Well, we’ve fallen into a nice routine here in the school hols where David and the boys go off on a hike every weekend. We see it as a good opportunity to drag them away from their computers and see some of the country and David gets to do something he loves after a week working.
I feel a little bit guilty about staying behind – it’s not like I don’t need the exercise – but I think it’s a nice thing for my boys to do things together without dear old Mum tagging along, nagging about putting on sunscreen. And David doesn’t pay any attention to complaints so there are relatively few of those and a chance for some good guy chats.
I did have these hikes in mind when we first set off for California. I bought David “60 Hikes within 60 Miles of San Francisco,” by Jane Huber and a fine pair of hiking boots in Auckland before we left.
Don’t get me wrong, if they were going somewhere very scenic (and near water or a water view) I would elbow my way in and ask myself along. But I find plenty to do in their absence. Frankly the time flies – I’ll usually go off for a local walk which is gratifyingly more likely to involve me tripping across a cafe on the way home. The boys seem to think I will start whining on a hike if I don’t have a tea stop after half an hour, which I find unreasonable.
Admittedly, I need a tea stop half an hour after arriving at an art gallery or a museum – those places just make me thirsty. But that would be impractical on an 8 mile hike. I’d bring a thermos and home made muffins for morning tea to consume after an hour in or something. Yes that might slow things down but I think everyone would thank me. And perhaps it works in my favour not to make it too enjoyable when I come along.
And a big week this week with my Melbourne family in town. Lots planned culminating with a visit to the Francis Ford Coppola winery in Sonoma. Always a treat.