The boy is a born adventurer, it's in his blood.
So we donned the boots and comfy clothes and equipped with a snack-packed Star Wars rucksack we ventured out on our seven mile hike.
*Incidentally, I dismissed the boy's suggestion to take water as we weren't going far and later regretted that decision as it was actually quite warm!
I cannot tell you how lovely a day with my boy was. I live my days in constant worry of him as on a day-to-day basis, he's not interested in learning the things that his schoolboy-peers are gearing towards. As he told me 'Mum, when we have an Alien Apocalypse, I'll be fine!' Right! That doesn't make me feel a whole lot better.
We've recently started up a history group with a number of other families. For the past two weeks we've been learning about Prehistoric Britain. It's incredibly interesting! My boy is totally a 'Hunter gatherer man' in the making. Already, at the tender age of ten, I am confident that he could survive for a few nights in the wild. But how relevant are these skills in today's society where life is all about how well you did in your exams (how good your memory skills are), whether you can use a computer and how much beer you can sink? Listening to the young man gibber on - undistracted myself, was a heart warming experience. My boy may not be taking the traditional path but he is filled with knowledge and not just that, he is able to apply his knowledge to everyday situations. Barely ten feet passed when I wasn't alerted to something fascinating ....'Look at.....did you see?.....Wow!' I really was blown away.
A mile into our walk and I was put in a position out of my comfort zone. A dead pheasant next to the road, clearly a victim of a 'hit and run' crime. The boy lifted its head and with the onset of rigour- mortise the whole body - flattened in its mould to the concrete, lifted with it. Hmmm! He carefully lowered it down and took a step forwards, then out came the string.......
Look at that mischievous face!
'Boy!'
'I'm taking it.....'
'Surely not! You have no idea how long it's been there'.
'I'll take it now and smell it. Besides, I have been looking for a real target. I need to see if my arrows will really penetrate through flesh'.
Oh boy! Yuck!
But I cannot knock him. Although a lover of animals and all living creatures, he has a point. Better to test your arrows on a dead pheasant then to badly injure a living one!
So there we were two lonely travellers walking with a road-killed pheasant onto the grounds of a local shooting estate. This was going to be interesting! We engaged in conversation about what we were going to say should we be challenged carrying said 'dead pheasant' dangling on a piece of string!
It wasn't long before dead pheasant became heavy and the string was cutting into his little hands. I was not about to offer my services! The boy of course had a solution and tied his piece of string onto his walking stick (another essential walking implement). Now looking quite a lot like Dick Whittington, we carried on.
We could hear a keeper in the woods, even passed his gun sleeve and jacket, but we were not challenged and thankfully, neither were we shot!
Selfie....pheasant had to be in on the act!
Our walk was full of incredible finds. We tracked animals from their droppings and faeces, we filled our Skittles pouch with blackberries, we picked fresh watercress from the stream and Boy of course hopped in and found a couple of crayfish hidden under stones which he wanted to bring back but you know, I wasn't too happy offering to carry those!
A mile to go and the need for refreshments incurred. I was so pleased the boy had thought to bring some little snacks and rather disappointed in myself for dismissing the need for water. Hey ho! A little rest in the shade and we were off on our last leg home.
Fresh watercress....it rather wilted by the time we arrived home but was non-the-less delicious souped!
I learnt so much from my boy during that walk which I realise that in my bid for him to toe-the-line I am quite literally distracting from the person he is on a very strong mission to become. He has taught himself so many life skills. Okay so he may not be able to write or read at the level of kids of his age but he can survive and he knows about the real world not the mindless world that we are often living in through technology. I am actually in awe of him!
You go boy, go out and become a man :-) XXXX
