How did Tom do? (Part two)

Posted by Rosie

Last week I started to go through the National Trust's list of "50 things to do before you are 11¾" because Tom has now reached the great age of 12.  Here's the next set to see whether he can better his score so far of 9/13. Link to Part One here.

Mud, glorious mud!

13.  Make a mud pie - Oh yes and all too often with an ensuing mud fight as happened with these friends who were in the gite!  You really did NOT want o see the bath after these 4 horrors had been in it!

14. Dam a stream - we have a little local stream and the boys regularly dam it.  All I can say is thank goodness it's not a big enough stream to then flood the farmer's fields!

15.  Go sledging - yes although not this winter as to date we have had no snow. However, the boys and Simon are heading to the The Alps next week for their annual ski trip and I am sure there will be sledging as well as skiing down the odd black run.  Please Ben, just be extra careful going off piste this time.  I really don't want THAT telephone call from Dad again to say you have fractured your spine (SHOCK).

16. Bury someone in the sand - I think poor old Simon has been buried more times than he cares to remember!

17.  Set up a snail race - Despite have some large snails here called escagot de Bourgogne (known as Roman snails in the UK) I don't think he has ever done this so we have our first NOPE.

A very young Tom balancing on a fallen tree

18.  Balance on a fallen tree - yes and fallen off a few as well.  I think he was just 4 having fun on this fallen tree at Camer Country Park in Kent (and I loved that coat!).

19. Swing on a rope swing - We have a small rope swing in our play area but before they moved, friends had a massive one in a tree which the boys loved playing on ... although I usually looked away when they went really high!

Mud, mud and even more mud!

20.  Make a mud slide - Both boys have played around in the mud and slipped loads and come home covered in mud from head to toe but I am not sure Tom has actually made a proper mud slide.  So another NOPE here.

21.  Eat blackberries growing in the wild - yes - and wild garlic and hazelnuts and chestnuts and discovered that sloes are far too sour to eat and make your mouth feel like it has turned inside out!

22. Take a look inside a tree - there is a hollowed out tree on our front drive!

23. Visit an island - Does Jersey count?  I think so don't you although I doubt the boys would remember as they were very young.

24. Feel like you're flying in the wind - many a time especially up on the top of the rocks at Clécy where people para-glide from and boys rock climb when it's dry.

So - that that gives a sub total of 10/12 and a total to date of 19/24.  I'm pretty pleased with that :)

Linking up with Let Kids be Kids Linky and Country Kids.  Both links celebrate childhood fun away from technology for a while - something I am very passionate about (she says sitting in front of a computer writing this blog!)