Yesterday was a good day. Verity and I went to visit Grandma Sophia and Grandpa Sam. They live about one hour’s drive from our house. The farm is surrounded by lush green fields and is home to an assortment of animals. Every time we go to the farm we have an enjoyable experience. Verity and I always try to guess what we will do on our visit to help pass the time when driving to the farm. We never really guess exactly what happens and that’s what makes each visit interesting.

When we arrived, Grandma Sophia suggested we go look at the animals. The horses and chickens are always a must see. There are two miniature horses that just love to be fed carrots and hay. We were given brushes to use on the horses, and we tried to detangle the knots in the horse’s mane. The mane is important as it keeps the horse warm and gives them protection from bugs. Grandma Sophia let us take the horses out from the stables and walked them to a nearby field. The horses enjoyed wandering through the long grass.

Grandma Sophia wanted to go to see the chickens as they hadn’t been fed. The chickens roamed around in an enclosure. Grandpa Sam had built the enclosure and chicken house to keep the chickens safe and away from foxes. Verity and I was given feed to give to the chickens. They immediately surrounded us and pecked at the grain. They became very happy and chirped loudly as if to say, “Thank you!” Grandma Sophia gave Verity a basket and told her to collect eggs. Verity was able to collect eight large eggs. Grandma was surprised that Verity was able to find so many.

Before returning to the house, Grandma Sophia took us to one of the sheds. She told us she had something special to show us. When we entered the shed it was dark and smelt musty. We followed Grandma Sophia to the back of the shed where she kept a few cardboard boxes. She pulled a box onto a table and then told us to look inside. When we took a look, we could see a small hedgehog that was curled into a ball. Grandma Sophia had found it abandoned and decided to rescue it. The cardboard box had wood shavings in one corner for a hedgehog bed. In another corner there was a small bowl of water and a small bowl of food. Grandma Sophia told us that once the hedgehog had grown bigger and stronger, she would put it back in the garden. It wasvery unusual to see a hedgehog and thought Grandma Sophia was amazing trying to look after the tiny creature.

After lunch, we put on our wellington boots, coats and hats and joined Grandpa Sam. First of all, he took us to his tractor. Verity and I joined him on the tractor and went to the back fields. Grandpa Sam drove the tractor back and forth and up and down the field. He was busy preparing the soil so that potatoes, corn, beans, cabbage and cauliflower could be planted. We knew that come harvest time the whole family would be at the farm to collect all the newly grown vegetables.

Once we had finished in the field, we returned to the barn. Grandpa Sam said, “Let’s have some fun!” Verity and I were not sure what he had in mind. He asked, “Have you ever been pond dipping?” Both Verity and I said, “No”. “That’s great!” he replied. Grandpa Sam then gathered items that we would need. He collected pond nets, a white clear plastic box, old spoons, magnifying glass and an old ice cube tray.

We followed Grandpa Sam through a field until we arrived at a small jetty. The jetty jutted out into a pond. Grandpa Sam told us it was the best time of the year as the pond was full of life. Verity and I just looked at one another. We didn’t know that beneath the calm surface of the water was a whole new world of amazing creatures.