Seasons of Joy: Cycling and Trampolining

This week I have spent a rather delightful time……. school planning!  Yes, and really enjoying it too.  I am excited about the next ten weeks.  We have lots to get through and a few changes to try out.  I love new terms and am envisaging many hours spent cuddled up to my youngest two reading and playing.

I also have goals to exercise a bit more and took courage in my hands and gingerly stepped onto the trampoline.  I wasn’t entirely sure it would hold my weight and had nightmares of stepping out and promptly falling through.  I did (step out) and didn’t (fall through).

Actually bouncing proved more concerning.  Would the material hold up to not just my weight but my weight bouncing up and down on it?  Would the springs sprong off into next-door’s garden, never to be seen again?  Is there even such a word as sprong?

Tentatively I began rock my weight up and down.  It seemed to be holding up so I tried a few bounces.  Apart from a squeak from the springs and excited squeals from little children who were desperate to bounce with me, all was well.  A few more bounces.  As can be seen, by this point the whole family had joined me to laugh at encourage me:

I had plans to do ten minutes each day and build up.  Bouncing is unlike any activity I have ever done before.  As bits of my body rose up into the air, other bits were running (so to speak) to catch up.  In fact it reminded me a bit of travelling by ferry at night on very rough water.   A few minutes of bouncing was all my bladder could cope with and I gave in gracefully and excused myself to go to the loo (after all I’d had five children, carrying two of them at the same time.  My body is not as it was!).

My plan is to pelvic exercise first and trampoline sometime in the future!

Gary suggested bicycling, on the basis that bouncing would be kept to a minimum and we could do it as a family.  Given how much enjoyment everyone got from seeing me bounce, albeit only for a minute or so, I’m thinking trampolining could be termed a ‘family’ thing.  Trampolining aside, I agreed,  so we are servicing our bikes, buying one for B4 and the older girls as well as some sort of wheeled contraption for the younger ones to use for longer rides (how long is a longer ride??  That’s what I want to know)  It allows the young child to have handles to hold on to and pedals to pedal but they are safely attached to your bike at all times.  Gary and Thomas are also reflooring and refelting the roof of our bike shed:

We are hoping by next week to have all bikes and contraptions operable for some family bike rides.

As well as school planning and defying the laws of gravity, I have been browsing blogs.  I NEVER have time for simple browsing.  I was looking for eye candy but not of the male variety (no need to worry, Gary).  I wanted to find the type of beauty I used to find when I could afford to buy Country Living magazine.  I happened across a really lovely Norwegian blog with stacks of photos of inside and out.  Pure inspiration to get me excited about trying to do over my kitchen.  She has a lovely large breezy kitchen where as mine is (equally lovely) but tiny.  I adore my kitchen but I can’t swing a mouse let alone a cat in it.  I have been wanting to get it more user friendly and organised, as well as making some curtains to hang by the door and windows and maybe some herbs for the window sill.

Next week I hope to put some of this newly acquired enthusiasm to good use to revamp my kitchen for no money what so ever.  Big ask?  Oh yeah, but I’m up for the challenge!