Naturally I love my kids. I love the fact that they naturally love me too (most of the time).
I also love the fact that they get to experience some natural wonders at home. We live in a suburban area that backs onto natural scrub and rural properties and are, therefore, very fortunate to have some overnight visitors and home-stay guests.
Featuring in the parade of wildlife we have seen are echidnas, koalas, kangaroos, blue tongue lizards, possums, bats, sleepy lizards, scorpions and brown snakes. Of the feathered variety are rosellas, rainbow lorikeets, black cockatoos and owls. The koala in this photo regularly stays a night or two in a ghost gum in our backyard. He’s a true ‘local’ who spent many a night up our tree as a youngster clinging to his mother’s back before flying solo. He’s aptly been named ‘Blinky’ and the kids check daily to see if he’s around.
The only trouble with nature’s neighbours is that the nocturnal ones can be a little on the rowdy side. On occasion my eldest will know we have a koala in the backyard before he gets up because he has heard it the night before. Have you ever heard the noise a koala makes? It puts the words cute, soft and cuddly right out of your brain.
I also love watching my boys try and catch a gecko by the tail. I have vivid memories of being successful at this when I was a kid. I screamed when the gecko’s tail continued to wriggle for quite some time after it had become detached from the gecko by way of my vice-like grip. The only thing I do worry about is the snakes. I’d rather my boys never see a brown or black snake in our yard but they know what they should do if one crosses their path.
Naturally I love my kids. That’s how nature intended it to be. It’s only natural!
Free Little Words 