Settling into Cottage Isolation

All mountain activities have ceased for the time being so I've been spending a good deal of time over the last week devising online Outdoor Education activities for my students. Here in Wales, we are still allowed out to exercise once a day as long as it's to and from our front door (i.e: you can't drive somewhere to then go for a walk). Naturally, we've been trying to make the most of this daily freedom. We've biked on three days this week, two of which involved a very steep start up the hill behind The Cottage.

We hugely appreciate, now more than ever, our proximity to wild spaces.

Which are now quieter than ever, without any visitors.

One of the tasks I have set my students is to adopt a plant or flower wherever in the world they are. They have to check in with it each day and watch how it has grown day by day. I've encouraged them to give the plant a name - this is mine, who we now know as Geoffery.

Even on foot, we can get straight onto a network of footpaths. We got a glimpse of the sea in the distance above The Cottage.

As with many gardens around the country, they are suddenly receiving a lot of attention from their housebound owners. Geoffery got a little bit too much attention from the lawnmower this morning and lost a few leaves, but thankfully escaped relatively unscathed! Phew!

As well as being able to walk and bike from The Cottage, the real savior so far has been the weather. A spell of high pressure has given Wales it's best period of uninterrupted sunshine in months. Of course, it's a shame that we can't make us of it up in the mountains, but it has made getting into a new 'local' routine all the more pleasant.

This afternoon's bike lap of the hill behind us gave us a glimpse of Snowdon's summit. I imagine the last time when the top of Wales' highest peak would have been left unclimbed in such conditions must have been in 2001 when the National Park was last closed due to the Foot and Mouth disease.

One task that I had set some pupils, was to come up with a way of working out which way is north, without using a compass and then test it out. One reply that I got back, I had never heard of, but tested the hypothesis, and it seems to be correct! You should try in out and let me know if it works for you? I was told to check out the JumboJets in the sky. Apparently, in the UK they generally travel East to West in the mornings and West to East in the afternoons. So they do!

It's Friday night now and the Easter Holidays have technically begun. Having lived in The Cottage now for ten years, We've never had an Easter in Wales before, so there is still plenty of novelty to keep us entertained around here. Looks like the skis can take a rest this year though....