Saturday, May 16, 2020

Early Ventures Out in Lockdown: Memorable Adventure Number 1: Isaac's 7th Birthday Cycle Ride to Wickham and Back through 100 acre woods.


It was like entering a strange new shaky world where everything had closed. Only one week since school had been closed and Isaac's birthday party cancelled. We were allowed to exercise once a day but should we? Who might we meet? How many hundreds of times would we need to wash our hands afterwards. We had a pleading request from one of the children to cycle to the sweet shop. The weather was still quite brisk but off we headed.

It was not the village we were used to! Imagine in all the times since it was 13th century market place that trading has taken place and now most things were closed and locked down. The Pages' Sweetie Shop was closed. As it was Isaac's special day I took him as my one partner into the Co-op and chose some sweets for the others with him. 

We joined the railway line at Wickham and made our way onwards to cross over to Hundred Acre wood. It was a really long journey to our 3 kids. Isaac decided he didn't really want to go cycling on his birthday again! His bike is just a starter bike and has no gears. I was very proud that he kept going though.





After cycling through hundred acres (lifting bikes over gates etc to get there from railway line) We took a new way back to our home in North Boarhunt along the Old Oak Trail. It was lined with gorse and sandy heathland on the entrance. This was a little too exotic for our cold, tired children who were now desperate to be home eating birthday cake. We made it though. And luckily the vast quantities of chocolate robot cake that had been planned for a party that restored the tired 3 children. This will be memorable as our first lockdown bike ride where we met no-one in the first wood and spring was still in winter's grasp.


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