runs away with us leaving our memories blurry and fuzzy... The last 4.5 years have been exhilarating. Challenging, frustrating, joyous and emotional. The inner journey continues as we grow with our girls and they show us as we try to show them the path ahead. I get time these days where I can not feel to guilty about spending time on the computer as the girls play. I have avoided computer time as much as possible over the years as we have embarked upon a Waldorf inspired approach in our home. But as they grow and as I have grown in these last few years I feel I am reaching (as temporary as it may be) a balance of understanding as to how much Waldorf can be apart of our home along side all the other aspects of our life. We are never going to be, and I am not sure I want to be, a pure example of a Waldorf home, but certainly aspects of it are very much a part of our life. But this has been an inner battle for me as I struggle to control the very strong need in me to do things by the book, whichever book that may be. I am slowly easing up and realising that all methods have things to offer and being able to incorporate what suits us and the girls is the key, not getting tied up with the should or should nots of one particular path. So you can say this is a small part of my journey over the past year or so especially. I hope that I can continue this blog as a journal of our life that will help us look back and see where we were and where we are travelling. I have been wanting to do this in my head for a while but somehow have not been able to focus. Today has been a day that has inspired me finally to get down to it! 'Stop thinking about it and start doing it' is a moto I definitely need to try to start living by.
As much as I try to incorporate Waldorf into our life there is a very free flowing energy in our home. We very often do things spontaneously and love to try to be out in the fresh air in the outdoors doing something or the other. As the girls are still small and we still have lots of time before anything like 'school' begins we really take each day as it comes. There is heaps of free play and of late I have let go a little bit of the daily activities. But I go in phases, when the energy renews and I feel the girls need a little more focused time we begin again with our daily activities of either, baking, painting, modelling or craft. In some ways we have quite an unschooled approach these days which is free. Lots of free play and as much time on our cycles taking trips as we can muster the energy.
So what was so special about today....... Well Amin has been talking about a cycling route he has been taking and yesterday he gave us a quick taster of it from the back of his Enfield motorbike. But today we decided to would take the cycles. So with both the tag-a-longs attached some bits for a picnic, our picnic blankets and water we set out at 11.30am. Later than we had hoped, but hey, getting out the house quickly and early has never been our strong point! We set off and after the first 20mins we stopped for a quick snack of lovely Poha and pomegranate.
Then we continued into the back lanes where one is mesmerized by the acres of fertile fields lined with Saris of different colours stitched together to make for wind and sun barricades. It really is a beautiful sight. We stopped to take shade near some strawberry fields and requested the farmer if we might pick a few. 
He took us to his ripe strawberry fields and the girls loved picking the blood red ripe strawberries. We admired his maize fields littered with freshly growing french beans, Sky and Summers favourite vegetables! and wild tomato plants that littered the edges of the fields with beautiful green tomatoes ready to ripen. It was magical and we rested here a while.
Then we continued up and down the lanes, (the cycle was tough!) when we happened upon a flock of sheep and goats with their Shepard's. There were lambs and kids all tied to a rope to stop them running after their mothers as they fed in the long grasses and two adorable puppies that loved to play with the girls and also cuddle up to their sheep friends! It was a sight. We enjoyed understanding why the lambs and kids were tied up all bleating for their mothers milk. We must have spent an hour playing with them when we continued our course until we happened upon the base of the nomadic shepherds.
There were two women who were clearing the base ready to move to their next destination. there were four ponies and we watched as they loaded their belongings. When we spotted two tiny black kids (baby goats). They were just 5days old and were so cute. They even searched for their mummy's milk in between Sky and Summers legs. We also noticed a lot of cement type bags which were moving amongst the belongings only to realise that they too were baby goats. The babies are tied up in these bags with their heads poking out so they don't run away. It was quite a sight, something I have never seen before. It intrigued us all, and Sky even felt a little sad seeing them tied in this way until I explained to her that if they didn't do this when they travelled the little ones would get lost and wouldn't be able to find their mummy's again. It was a majestic and beautiful experience as we spent some time watching a talking with these women and got a small window into their life. So different from ours. We left before the sun went down stopped on the way home at the funfair for a few small rides that the girls have been wanting to do these past couple weeks until we reached home at 5.30pm. It was a fabulous day filled with unexpected encounters and beautiful experiences. A day to cherish.........and to inspire me to finally begin our journal. Hope I can keep it up ! Pictures to follow, until next time... 
