Walking Hadrians Wall

In and effort to motivate me to walk, I signed up for a virtual challenge through Conqueror. I am virtually walking Hadrian's Wall:

After I walk, I enter the information into the app on my phone

 

and it shows me on a map how far I have gone. England is 90 miles across at this point and I have given myself 2 months to complete it.

On the map I can see that there are others walking and periodically a postcard is sent to my email with a description of the area and it's history.

 

It is working, I am walking unless it is really brutal outside.

Walk towards Port Dover and I found that the people who live in the Dover Coast development (beside the golf course)

have a patio they can use in front of David's restaurant.

In the other direction, this old beauty. Old license plate is from North Dakota

Rick did some research and found that it is a 1958 Chev. (nearly as old as me)

On the way to walk Long Point Beach, ducks, swans and geese

on both sides of the Big Creek bridge.

Ice starting to form on the shore

A variety

of ice

formations

and a lonely Mallard standing on the tiniest ice flow.

After a Lynn Valley Trail walk with Si, Dan and Ruby

I walked on Port Dover pier. There were 2 Bald Eagles fishing just beyond the lighthouse but I didn't get my phone out in time.

Along with the usual Mallards

there were a couple of other species (Merganser?, no idea about the black and white one)

Unlike the Mallards

they were camera shy.

Cold nights and no wind

lets ice start to build up on the bay

but the wind today broke it all up.

The bank down to the water is prime hunting ground and the hawks glide on the updrafts or perch in the trees.

This Downy Woodpecker stunned herself on my front window but didn't take long to recover and fly away. I will have to put stickers on those windows too.

I have been getting daily baby pictures from Chris.

There will be baby pictures

The nursery renovation is not complete, so, rather than take a baby into a house full of drywall dust, Chris, Jason and CiGi (or Cassandra George or Cassy or Charlie Golf) are staying at my place for 5 days. 

Luckily at 5 1/2 pounds I have no back problems when carrying her around.

The "baby yoda" look, she just needs large pointy ears.

One change table downstairs where they are sleeping and one on the kitchen counter.

There is a "Pack n Play" for her to sleep in, in the basement and the crib is in may bedroom, so we can share the feeding times (I do midnight and 9am)

Not always sweet and quiet.

Chris has a post epidural headache so is wearing sunglasses to try and decrease the intensity.

CiGi wont recognize her when they are gone.

Really not impressed

with the sponge bath in the sink.

I took a day off on Thursday (grandparent prerogative)

Got a massage and

 a walk in Backus Woods

with Rick.

Sugar shack being prepared for spring.

When Jason popped home to check on the renovations, CiGi had got her first delivery.

First porch visitors - Daniele

and Fiona.

The nursery is to be grey and blue, with a nautical theme, and I painted some contributions to the decor.

I had forgotten how much stuff a baby needs, how much time they take up, how much laundry has to be done (a load of baby clothes, receiving blankets, swaddling blankets and spit up cloths, every night), how long the burping process takes, how often meals are disturbed, how many times coffee is microwaved and how demanding and mesmerizing they are.

Turkey Point Walks

 Rick and I are trying to explore new walks around the area, keeping the exercise interesting. At EcoAdventures there was a sign promoting a free App that mapped the mountain bike trails in the area.

Called "Trailforks"

we tried it out while walking in the area just north of Turkey Point Provincial Park

which is riddled with

mountain bike trails.

Aside from the conifers, the only colour remaining was in the different species of moss.

Recent woodpecker activity.

We found that mountain bike trails differ from hiking trails. When you hike the purpose is to get from one point to the next. Mountain bikers, on the other hand, just seem to want to cover as much ground as possible, in big loops that often double back on each other. We took to cutting across, what we saw as, pointless loops.

The App worked well allowing us to

find our way along 3 different trails and a road, back to the car.

 

The next day was partly sunny, with no wind so we decided to have a beach walk.

Rick's family used to have a cottage at Turkey Point and he figured it would take about an hour to walk along the beach and back.

We passed a few other people with the same idea but it was by no means crowded.

I had some fun with my camera

playing with some pictures

of the beach grasses

and a very happy dog

playing "fetch"

in the lake.

Brrrrr

Stopping into the Cider Keg, on Hwy 24, for cider, we lucked into FREE ICE CREAM (they were just trying to get rid of it as it wouldn't be good in the spring). Brrrrrr