Well you can't always get it right . Fo and I had our tails firmly up for the walk today but the lads were drooping ! If you are into birds and botany today's walk is a gem but for the lads who could see where we were going , no surprises they were just not that riveted ! We went to Moorhouse Natural Nature Reserve with Cronkley Scar looming down over us just across the River Tees . There was a coldish wind and it was dull and there were not many birds around , but quite a few lapwings busy as usual catching everyone's attention particularly each others all no little eggs will be laid in a couple of weeks time and no cutey Lapwing chicks . So all was well in there expansive world but the doggy end of the Saunders-Priem family was flagging . The best part of the walk was taking a short cut back and stumbling across some Alpine and Arctic species of Violets and Pansies that got Fo very exited ( it doesn't take much) but because our doggies were a little poe faced , even the biscuit break didn't revive them, we didn't stay as long as we would have liked to have a look at these beauties. And to think I'd planned a 8 miler up and down and around Cronkley Scar ! To be fair to the lads , Clifford is still get over a minor nasty cold and Miles felt duff after a totally over the top skate skateboard session at RKade in Redcar last Thursday and they have both worked like little trojans at there maths for the last 2 months so I wasn't to displeased. However the fact is that without our under-performing children this afternoon Fo and I would have done the whole 8 miles . Oh well they are going up Blencathra in the Lake District next week and I hope their spirits and energy have revived by then . It will!