Winter Wonderland
- Details
- Category: Blog Tuesday - Mrunal
- Written by Mrunal
You may have noticed that it snowed last weekend. There was enormous excitement in my household. Actually, that’s an overstatement. My wife was less than impressed , she had a work trip to Strasbourg the following day and was worried about getting stuck on the Eurostar. The kids were non-plussed because they are too small to understand what snow is really about. OK, I admit it - it was me - I was excited - more excited than a Frenchman on a garlic farm.
This was the first year that the kids would really be able to play in the snow – this was the first year that they could both walk and I was determined to make the most of it.
Soon after getting up, we were all wrapped up and waiting to embark on our first polar mission in the hallway. Both of my skinny kids looked somewhat rotund in the undershirt, sweatshirt, jumper, fleeces and coats they were wearing. As we opened the door to the big, white, brave new world I was holding Meri’s hand and Clare had Arun.
I looked at the snow, looked at Meri and said, “Snow, Meri, snow!”
She looked back at me with her big brown eyes and said “Noe!”
As we stepped outside Arun and Clare were off. He loved it and showed no fear. He was stomping down the street in his wellies. Meri, on the other hand looked worried. She refused to step off the porch. Instead she turned to me and tried to get me to pick her up. Being a kind, sensitive, protective father, I refused and shoved her out the door.
After a few complaints, squawks and shouts of “No!” (or was that “Noe!”), she soon got the hang of it and was storming down the street taking in the mystery of it all. By the time we reached the park at the end of the road, they were both loving it. Arun figured out that he could fall down in the snow without hurting himself and so spent a fair whack of time making his first snow-angels.
After about half an hour we decided to head home. I rounded up Arun and as Clare was collecting Meri, I saw our next door neighbour with her daughter out walking the dog. She came up to me and we spent a moment surveying the scene. All around us were dozens of snowmen and countless happy families laughing and enjoying what nature had provided.
“Isn’t it lovely?” I said as Lucy approached, “It’s like a Victorian winter scene.”
“Idyllic,” she agreed, “You could take a picture and use it for your Christmas cards.”
As we were chatting I could hear a commotion. Clearly someone’s child did not want to go home.
“It’s why I like living round here,” I continued to Lucy, “You get a real sense of community watching all these families playing together.” The noise was getting louder. The voices sounded a little familiar.
“This is what having a family is all about,” I said proudly just as Clare stormed past us carrying a struggling, screaming and red faced Meri who very clearly disagreed with our decision to end her snow adventure so early. As they passed I heard Clare say, “You’ve been a very naughty girl Meri. No! You do not behave like that.”
“I think we’d best be going,” I said to Lucy as I took Arun by the hand and we followed mother and daughter back up the street.
