A rained out birthday walk at the Botrange

After Kabouter, it was my turn to celebrate a birthday.

"Who do you want to come over for your birthday?", Kabouter asked me at the breakfast table. He clearly intended to organise a birthday party at my wish for me. 
"I just want to spend a day with the 4 of us together and go for a walk ", I answered.
"Ah a birthday walk, I understand!"

Indeed, after many busy weeks, after emotional and exhausting weeks, I just longed being home in the still nature of the Ardennes with my boys.  I notice more and more that the Ardennes is my sanctuary to reload my batteries. If we don't get there every so many weekends, my stress levels rise. 

But now we were there in autumn and despite crappy weather I longed for a nature walk. And as it was my only birthday request, none of the boys dared to protest and we all got our rain gear on to go march a bit through the forest and along the boglands at the Botrange, Belgium's highest point.

The children could wear their rubber boots which made it very exciting to run from puddle to puddle. It was the first time we had to rush to keep up with the children! Wow, that's something we need to remember.

After a while the rain intensified and our enthousiasm decreased. Especially Kabouter was counting down for our return. Only Beertje kept running around cheerfully, despite his rain jacket which wasn't rain proof anymore so we learned later on when we pulled his soaked clothes from his body. Poor boy. 

Anyway, the return at the cosy Centre de Nature de Botrange with its ongoing fireplace was very nice and we all rewarded ourselves with a nice (local) drink.