Creating Adventures

Having been feeling off colour all week the last few days have seen my general unwellness develop into a fever and headache that kept me awake all last night. I am never too bothered about bouts of insomnia, normally I fall asleep with ease, and when that doesn't happen I read. But last night was awful. The fever made me toss and turn and the raging thirst meant drinking lots of water which in turn meant lots of visits to the loo. Still I had some blog ideas in the small hours that in the cold light of the morning don't seem interesting or appropriate for a blog. Now there's a thing. Interesting. How do you make a blog interesting? Stories about my mum's disconnection with the 21st century (she had never eaten pizza until last week!) or my attempts at thrift are not the stuff of 'must reads' for the masses.
Last week I had a great idea for a book which when I told my friend G about it he insisted that it has already been done. 'Has it? Are you sure? I haven't seen it and I would buy it'.
'No, I'm not sure, but really K, it has to have been done already. I'll Google it.' And what did he find? Zilch. Which goes to show that all the good ideas have not already been done  - just like all the great songs have not already been written. Every time I hear a song that blows me away I think 'well, this is it. There cannot be any more songs this wonderful waiting to be written'. After all there aren't that many notes are there? Or ways of arranging those notes? Is it infinite? And 'I love/hate you' or 'I want you/don't want you' or 'I want to fuck/be fucked' has been said in every way possible. Hasn't it?
Sadly I may not get round to producing my book. I say producing because it really requires little effort on my part other than organisation as it relies on contributions from other people. No doubt I will see it become a bestseller and say 'Bloody hell, I thought of that ages ago' just like I did about 'Friends Reunited' years before that became a reality.
Yesterday was beautiful. March sometimes surprises us with warm sunny days and although I would have liked to have stayed in bed hiding my red nose and bloodshot eyes under the covers I made myself visit my local high street which is becoming increasingly upmarket. Its only supermarket is a M&S, the high street has a bakers, butchers (organic of course), a florist, a greengrocers and a hardware store. It also boasts a library and a lovely Italian delicatessen. The area has also recently acquired a Farmers Market and two really interesting, but, in my mind 'posh' shops, catering mainly to the parents who send their children to the two private schools that are within a 100 yards of the high street. One is a cooking 'experience' shop which displays it 'le creuset' items among tastefully arranged cups that have been designed by some obscure but expensive cup designer. It is all very cheerful and well laid out and at the back is a large glass window behind which is the kitchen where they give cookery lessons. During the school holidays they give lessons to children and in the evenings they teach adults to cook fish, make pasta and bake cakes. When I popped in during half term the kitchen was filled with white children that answered to the names of Rufus or Petronia. Directly opposite this shop is a new toy shop that is run, I am sure, by an ex actress. She is a lovely welcoming woman, with a warm smile and when I went in there yesterday, drawn by a little book I had spotted in the window, the entire middle of the shop, which normally houses big tables displayed with books that have never seen the inside of a WH Smith, was transformed into a craft area where again, lots of white middle class children made collages while their young nannies watched over them. When I say toy shop that isn't exactly what it is. Most of the items for sale are things that children would have to make. So it stocks gorgeous puppet theatres, tree houses and dens made of durable, and I am sure, recyclable cardboard. There is lots of art materials and I found a lovely 'Captains Log' book that I would have loved as a child. What had drawn me in was a lovely little book called 'Adventure Walks for Families in and around London'. Inspired by the sunny day and Bryson's rambling around this isle I crave to walk in woods and fields and this book is a little gem. Not only does it have the details of over 20 walks but it has suggestions on what to do on these walks from stories you can tell, songs you can sing, and games you can play. It give advice on the essential walk pack, it gives you diversionary tactics to use if the children get tired and recommends themed picnics, shows you how to make catapults, build shelters and how to 'mudlark'. It also gives tips on identifying trees and plants. I was pleased to see they included one of my children's favourite walks when they were young - Ashdown Forest and its 'Winnie the Poo and Enchanted Forest' walk. If you go there at the right time of year you can wallow in its bluebell woods. There are several walks in London itself and walks in all the surrounding counties.
Many of my happiest childhood memories are those of rambles with my grandparents. My grandad would cut out the ramble printed in the Evening News on a Friday and we would set off on Saturday morning (by public transport) to the start of the walk and spend many happy hours in woods and fields singing 'I've Got Sixpence' before stopping off at some eatery (it was never a pub) before returning to the bus stop and catching the bus back to Brixton. I am determined to create those special memories for my grandson and springtime will see us 'Walking with Raptors' in Oxfordshire, playing 'Hideouts and Highwaymen' in Epping Forest or visiting 'High Tower' in Surrey. Or even simply flying kites on Hamptead Common or time travelling in Greenwich. The opportunities for adventure are endless.