Le Poisson Rouge

We went for a walk the other day. The usual one around Bunya Forest which takes me about half an hour at a brisk stroll, so two miles? It's a bit hilly, maybe slightly challenging for a four-year-old.

I am now officially over the whole carrying on shoulders thing. So Eloise has to walk the whole way. It will improve her stamina and harden her mettle, I say to myself. And the dogs need the walk. And if I carry her around I get a bad back.

So the first half generally goes OK and then it all goes pear shaped. I have to cajole and persuade to get her to keep going. Especially when she has decided to un-retire the wedding shoes because she's found that with enough tenacity they can be made to fit onto the feet no matter how painfully and that therefore it is her Supreme-Being-given-right to wear the things.

Choice conversational quote of the day, when stopping for a snack at a junction.

E: "Let's go up that track."
Me: "Nah, we'll go up here."
E: "I want to go up there."
Me: "There's nothing up there really. There's a stream but it's dry."
E: "I want to have a look."
Me: "I think it's a bit of a red herring."
E: "There's a red herring up there? I really want to have a look."
Me: "There's not actually a red herring. It's a figure of speech."
E: "I want to hear the red herring speak!"
Me: "Do you know what a herring is?"
E: "No...."
Me: "It's a fish."
E: "I want to go to the beach!"

The walk took three hours.