Adventure 20 - The one where I we explored The Interior

Where: Bold Park

When: December 2016

My Adventure Companions: The Giant Baby, Velcro Dog and BOB (to be clear, BOB is not a person, he/it is a running pram)

“Are they following us?”

I was taking a little breather after I had turned off the main trail in Bold Park when the couple who I had just passed turned off as well. To be honest, I felt a little annoyed. As much as I like Bold Park, first thing on a Sunday morning it gets a little busy and I was hoping to get some trail time to myself today. Bold Park is only 10 minutes from our home so it is one of the more frequent places I visit for a bit of wilderness. I tend to follow the exterior loop, the Zamia Trail, and as a result I don’t really know any of the interior trails. Today I decided that it was about time I got to know them as well.

The Zamia Trail is packed lime stone, which is great for running and just about acceptable for a running with a stroller like BOB (both my boys seem to love a little bumpy ride sometimes). After my first turn on the main drag, the trail was also packed lime stone. However, after the next turn off the trail slowly turned to sand and then a hill appeared. I would have struggled running up that on my own but with a stroller there was no chance I was making it. So my run turned into a slow, sweaty slog. I got less distance done that I was aiming for but I’m pretty sure I worked just as hard as a regular run, if not harder, pushing The Giant Baby up all those hills today.         

Comments from Mini Monkey: ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya (whilst bouncing up and down in BOB on the trail)

Website: http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/bold-park

Opening Hours: Never closed

Cost: Free 

Adventure 19 - The one where only half the family went on a bike ride

Where: Around Town (Town, being Subiaco). 

When: December 2016

My Adventure Companions: Mini Monkey and Velcro Dog

"Can I go on the bike with Mummy?"

The idea of going on a bike ride as a family has been on the radar for a long time. However, until now, we’ve never had the equipment to do it. However, when the Giant Baby was due to start at a different day care center from Mini Monkey, I made the decision that I would cycle him to day care  and then on to work. This would save us messing around with buses and means I get some regular exercise forced into my day instead of trying (and likely failing miserably) to do exercise for the sake of exercise after the end of my day, which I don’t really enjoy. The Giant Baby loves his bike rides and gets very excited when he knows he’s going out.

As the forecast for the weekend was looking pretty toasty, I decided Giant Baby’s morning nap time would be a good time to take Mini Monkey out on a bike ride to explore the neighbourhood. I also needed to take Velcro Dog for an outing and because I am a multitasking queen I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to try to tire her out a little.

However, prior to this weekend, neither Mini Monkey nor Velcro Dog had ever been on a bike ride. To prepare Velcro Dog I taken her out on our own a couple of evenings with the bike the previous week. She’s pretty smart and used to running with a pram so it wasn’t a stretch for her to understand what was going on. For Mini Monkey, I rigged up my hydration pack to the back of the baby-seat, fitted the Giant Baby’s helmet to him and off we went. We did a lap around the block to make sure he was enjoying himself before picking up Velcro Dog and setting out on our ride proper.

The route I picked had everything a little boy could want to see: diggers, bull dozers, rollers, compactors, trains, boats, busses and more. One of the things I really enjoyed about the ride was being close enough to Mini Monkey to have a good chat. Giant Babay and I don’t normally chat (mostly because he’s only 12 months old and doesn’t actually talk yet) but we make silly noises at each other so I always wonder how much he can hear from me. Velcro Dog mostly behaved herself but as the sun started to climb became very aware of the heat on the section cycle path we were on so I turned us around earlier than I had anticipated to spend more time on the more shady section closer to home.

On returning home we discovered a few things:

•  Mini monkey had drunk his body weight in water
• That Velcro Dog needs more. Apparently, like me, hills are her nemesis so the nice flat route I had picked out hadn’t even dented her enthusiasm!
• Mini Monkey loved the bike ride so much so that he has requested to go again multiple times

Website: http://www.cycleperth.com.au/cycle-routes/trainline-rides/fremantle-to-the-city 

Opening Hours: Always open

Cost: Free

Adventure 18 - The one with the strawberries

Where: Ti Strawberry Farm, Bullsbrook

When: November 2016

My Adventure Companions: Mr Map, Mini Monkey, The Giant Baby and another Hike it Baby family

“Can we do this again next year?”

My family used to go regularly to a local strawberry farm every summer to pick our own strawberries. It’s a fairly common thing in the Uk but not so much in Perth. I had been on the hunt for a fruit picking activity to do with our Hike it Baby branch for a while and discovered that the PYO season for strawberries coincided perfectly with Giant Baby’s birthday.

The review I read warned us that there was no shade and boy were they ever right. I’m really glad that we scheduled for as early as possible because the walk out of the strawberry fields was pretty toasty. Whilst  we were hanging around waiting for another Hike it Baby family to turn up we were given some insider info: the best strawberries are the furthest from the entry point. No big ddeal, we’re Hike it Baby and walking is what we do! We walked for probably about 1km to get into the strawberries fields and then a bit further to get to the ‘good bits’.

Mini Monkey proceeded to eat his body weight in strawberries fresh from the bushes before being convinced to put some in the box (occasionally half eaten) for his friend. The Giant Baby got a little hot in the Tula and was getting fed up with me bending down to pick strawberries so I let him loose. The soil there is sandy and black so everyone ended up completely filthy. It was hilarious fun and I would definitely do it again. We collected about 5kg of delicious strawberries. Even after serving them at Giant Baby’s first birthday party in the afternoon and giving a whole bunch away to our friends it still looks like we have half a tray left. Ah well, here’s to a week of delicious strawberries!

Website: http://www.pickyourownstrawberries.com.au/ 

Opening Hours: 9am-5pm October/November to December. Exact dates depend ripeness of strawberries so keep an eye on their website or facebook page. 

Cost: $10 per 5kg tray (includes admittance for one person) plus $2 for additional people (including any kids who may walk/crawl and eat strawberries as they go). Max 5 people per group/tray. 

Adventure 17 - The one with the (almost) chin-up

Where: Air Yoga, West Leederville

When: November 2016

My Adventure Companions: Just me!

“Can you do a chin up?”

The instructor at the Aerial Supremacy class was being super polite. And I lied. Sort of. I can’t remember ever doing a chin up, but I never tried to when I was at my fittest and strongest doing triathlons, which means I may have been able to, if I had tried.

Aerial Supremacy is basically a strength training class using gymnastics rings. Now classes are not usually my thing but Mr MAP was away and baby sitter was already booked. I had been looking at the timetable for the Yoga studios to try their signature class, Air Yoga, but it was at the wrong time/wrong day so I settled for signing up for Aerial Supremacy.

I was not expecting to enjoy the class as much as I did. The instructor was lovely, the students welcoming and I was significantly stronger* than I had given myself credit for. If I were in a position where Mr MAP was away on a regular basis I would put this class on my list of things to do again. 

*I almost managed an unassisted chin up. Apparently lifting babies gives you a good foundation in strength training!

Website: http://www.airyogaperth.com.au/

Class times: 6am - 9pm

Cost: $30 per class

Image credit: AirYoga Perth