At every opportunity, any given day, despite the weather, at the weekend, walking/cycling/scootering to nursery/school, after school, whenever possible…. The young brains need to be aired and Leo&Raph’s certainly were. It was good for the mum as well. It was our time together. They learnt how to climb, how to jump, how to crawl and how to fall without crying, simply brushing themselves off and enjoying the rest of the day. The tears only ever came when they really hurt themselves, which luckily was very rare.
In the summer at weekends I’d pack sandwiches, fruit, nuts and chocolate in the rucksack and off we went on the bikes for the day, stopping in the playgrounds on the way or kicking ball in the park. We would take a bus up the mountain and walk all the way back home, discovering wild animals, nature at its best, soaking up the warmth of the sun or go for a swim in the lake.
In winter, with snow all around us, we would grab sledges and walk through the forest up to a mountain hut where we would stop for a wonderfully delicious casserole and blueberry/cheese strudel with a hot chocolate. Once the bellies were full we would sledge down the mountain screaming of joy all the way. Raph, the daredevil, loved to go as fast as possible. My heart was in my mouth on many occasions. Leo on the other hand was always more cautious but nonetheless fearless.
The sport I absolutely loved to pass on to the boys was skiing. I taught them myself, between my legs they found their first turns and soon found their own feet and styles. Leo was the classy skier with perfect turns and calculated speed to maximum perfection, Raph was more aggressive and only interested in how fast he would get to the bottom. To my delight and to the skiing club parents disbelief, Leo won 5th place in the regional competition without ever been coached by professionals, only his loving mum. Proud I was indeed.
frombrotherswithlove 