A walk in the meadow

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With my dear brother Joe, teacher, writer, artist, intellectual, handsome, all towering 6'4" of him and the boys, we walk to the nature reserve, a few miles from Mum and Dad's house.

How delightfully this area has been preserved for future generations! Protected lands which reach all the way to London by means of footpaths, community forests, ancient woodlands and open countryside. One million trees planted, and wildlife in abundance. Meadows allowed to run wild, wetlands and educational pathways. I love it. I've walked with Mum here on many occasions during my trip back home and rejoice in bringing "Oh-ju" as Callum calls him along this time to help with the nappy changes.

With my brother Joe and the boys, we walk to the nature reserve, a few miles from Mum and Dad's house. Its mission:
"to renew and regenerate the landscape at the edge of East London and South Essex by creating Thames Chase, the Community Forest: a varied wooded landscape for local people to influence, create, use, enjoy and cherish"

How delightfully this area has been preserved for future generations! Protected lands which reach all the way to London by means of footpaths, community forests, ancient woodlands and open countryside. One million trees planted, and wildlife in abundance. Meadows allowed to run wild, wetlands and educational pathways. I love it. I've walked with Mum here on many occasions during my trip back home and rejoice in bringing "Oh-jo" as Callum calls him along this time to help with the nappy changes.

Callum's a good sport, daintily, furtively stepping through the weeds and thistles and emerging with a big smile on his face.

I've decided I will leave for Bournemouth where Joe lives, a 4hr train journey this evening with the boys with Joe taking my case for us ahead of time in his car. The boys are well behaved having expelled much energy in the open air today and stories, singing and signing along the way keep them happy. I arrive close to 9pm exhausted and Joe and Amanda treat us to a wonderful homecooked seafood meal with wine before getting me settled back at my sister Anne-Marie's home for the night. Anne-Marie's away in Turkey so we'll have the place to ourselves even if sadly I'll miss spending beach days with her and Aurora. I've set myself a difficult challenge without mum to help, I know, having both boys and doing Reuben's nightshift tube feeds, treatments and meds, but...

I do love to be beside the seaside!