We Love Rain - Natural Retreats

I love showing my children the world.  There are so many beautiful sights, so many amazing experiences to be had and you don't always have to travel far.  They delight in exploring the local park as much as they do a foreign country, but we are always looking for adventure.

Our stay at Natural Retreats, Trewhiddle was the perfect base for experiencing Cornwall and our villa was simply stunning.  With four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two balconies and enough social space for a family much bigger than mine, it gave us freedom, comfort and beauty.  

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Beach, Beach, Beach

Autumn has definitely hit, and whilst we are still resisting the central heating, the slippers have definitely re-emerged.  For my family this means our weekends are still spent doing the same things, just with different clothes on.

The beach is one of our favourite places to go, all year round.  Shorts and t-shirts in the summer with bare feet and the essential ice cream and now waterproofs and wellies followed by fish and chips snuggled in the beach hut.  As the weather changes it means we often end up with the whole beach to ourselves and my little buddies just love the freedom.

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Badger Forest School - We Love Rain

I have always loved the idea of forest school, so when Helly Hansen gave us the opportunity to attend one whilst down in Cornwall we were all excited.  Badger Forest School is set in Cardinham Woods near St Austell (and close by to our accommodation at Natural Retreats) and is run by qualified primary school teacher Claire.  Natural retreats was the perfect place to stay to explore the woods as there was a washing machine in our villa and two gorgeous balconies to dry our gear - it definitely needed a wash after the day we had!

The boys fell asleep on the way there and were reluctant to be woken up and changed into their saloppettes and welly boots, but as soon as their feet squelched down into the mud, their smiles came out and Claire did everything she could to make sure they were enjoying themselves.

The boys and Bob the Badger

We waded in the river, throwing in stones, splashing our feet and exploring the stunning environment.  Our wellies keeping our feet dry, and their trousers making sure the water kicked up didn't make them wet.  We squelched through puddles seeing who could jump the highest (with only a few Peppa Pig mentions) and covered our boots in wed mud only to wash them off again in the river.

We sat around the camp fire heating hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows on long sticks.  Claire had talked to the boys all about safety near the fire and they were cautious and careful as they roasted their treats.

We discovered a den that had been built that morning and played inside.  The boys loved the shelter, especially as the rain decided to start falling - perfect timing really as we were perfectly dressed for it.  Hoods went up and we stayed dry.  The rain didn't put anyone off having fun and we went back to the river.  Forest school is very child led and my children were fascinated by the stream, so Claire led us back there to explore further.

With Claire, the lady behind Badger Forest School

The boys were in their element, they thrived on the freedom, the space and being able to explore with no limits.  They could sit in the mud, crawl on the floor and jump in the biggest puddles knowing that when we got back to the car they could take off their overalls and be dry and comfortable again.  Our Helly Hansen gear was bright enough that we could always spot the boys in the greenery and them us.

Archie wore salopettes and jacket in age 3, Dylan wore jacket and salopettes in age 6 and Helly Hansen wellies, I had a Helly Hansen jacket, leggings and wellies and the bloke was wearing their waterproof boots and jacket.  Every piece was well fitted, comfortable and waterproof and it seemed perfectly designed for childhood adventures like forest school.

Finn snuggled up in the sling and protected by Daddy's jacket

If you love rain as much as us then pop over to instagram where Helly Hansen have a fantastic competition.  Share a photo of how much you love rain to enter.  This may not be rain, but I just love the movement, how much Dylan is loving being outdoors, getting wet and dirty and just being free.

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We Love Rain

I like to believe there is no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong shoes.  Even on the wettest days, my boys still need to get out, they still need to run and jump and climb and explore and so long as they have waterproofs and welly boots, there is nowhere we can't go.

These boys are not afraid to jump in the biggest, muddiest puddles (Even if the water rushes straight over the top of their boots), and they think nothing of sitting on a swing for hours in the pouring rain as long as their hoods are up.  The rain means there are new things to see, from watching the way the water droplets hang on the leaves at the park to asking if the sea will fill up from the rain and overflow when we are down the beach.  It ignites their curious side as they check to see whether the water makes the slide more slippery and they love coming home at the end for hot chocolate to warm us back up.

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