On a spur of the moment decision, we decided to go for a drive out to a farm café in the country, about an hour away from our home. None of us had been there before, but my wife had checked earlier to ensure they had gluten-free options so they could eat something. It is a little annoying for us at times to always have to consider where we go based on the allergies, but in Finland at least, there are normally one or two options available. And it was a pleasant surprise that this place had a lot available and the cakes were fantastic, even though gluten- and lactose- free.
When we arrived and parked, what stood out to me was the cornfield that lined the lot, and one of the other visitors had an old Chevy parked up against it. Not quite the same car, but it reminded my of the book/movie, Christine.
I have no idea why this stick horse jumping was ever a thing, but it became popular and they have them all over and in Finland, girls of all ages take part in "competitions" still. It is weird seeing fourteen year old kids with stick horses.
Or 40-somethings.
Though technically, that is an alpaca.
They also had a few animals to have a look at for the kids, with some chickens, sheep and some of the prettiest looking rabbits I have ever seen. The prettier one was hiding away in a box so I couldn't get a photo of it, but they made me think that having a bunny wouldn't be too bad. Then I was reminded of visiting a friend's whose daughter had one and the amount of droppings was incredible.
And lastly, a picture of the cake that Smallsteps chose, which was unsurprisingly a chocolate creation. It was really good, but too sweet for me. I chose an apple Tosca cake that was one of the best things I have had this summer. It was fantastic.
There were other things there too, like some rustic hand-made bits and pieces that would have looked good in those Instagram Mummy homes, and of course being a farm, they were also selling their own fresh produce there. We didn't get anything, other than a punnet of strawberries to taste on the way home, and some farm-made lemonade from the berries they grow there, which were also very good.
We are trying to jam these kinds of trips between the rains and storms, as there has been a huge amount of thunder and lightning this summer. It is not hot, but it is still sticky weather, and there is a lot of rain. We were lucky today as while it rained while we were driving there, it was sunny for the time we were outside and then rained on the way back. However, the sun is out again for now at least, so we are going to go and get some summer ice cream and enjoy it before the clouds roll back in.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Wonderful to enjoy some time away from the house, sounds like you timed this trip perfectly.
Entertaining to see the old toys still come out and enjoyed, we never had the horse, it was a three legged sack race with two participants, all good fun!
Excellent photography from around the farm, have a wonderful day and enjoy the ice-cream.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 45/75) Liquid rewards.
Allergies do bring restrictions, I personally have to check way too many details before using a restaurant with my family. The storms can be difficult to handle during a trip, I'd agree
A pleasant trip with the whole family. You don’t have to travel far; you can also have a good rest close to home.
Finding a place with great gluten-free options is a win hahaha. Glad you enjoyed the trip and those sweet cakes too brother. Is smallsteps learning how to put glasses on her hair like her mom? Wow 😍😎
No proper rain here for more than one month and we have had enough of extreme hot weather. Fortunately, it is getting cloudy and will rain from tonight to tomorrow afternoon.
Same here, 90 degree days with barely a drop of rain in sight... My poor sod is turning brown.
Dear bro @tarazkp !
I felt that as Smallsteps grew, it became more like you!
I wonder if you want Smallsteps to have an Australian identity!
What kind of life do you want Smallsteps to live in the future?
It is a fantastic place you describe. It's nice to have that variety in desserts to suit our tastes and our allergies too. The idea of jumping on stick horses is quite good and it's not with the nerves involved in watching our children jump and run on a real horse. Rabbits are very cute and that cuteness makes us think that they might make a good pet, until we get to
I don't recommend them as a pet, not to mention that as rodents they need to gnaw on a lot of things to counteract the constant growth of their teeth.... Other than that, if you are willing to tolerate that, you can consider keeping them.
Your wife actually brought out the inner child in her😁😁
It is needed at times
Smallsteps is obviously enjoying this vacation
The pictures are nice and I love how you all had fun
Looks like a beautiful place to visit. We gomout tona place luke that in the fall where we can pick up pumpkins for Halloween.
I used to call ahead too for the whole food thing. I am vegan and often it's difficult to find options since it seems almost everything contains either meat, dairy or eggs.. but it also seems lately more and more places have options for vegans and vegetarians.
Good you had some rain, we are getting burned in Portugal :)
First of all, the cake that Smallsteps chose looks so delicious..I am saddened by the fact that I have no cake to follow my supper afterwhile lol.
Secondly, I have never heard of stick horse (or alpaca!) jumping but kudos to your wife and your daughter for demonstrating just what that is. All in all, a fun outing!
Looks like a lot of fun, he jumped on a stick horse, the good thing is if you fall you wouldn't get hit like falling off a real one, you can tell they had a lot of fun, just missed your tarazkp in the picture to see your athletic skills Smallsteps does give good jumps.
Places like these are some of the best out there. Just simple pleasures that you can enjoy when you are out and about. Very cool. I don't think the horse thing has made it's way over here yet. It's summer though, so I don't have a lot of interaction with kids the past couple of months!
Well it seems you timed it all out just perfectly for that day. The cake Smallsteps chose looked good. I imagine that type of place had a lot of good food and produce.
Have you considered living the farm life? If Hive encountered a boom and you became a billionaire, would being a farm owner be a consideration? Your family seems to love nature, and you seem to enjoy going there.