Gruffalo Wood

I make no apologies for the fact that this is my 3rd bluebell blip in as many weeks. This is our favourite spot in a nearby wood. We have had several picnics whilst sitting on that log, and also several bottles of champagne - on various separate occasions I may add.

Our elder grandson (aged 4) calls it "The Gruffalo Wood" and it does bear more than a striking resemblance to the setting in the Gruffalo book. Four weeks today and they will be here - we are so looking forward to it. :-) They live in Taiwan , so can't make it over here most weekends. :-( It's almost 2 years since their last visit.

Where they live, they don't have woods, only tropical rain forest. The first time he saw a rabbit in England, and it went hoppity-skippeting back under a hedge, he shouted "Look Nanny. Rabbit has gone back to the forest" as he had no other English word for it.

For this visit, he has asked me if he can try eating fox. How do you explain to a 4 year old (who has never seen most British wild animals except on the bedroom curtains that I made for him) that some animals are generally eaten, and some are never eaten?

"Silly old fox, doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a gruffalo!"