Get Outside!
I work in a job that requires me to sometimes be outside for 12 hours a day and sometimes I hate it. Especially if its freezing cold, no amount of warm clothes will keep you warm if your actually just standing still. I work in the costume department for TV and Film my job title was then Costume Stand By. See, I was standing by. Don’t get me wrong though I love being outside, but on my terms and if i’m walking with purpose you don’t get cold and if you do, you can do something about it.
I have an amazing dog, Woody, he is a Springer Spaniel, came as a package with my husband, sometimes I prefer Woody. We had a daughter in 2013, having Woody helped me keep sane, I had a strict routine with my daughter, but also with Woody taking him out 2–3 times a day. It meant my daughter was used to going out and sleeping in the buggy outside which has recently been proven to be good for babies. It helped get the baby weight off and I realised that being in nature helped my mind too.
‘Research conducted at the University of Essex showed that the colour green, such as that found on trees, grass and other plants in nature, makes exercise feel easier’ (Abigail Wise The Huffington Post)
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Its not always easy with the English weather, but I have been known to go out in all sorts. Sometimes attracting attention from people as I push the three wheeler buggy up the hill in Lullingstone in driving rain and wind, it makes me feel so much better and i’m sure my dog appreciates it too.
So why start this campaign? We live in a technology based world, phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, recent studies have proved that children are finding it harder to hold a pen due to the excessive use of tablets and phones. If my daughter ever looked at my phone watching pepper pig, once I told her it was enough her reaction and tantrum that followed was so bad its now banned and ipad only when we go out to eat in a restaurant as a last resort (don’t judge me we don’t have anyone to babysit). Times have changed, children don’t go out as much as they used to, not like when I was growing up, and i’m not saying I would send my four year old out on her bike on her own, or a bus to Bristol like I was (that was an adventure), but I do think families need get out more. And my dog is part of my family, so it annoys me when I want to take my daughter out but Woody is not welcome, even at the local park Woody has to be tied up outside with his nose between the wooden slats looking in at us. I want to discover places in and around Orpington, for families to go to which will include your furry best friend, sometimes a bit further afield but always a good day out. So if you want to go out for the day and take your dog, look me up first and hopefully i’ll be able to tell you.
I have lived in Orpington all my life and really want to celebrate the good things it has. Recently they had a really good xmas turning on of the lights and celebration of Chinese New Year in the High Street. Brilliant, this is the change we want, bringing the community together especially as it is the Chinese New Year of the Dog.
I will keep this Blog updated with the places that we go to, and activities that we do always trying to include my dog.
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