country notes

Cottage with two-year old boychild: how lucky we were that Jessica and Geoffrey had 2 sons long ago and various friends with boys, so were well equipped. There was a lot of vrooming. "Dwive, blamma," was my constant order, and I found myself on my belly, vrooming.

That's the lawn that leads to the river in the distance. Cool, clear, rarely travelled. It is muggy and close in Toronto and I would like to jump into that river this second. On the other hand, I would not like to do that insane five hour drive on a regular basis. What's the solution for we city-dwellers seeking Vitamin  G, as in Green?

The drive there was painless - the boy had been worn out with play before we left and he slept for 3 blessed hours - we didn't stop and made it there in four. This morning, however, it was teeming with rain before we left, so we couldn't get him out for a run or a swim before departing. Plus it's a long slow drive from the Quebec side down to the 401. He was pretty good but not happy. And I was driving 110 kmh on country roads and 120-130 kmh on a superhighway with an unhappy boy and my daughter in a hurry to get home for various reasons. I thought, all the good of sitting by that river or in that tranquil living room will be destroyed by the time we get back.

Not so, of course. It was wonderful there. But there is a price to pay.

But oh - the birds, the sound of the river, the supermoon, the farmer harvesting right next door, the lack of media - no TV or radio and the internet frustratingly slow, which was good for me. Just us - blissful naked boychild and his Blamma and his mamma, vrooming.

PS I've just read the weekend newspapers - excruciating to find it's all still going to hell in a hand basket - Israel and the Palestinians, mass murders in the States, the missing child and his grandparents, our mayor - so many problems still there. Time to drive five hours back to the country and forget it all again.