Dengineers

One terribly excited young boy exploded into my room this morning full of 'early bird spirit'. "You'll never guess what I've just watched?"....from bleary eyes I ask him to open my second curtain to inform the neighbours that I'm not really still in bed at 9am on a Saturday morning! "Hmmmm?" I try to gather my thoughts as brain slowly engages in action....."Tiny pops?".........."Errr, Noooo! I've just watched Dengineers! It was amazing mum! These guys just created this underground den and it was big and covered with grass! It was a bunker mum!"

Good morning me! What kind of day will today bring?

 He peers out of the window...."Is Archie at school today?" "No". "No!......is it Saturday?"....."Yeah!"...."Yeeeeaaaaah! Girls (he runs off yelling down the corridor) girls, it's Saturday! No work today!"

Big sign....arrrr! Please no, I cannot begin to think about building a den today, not an outside one anyway it's freezing!

"Mum, I wonder if the Dengineers would come to our house and build me a den? Steve Bachel was there too, he's cool!" (Hmmm, yes, I recall he is!)

My mind wonders what sort of den he would assign the team if they did come? He's terribly bossy these days and has very clear set ideas about how things must be.
This boy has always been a den builder. Right from those very early days having to replace the sofa cushions, the chairs and all the blankets has been a regular thing, sometimes several times a day. Recently, I had a client call round and having just tidied the house I beaconed them into my sitting room to show me their garment that needed altering and .......well, you couldn't get more than a foot from the door! The entire floor space had been consumed!

I remember once hearing a Radio 4 programme on the subject. They stressed the need and importance of the activity. I just didn't imagine it would last for so long. The presenter expressed the process as a vitally important act that could be likened to a caterpillar emerging from a cocoon. Hmmmm!

For the past two days F has been busily sawing short pieces of wood in the sitting room (my kindling actually!). When I asked what he was doing he suggested he had decided to make a bird box to sit on the tree stump we have remaining after a partially dead tree was removed. 'What a great idea', I thought! Yesterday a change of plan was announced and said short planks are to now be used to create steps up the trunk to a newly created platform. A platform that is to become a treehouse when time permits! The tree is very small.......

Please do not assume that I have in anyway tried to hamper plans for a den of mass proportion. During the Summer months I did indeed engage in a building project in the famous 'field behind our house'. I made a rugged tipi type structure and covered it will an old green gazebo cover. It was admired for a short while and even played with, just a little, but now the focus has moved on and a new den needs to be constructed in a different location.

The joys of being a woman raising a boy!

Watch this space.....

Bear Grylls....check this out!

Monday morning...the usual early rising and mad rush to make the trip to drop one darling daughter off at her Physics class almost an hours drive away. As usual, one small boy dressed in red and white stripy 'Where's Wally? PJ's' is still in bed until five minutes before leaving time!

Plans change upon arrival at the class and we end up with the morning free until 3pm (just F and I as Dd2 is having a sleepover with a friend). After very little persuading I am talked into taking F to our home ed Forest School session in  small piece of private woodland near to home. I am informed by F that he packed his bag Sunday night in anticipation and would need to gather a few more belongings together before we could make the journey. We also needed to buy some bread (sustenance is extremely important and a major part of the FS experience!). I set the boy down with a £10 note outside the local coop and put in my order for freshly baked loaf, he enthusiastically ran off into the shop whilst I turned the car around. Less than a 'Lambs tail shake' later and he returned grinning with two sliced loaves ( one white one brown) and announced rather proudly that he had only spent £2 and had 'lots of change!' (Besides the point.....).

To cut out the boring bit about my insisting that on line maths is completed and jobs are done etc before we make the journey......all is packed (my lunch too I am told) and we're off :-)

As I gravitate naturally towards the social gathering around the raised camp fire, F takes himself off to another area of the woodland and begins his personal adventure.

The pictures say it all.......

Erecting a shelter....

Building the fire....

Cooking.....

Nom nom...cheese toasty!

Whittling sticks

Everything needed had been packed in the numerous bags that lined the boot of the car....the lighter, the lunch, cooking oil, the pan, mugs and cutlery, tea bags (green tea for me; he's learned how to keep his mum happy:-)), fluffy stuff from wild plants to start the fire, plus....two tarps for building the shelter, a sleeping bag, blanket and a pillow!

*Please note.....Yes adult supervision was available; sort of (although not needed)!

The situation......

The situation is this.......the third child born into our family was a small boy. A boy following two girls......The journey has been different, he has added an element of danger, excitement and the  unpredictable into our lives.
In 2011 I was unexpectedly widowed and so the journey in which 'Woman raises boy' began. It's been a journey where we (the girlies and I) have had to adapt to the needs of the boy and during the process we have faced many challenges, not all ones that we may have chosen!

Welcome and enjoy our journey!

Meet Fenton. Our loveable cherub.......not an ounce of trouble to be seen!