Penny and Rally's Afternoon

This is a couple of days late, but last Sunday was a beautiful day in Bluebell Oaks. The sky was a spotless blue, and the villagers were out and about, making the most of the gorgeous weather before winter sets in. Penny and Rally Farthing decided to enjoy it by their favourite activity: cycling.

Penny has always loved cycling. When she was a child, she used to bike to and from school every single day. She even did a 'cycling marathon' to raise money for a sick friend at the time.

When she married Sandi, the couple moved to the seaside, where Sandi grew up, and Penny had to kiss her woodland bike rides goodbye. Sunny was born, and for nearly ten years the family lived by the sea, sometimes on the sea. Then, when they were expecting Rally, they decided to move back to Bluebell Oaks, only spending summer at the sea.

Penny really got back into biking when Sandi bought her a new bike with a basket for baby Rally to ride in. Up till then, Penny hadn't wanted to go biking without her baby.

Ever since, Penny and Rally have made full use of the bike, and adore their cycling trips together. On Sunday afternoon, they set out into the woods.

The weather was suprisingly warm, and the woods were idyllic. Penny is an experienced bike rider and knows how to negotiate her way around tight turns and tricky tree roots.

"Go faster Mummy!" is Rally's constant plea.

"No, honeysuckle, this is a very steep hill. We can go fast once I get to the bottom," Penny said, pushing on the brakes. The truth is, she loves 'going fast' just as much as her son does. 

Unfortuantely, pine needles are rather difficult to go fast on, let alone bike on, especially if it is a thick covering. Rally loves the strong smell of pine needles, even more than the smell of the sea! (although he would never tell his Daddy that!)

Often, they like to get off the bike and go for a wander. It seems that Rally has spied some tasty berries...

"Rally don't touch them!" Penny cried, "It's Deadly Nightshade. If you eat them, they will make you very, very sick."

Rally must learn that even the yummiest and best looking berries can be unsafe to eat. It is a harsh but essential thing that Penny must teach him if he is ever to be safe in the woods.

Today is proving to be a good learning day. Rally wants to climb this 'vine'.

Careful Rally, that looks like blackberry...

"Yooow!! It bit me, Mummy!"

He is fascinated by the funny 'mushrooms'. Rally ate mushrooms for dinner one night, and he didn't like them one bit. He is imagining how terrible these strange ones must taste.

"They're called fungus." Penny seized the 'teaching oppurtunity'. "And no, we don't eat them,"

Rally has never been more relieved! After the mushroom eating experience, he doesn't know what his parents might try to feed him! These fungus may not be good for eating, but they certainly are fun to climb on!

Thanks for reading! I apologise for not posting much recently. It is too dark after school for me to take photos, so I have to do it on weekends. I've been very busy lately but I'm going try find more time for my Sylvanians! 

Hope you are having a great June and a lovely start to Summer/Winter!