The geat outdoors

is apparently only the backyard for most people. What?
Actually I read that without surprise this morning - and thought I was lucky because my niece at least believes in "out and active" rather than "in and passive".
Yes, the kittens arrived on Saturday. It was chaos as they explored their activity packs, consumed biscuits and only managed to spill a little water.  Even inside they were not still for long. They had been cooped up in a plane for over an hour and then a car for another twenty-five minutes!
Saturday evening they danced the night away - helped by my two nephews here. (At 32 and 30 they still have energy and the dance moves to go with it. The little kittens managed to learn quite a lot.)
Yesterday started with a phone call,
     "There's been a change of plan..."
Fine. Instead of heading south to a beach we went to a Christmas parade. The kittens, living where they do, had never seen one of those. They were fascinated
But, once it was over, they were off and running again. There is play equipment in a reserve near to where the parade was held. They were scrambling up to the top, sliding down, swinging, showing me their cartwheel skills - much improved from last year - and then back up to the top of the slide to go down again. They got soaking wet and ended the time there by getting their faces "painted" with reindeers and unicorns, stars and trees.
    "Good?"
 Huge grins and nods - before they were off again.
We had lunch . They managed to sit still for a few minutes and then they were off again.
The Senior Cat needed his afternoon catnap so we came home and the kittens went off to where they were staying. A little peace and quiet.
Then, late afternoon my brother picked us up and we went to the caravan and cabin site the two families are staying at. There is a swimming pool there - and yes, they were in that. They can all swim well. The youngest, at four, is far better than many children twice her age or more.  Yes, of course she was being watched but there was no need to be in the water with her. That was just as well. The adults thought it was a "bit chilly". The kittens did not. They had another hour and a half of exercise. Eventually it was suggested that they might think about eating an evening meal and they left the pool area, changed into dry clothes - and then climbed on the play equipment next to the BBQ area while their fathers cooked the evening meal.
It is hard to believe but the youngest kitten could still run with her mother to use the pass that gets vehicles in and out of the gates to the park - at least another 200m and then back again. 
I crawled on to my sleeping mat exhausted. The Senior Cat had made it to his sleeping mat before me. All we were doing was watching them - with a little help from me now and then.
I thought of all that this morning as I saw the piece which said that most children only spend an hour a day outside - if that. The piece then spend four to five hours inside in a much less active way.
"Daylight saving" was supposed to get people outside and active after work. The reality is that the vast majority of people don't use the daylight that way. Their children don't use it either. They are indoors watching a screen.
The youngest kitten had a look of sheer joy on her face as she ran to the gate in the dark. I can't help feeling that some children miss out on an awful lot.