
the trace wasn’t enough to stop it heading for the crowd and landing on the
head of a girl, sitting just next to the boys, where it began to attack her hair band!
I don’t think she was hurt, but mostly because she had a big
plait which gave the eagle a decent foot-hold for those wicked claws.
But it was an alarming incident all round!
On then to the wolves and bears – we’ve seen these before of course but the boys, all three of them, and Bryony were enchanted by the experience!
And so in to the main park with opportunities – and insistence by the animals – for feeding at every few metres.
New to us this time were the play grounds, the aerial walk-way ....
and the charabanc ride to the farmyard with its opportunities for ice-cream (!), stroking animals, being butted by a goat (Abel) and pony-rides. And still the sun shone and defied the forecasters.
At last, very late (it was getting close to closing time) last pictures at the gateway and on – to the Sports bar in Tremblant / St Jovite for supper. Where DO they put it?
Bryony drove us home in the dark, the boys fell asleep in the car as we stopped for an age to shop at the IGA in St Jovite and then none of us were long before bed.
LOTS of pictures to follow as you can imagine but I’ll post
this now. And then off to estate work
whilst the youngsters head off for a day on their own. They think we need a rest !
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