Often people ask how, with such young children, do we work out how to do the day as they want and get things to work. From Dakota, Milana, Ava and Farrah, I have a most perfect example of one way it happens to share with you...
After greeting in the morning and guinea pig cuddles, the girls were all close to each other and me, bouncing on the inside in anticipation of what next. I looked down at their little faces and asked, 'Where do you want to go now?' They looked round at each other and out through the barn door and back towards the farm entry, up into the sky and every which way they could as children do. Ava piped up as she did a little skip and pointed, 'This way.' Finger towards the garden path and stables ...
She instantly got a joyful chorus from all, 'Y-ee-ss!' and off we went following Ava to 'This way' and where-ever that may lead.
Further along, 'This way' became 'That way' from someone else and as simply as that we created our day, following 'This way' and 'That way', until our time had run up.
Along the way were some moments of the exquisite beauty I had the privilege to witness.
At one point, we came across the horse trough full of cool clear water, much to the delight of all the girls. Of course we splashed and played and got wet and at one point with lots of laughter and fun happening, Dakota asked, 'What's that sound?', with her little face close to the water and peering in and her little ear cocked as she tried to listen and look to see at the same time. In reply, she got lots of little answers, 'A fish' from Farrah, 'Don't know' from Ava and 'Milana speak' from Milana that I don't think any of us understood, though we knew she was enthusiastice and part of it all with us which is what really mattered.
I tuned in to hear the noise as Dakota said, 'It's a guinea pig' at which point I heard what it was she was listening too. I asked, 'Can you hear that song Dakota, just like a guinea pig?' and she looked at me with a big, 'Yes' lifting her head from peering into the water with the children while still in search of who was singing.
Farrah again said, 'It's a fish' as she looked intently into the water pointing to find the culprit.
Four little faces, close to each other, peering into the water, listening, looking and wondering...
So what was it?
A cricket!
... ... in the green grass by our feet. We couldn't see it at all, though heard it's little song which sounded as happy as the girls were.
... ... and their could not have been a more perfect 'sign post' in our little world than the one Dakota gave us all... ...'It's a guinea pig', for sure enough it's chirr-up and song sounded very much like the guinea pigs do when they are happy too.
A while later as we came over the top of the 'rolling hill', the embankment down to the river that the children love rolling on, (hence the name rolling hill), Dakota called back to me in delight, 'Ducks' and as the girls all ran towards her, I looked down to see 15 ducks in total all floating on the still river as if asleep. It was quite mesmerising to watch and drew us all down to the fence line.
After some time just lolling in the stillness and beauty of this, Dakota turned to me and said, 'Danella, I want to make the whole farm beautiful.' I just looked at her earnest little face and said, 'It's a big farm Dakota, do you think you can?' To which she replied, 'Yes' and then set about very gently and intently choosing leaves and grass and showing me each one and it's unique beauty and then looking at the timber fence line and finding a crack or hole in which to place it. Each leaf she savoured for it's colour or shape or pattern, and each placement was with great love and feeling for making the whole farm beautiful.
After perhaps fifteen minutes of this and a stretch of fence no longer than 15 cms being done, she looked left and then right at her creation, smiled and said with total satisfaction, 'There'.
I knew then it was 'done' and beautiful it was.
