There is a nice hiking opportunity right here in the village. But walking the same area every day even on different paths and in different directions becomes boring after a while.

At least once a week I want to drive somewhere where can I enjoy the change of landscape. For months I haven't seen any hills or forests!

And again this Saturday morning we woke up to flurries of snow! Even though I've always enjoyed this beautiful white scenery, this time it also meant my planned Ardennes trip was thwarted once more.

So instead of that the boys built a big snowman in our backyard and we 'traditionally' walked the local Gust De Smet trail like countless times before.




Even more snow was expected for Sunday. But this time the forecast was wrong! Even it was freezing the sky was clear promising good hiking weather.


But because of the snow we didn't go to the Ardennes anyway.
The Flemish Ardennes, which for us is less than a half hour drive, are at lower elevation and therefore a good alternative for a hiking trip without snow. This time, however, we choose Nature Reserve of the Pays des Collines. This is actually the Walloon counterpart of the Flemish Ardennes, just over the linguistic border in Hainaut.


It is less crowded and more authentic than its Flemish equivalent. The landscape is hilly with nice views over valleys, woods, fields and farmyards.
The hills are too steep for growing crops and therefore some ancient woods were spared the deforestation. How lucky we are!

Those are the reasons why I picked this particular hike. Not only because of the sweeping views and the Les Hauts panorama. Maarten doesn't appreciate that yet and he probably will not for another decade. But rather because of the diversity of this landscape and especially because of the woods.


And yes, hiking in the winter with a four year old is less pleasant or convenient. Luckily there were many animals in the farmyards we passed which Maarten always enjoys; and he could slide all the way the icy roads and paths...
In California we usually combined our hikes with a swimming or wadding opportunity for our little hiker.


Seemingly the cold Belgian weather doesn't disturb him at all. Even on such a chilly day it's impossible to keep him out of the frozen puddles. Those are simply irresistible. I usually carry extra clothes and shoes and also this Sunday his waterproof hikers were soaked. Luckily the sun kept us warm all the time.

We could even enjoy our picnic!

Thanks to the snow, wrong map and my bad navigation we probably extended this 10 km loop for at least another 2 kilometers.
Anyway, it really was worth it!

After the snow has melted

Physician visits, daily workouts and all the common stuff around, even the frustrating job interviews... all this is so good to avoid feeling gloomy or blue.

The snow is finally gone. We had so much fun! Only too bad there are no hills for tobogganing. Otherwise it was almost the same way how it used to be when I was a kid.
Every day after school, and even if it was quite late and almost dark, Maarten went straight to the back yard.

This actually hasn't changed much even now without the snow. He is able to amuse himself outside for hours with following tracks in the snow, planting trees, building an Eeyore's house from sticks, preparing soup for the birds or chasing them away.

However, after the snow has melted, even more fun comes!

And the awful knee pain I've experienced since we moved here seems to be 'only' some cartilage injuries.
This means I can finally go out for a jog!
What an idea to take Maarten with me! He would join me, despite the drizzle, on his bike.

We are lucky that we have a great cycling/hiking route on our doorstep, with no traffic to worry about.

Right, the melting snow and heavy rain have filled the potholes in dirt roads.
I tried to keep Maarten out of the mud and puddles at first, but when I saw him having such fun riding through it on his bike I thought, so what?! As long as he keeps moving.
I ignored my parental instincts telling me that doing this on such a cool day was probably not the best idea. But he had an absolute blast speeding through puddles and getting downright filthy.
What I didn't notice that his shoes were also soaking wet!

Maarten is mostly full of joy but biking through deep puddles and muddy potholes was an extreme fun.
Even now, he still keeps talking about it.

Yet, as you probably already suspect, I should have followed my parental instinct. Maarten ended up with a bad cough and an ear infection (which again miraculously lasted only one day!).

Therefore after enjoying the outdoors so vehemently I'm stuck inside again.
As a grass widow with an ill child.

I saw a fox this morning. Here in the village just around the corner from our house.

Not sure if this is a usual sight. We live here near a river and the area has a truly rural character, with farmer fields, meadows and woods.

Thanks to the unusual cold and snowy weather the animals are probably very hungry
and therefore they are venturing into the human settlements in search for food.

According to recent investigations there are foxes present in the outskirts of Ghent.
There is no reason to worry; they are more scared of us than we realize. And we don't even have to fear rabies. The disease has already been eradicated from Belgium.
To us the fox tapeworm is probably the only risk. (demorgen.be)

But the chickens scurrying around on the streets and in the unfenced yards should better watch out.
We might not be woken up by the neighbor's rooster tomorrow.

PS: I received following answer from Natuurpunt Deinze plus, the local Society for Nature Conservation:
Foxes are not as rare as is often thought. Here in Flanders their numbers are increasing in recent decades. They are not hunted by the dread of rabies after the disappearance of this disease in our region.
However, daytime sight of a fox is rather unique because it’s a nocturnal animal.
In Deurle the foxes find an ideal habitat with woods and sandy hills suitable for their burrows.
You can find more info about the fox in Flanders HERE. (in Dutch)