On a hot sticky morning my mum and her partner, along with Leo and I, set
off in search of the beautiful Kew Gardens. A tremendously magical open space,
perfect for a boisterous toddler! Once through the line we were met face to
face with what appeared to be Treebeard, from Lord of the Rings. While everyone
else was excited to have their photo taken with him, my usually fearless toddler
was not. We had a glorious morning filled with many memorable moments but I am
sure that catching a glimpse of the “Treeman” will be the moment that stays in
Leo’s memory the longest. I didn’t even get a second to snap a quick photo as
Leo took one look at the man and started shouting “Nooooo I don’t like it!” while
scrambling madly to return to the safety of his pram. It took a lot of coaxing
and reassuring that the Treeman had gone home and didn’t have keys to get back
in. Eventually Leo was ready to set out on foot to explore his magnificent
surroundings.
Once paths had been sufficiently strutted down, flower beds
had been gazed at and we had ran in and out of the Waterlily House a few dozen
times, Leo was ready to rest by the duck pond. My little man is a delightful
little chatter box, exclaiming every time a duck came by, and reminding all of
us that we were not allowed to join them in there for a swim. Feeling a little
bit peckish and worn out from the heat, we went off to hunt down the prefect
shady spot to snack in.
Toddlers tend not to sit long and mine is no different, as
soon as his food was devoured, Leo persuaded us into a game of hide and seek.
How can I say no to that cheeky little face?!
We arrived at the tree top walkway, something I was quite
happy to use my toddler as excuse not to climb up the 18 metre high structure.
However, Leo had other plans. He headed straight for the staircase exclaiming “I
too excited to wait!”. My 2.5-year-old climbed up like a champ not even
blinking an eye that we were in fact higher than the monstrous trees that surrounded
us, whilst I trembled inside and gripped on with dear life to the railing.
After all that running and exploring, someone was tuckered
out and ready for a shoulder ride back through the many trees and gardens,
towards the gate. Not before checking that the treeman was nowhere in sight
and would not be joining us on the train ride home.
GREAT job maya rose. its beautiful that you started this. this was my first read! keep on sharing tales with us!
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