After my Ben Nevis escapade, I didn’t do much as it took me the whole week to recuperate and get my legs back to working normally again, LOL.
Last weekend was a bit hectic, though. On Friday evening, we went for a walk along the Calderbank Canal in Coatbridge, Scotland. There is a Swan-family that lives there since their cygnets were born in June 2020. I love watching them, and so do many walkers. They made their sleeping nest by the side of the footpath, and sometimes they cause traffic for walkers who are scared to pass by them in case they bite. So far, they’ve not bitten anyone yet, thank goodness! But they are so gorgeous, and it’s so lovely to watch the cygnets grow.
Someone posted on Facebook how they fed the swans with cornflakes, and the swans loved it. So on Friday, I took the idea with me and brought a box of cornflakes. Soon as Tony and I spotted the Swan-family from a fair distance, I rattled the cornflakes box and called on them. One of the cygnets turned around as she/he heard the noise and came running over our direction. The rest of the family followed. It was such a beautiful sight. I realised how intelligent they could be – of course, when it came to their food, I suppose!
It was a fantastic feeling watching them munch away the cornflakes I was throwing at them. The cygnets are so big now; this was the third time I filmed them since I first saw them in June when they were probably just a week old. They’re now almost the same size as their parents, but their brownish colour gives away their age. I think swans are the most beautiful and elegant birds on earth!
Apparently the cygnets typically stay with their parents for the first two years of their lives until they break away to find their partner for life. Amazingly, Swans are usually monogamous; they only have one partner in life!
I plan to follow up on their progress, so watch this space if you’re interested in swans too!
On Saturday, our local Health Walk resumed after the Lockdown, albeit with some precautionary measures and restrictions. We were only allowed four different households for the Walk, and the two-metres distancing rule was applied.
I’ve been volunteering with the group for two years now, leading some of our one-hour walks with people who’ve had health problems and want to get their fitness back, or for anyone who just want to go out for walks with nature with other like-minded people.
It was very nice seeing some of our walkers on Saturday again. We took a route that was feasible with the social distancing rule, and would generally take us one hour there and back. But because the weather was perfect that day, we all decided to go further to a beautiful place called the Lily Pond in the Woodhall Estate area. It took us twenty-minutes more than our usual Walk but we all enjoyed it. What a way to get back to some socialising again!
And on Sunday, I went out with two of my Filipino best pals Anna and Lani, on a country joyride for Strawberry-picking at Cairnie Fruit Farm in Cupar, Fife. I’ve not met with them since March, so this was our big get-together little treat, instead of going to a restaurant. We had a wonderful time catching up over lunch at the farm’s cafeteria and picking strawberries (and tasting them too, of course, lol!) in this massive farm place.
I loved picking the strawberries; it felt very therapeutic. Also, the plants were raised from the ground, so it was easier to choose the fruits.
The place was heaving with people, mostly with families. Weather was very nice so everyone seemed to go out. We had to park at the overflow car park, which was nearly full also. The area had lots of things going on especially for kids. There was a massive play area with mini-tractor trains and all sorts of games with a farm-theme.
The PYO (Pick Your Own) fruit area was huge. But there were only strawberries, brambles, and sunflowers available that day. We kept to the strawberries' side. At first, we thought there were none left to pick since there were many people doing the same thing. However, between the three of us, we still managed to fill six tubs of sweet and yummy strawberries.
The farm had lots of other produce, including cherries, which finished last month. There were lots of pumpkins on the ground, too, but not quite ready yet, as well as cornfields. They will be ready for picking by October, as indicated in the notice-board.
We had so much fun, like kids, lol! We practically spent about ten hours together, including our journey times, but it was never enough for fun, laughter and food. We had our dinner/meal at no other than the very convenient Burger King on our way back home!
What a hectic but lovely socialising weekend I had indeed!
Till here for now. See you again next Wednesday! Remember, it will be Video time then...
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