The weather here on Saturday was decidedly Devonian: gorgeous clear blue skies one second, wind, rain and white horses the next. And repeat. I kept being about to take Arthur out for a walk when the clouds would roll in and it suddenly didn’t seem all that attractive. Come mid-afternoon I decided we should venture out anyway – if nothing else it was a great excuse to get Arthur kitted out in his very cute rain gear.

The photo above was taken soon after I released Arthur from the sling (the first bit of the walk to Berry Head is a bit challenging for a newly toddling baby) and captures the moment when he met his very first puddle! I’d forgotten from my boring grown-up perspective that the rain brought with it these little marvels of splashes and reflection, but he was absolutely transfixed.

We decided it was time to move on when Arthur was about to get down on his hands and knees for a closer examination of this new phenomenon, and he was soon distracted by the abundance of dogs dragging their owners out for an afternoon stroll. He’s obsessed with dogs at the moment, and is going round woofing at everything. They were remarkably tolerant of it, considering.

After a few more puddles…

…and a fair amount of toppling over as his enthusiasm got the better of his balance (note to self: wellies do not the most stable toddling footwear make), the wind and rain rolled in again and we made a break for home.

We hadn’t needed to be out long for Arthur to enjoy his adventure, and it had no doubt done us good too to get some fresh air and blow away the cobwebs.

It was brilliant to see him enjoying being outdoors so much, even if the weather wasn’t perfect. Now all I need is to get myself a matching rain suit and we’ll be sorted!