Saving Cygnets

My usual lunch time wander turned into a bit of exciting animal rescue today!

On my regular route, as I was about to cross the bridge over the lock that brings me back towards work, a woman rushed passed carrying a bucket.

She said something about possibly having to catch "it" to another woman who was standing near the canal. I jokingly asked if she was catching ducks, and she said, "no, cygnets", and explained that two of the new resident cygnets had gone over the waterfall and that a couple of rival swans were trying to kill them.

She said that we'd have to usher them into the lock, close the doors to keep them in and the others out, while letting the water rise until we could open the doors on the other side and reunite them with the rest of their family.

In the meantime, she said we might need some rocks or something to scare off the aggressive adults. I helped her gather some pebbles and we shouted and shooed them away every time they started to close in on the one desperate little cygnet. Having already been bitten, it was too afraid to swim to the lock and was trying to swim up from the bottom of the falls.

We finally managed to scare off the swans (with the very large mother's help) and the little one was able to swim freely into the lock. We closed the door on the two of them, and they knew (because this isn't the first time residents of the lock-side building have rescued them this way) to swim to the other end and wait for the water to rise.

The father and third cygnet came to the top to await the return of the lost ones. When the water got high enough they were calling to each other through the gates of the lock; the babies started getting excited and tried to jump over the gate. But we finally opened it enough for them to squeeze through and they happily joined their sibling and father and swam off to (hopefully) safer waters.

Here is a link to see what the lock and mill (now converted into apartments) looks like: http://www.photoeyes.biz/general/coxeslock.htm

Here are a few shots of the action (sorry if it's a bit blurry or difficult to see, I was throwing rocks and pushing gates open at the same time as I was snapping shots). I will add the video later.

Cygnet taking a breather before continuing his attempt to swim against the current (you can just see him peaking out from the wall on the far left side)


Second cygnet waiting for his brother to join him in the lock











The two of them getting soaked while waiting for the water to rise











The father heads over (ready for action) to greet his babies with the third in tow










As the water rises, they are able to see each other through the gate











Together again!

Bodiam Castle and Beyond

It's taken me a while to actually get around to doing this, but here is the next instalment of our blog, finally!

A few weeks ago we went on a meetup hike with a group of about 20 people. We met at a train station in a town called Robertsbridge in Sussex, which is about an hour's drive from us. We were slightly delayed at that point as three of our group didn't manage to make it off the train and had to go to the next town and take the train back. We were happy to enjoy a cup of tea while we waited and got to know some of the other groups members. We were a nice collection of British, Canadian, American, Spanish, French, Serbian and Chinese of various ages. Everyone was very down to earth, easy going, and friendly.

Our trek to Bodiam Castle was a 1.5 hour leisurely stroll through forest and valley, past a WWII bunker, horses and finally to a lovely pub where we had lunch before exploring the castle.

At the castle, we decided to join the National Trust so that we can enjoy the many lovely properties and homes it maintains over the course of the next year. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
(Check out the link to see a shot of the next landscape we hope to pursue).

The castle itself was incredible. Everything you would expect a castle to be, moat and towers included.

Afterwards we started on the second leg of our journey: Bodiam to Battle. I expected this to take us 2.5 hours and only brought an apple and some water. Our group leader was at least 6'4" and could walk twice as fast as most of us. So we were moving at a very steady pace. The only thing that slowed us down were the stiles that we had to climb over at the end of each field, which caused a bottle neck each time as we filed over one at a time. It ended up being a 4 hour race for the train. I don't go 4 hours without eating, for one thing. And I really like to enjoy the view, take pictures, and ideally stop for tea! But this was not to be done. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful walk with tiny white flowers covering the valley floor and an exciting barbed wire fence climb (with uninvited though not ill-intentioned bum-grabbing heave by our leader for each of us to get over the fence) when a naughty landowner wouldn't let us cross his land and we had to make our own path.

All in all, it was a fabulous hike and we look forward to more. Here is a map of our 12.5 mile journey. If you zoom in on Bodiam, you'll see a lovely aerial view of the castle:


View Larger Map

Barcelona: Random European Weekend Trip #2

I have to say that Barcelona may just be my favourite city and the most likely European non-English speaking city I would choose to live in. I could easily have stayed long-term in one of those airy and spacious flats like the one we spent two nights in, happily sipping my morning cafe con leche overlooking the busy street below. I would wander those narrow alleys in the Gothic Quarter, stroll the beach, swim year round in the Mediterranean Sea (wetsuit clad in winter, of course), and visit the colourful market daily.

I don't know what it is about Spanish language and culture, but I really feel at home in it. Barcelona was everything I love about Mexico and Europe united. It is the best of both for me. Modernity mixed with history, both convenience and colourful culture.

Though my Spanish was understood for the most part, it was harder for me to communicate since they don't actually speak Spanish in Barcelona. Catalan seemed to be a French influenced Spanish-like language.

Compare these phrases:

English Catalan Spanish French
Who is it? Qui es? Que es? Qui est-ce?
What did you say? Que ha dit? Que dijo? Qu'est-ce que tu as dit?
I agree D'acord Acuerdo D'accord

Knowing both French and Spanish enabled me to understand some written Catalan, but it was impossible to keep up with their lispy r-rolling quick-flicking tongues.

We were fortunate to have made a couch surfing connection for our first night. Our host, Santi, picked us up at Girona airport and drove us to his town, Sant Celoni (half way between Girona and Barcelona). We started the evening following a parade of devils with pitch forks spouting fireworks. It was Ash Wednesday and the end of Carnival. After the parade we were given a tour of the town and saw their stunning church before settling in for a community dinner.

For 8 Euros we were able to partake of a fabulous Catalunyan meal: salad with tuna and olives, grilled sardines, and 'pa amb tomaquet', which is basically bread smeared with tomato and garlic and drizzled in olive oil. Dessert was a plate of mixed nuts, raisins and figs. The wine flowed freely, the atmosphere very lively (and a bit smoky), and after we ate a man and his guitar serenaded us all with camp fire songs including kumbaya and My Bonny. Everyone sang along, laughed, talked and drank until heading home peacefully around midnight. One of the highlights of the evening was what could only be referred to as a bizarre round of musical chairs ... with wine. A carafe fitted with a fountain-esque spout was passed around the room, stopping at random individuals. The point of the game was to start drinking when the music starts, and stop when the music stops. Check it out for yourself:



We took the train in to Barcelona the next day and spent two full days exploring the fabulous city and many of Gaudi's famous sites including La Sagrada Familia, la Pedrera, and Park Guell. We sampled various tapas, including patatas bravas, grilled peppers, and clams, along with paella, gazpacho, and fresh mango and coconut from the market and my new favourite cheese: manchego.

I dipped my feet for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, wandered between palm trees, and walked and walked and walked trying to keep up with Dan's tireless long legs.

Though our last morning we were in a bit of a panic and almost missed our flight, the trip was wonderful overall and we hope to return again to beautiful Barcelona.

Pictures are here, and below is a small video of our new favourite buskers.

The jungle comes to Britain

Back in November we had some students from Quebec staying with us for a couple of nights. One morning, one of them returned from a walk to the shop and reported seeing a green parrot fly overhead. I was skeptical until Dan piped up, admitting that he too had seen a parrot or two roaming our neighbourhood. I soon began to see glimpses of these long tailed, bright green parrots high in the trees on my jogs.

Today, on my noontime canal walk, I was startled when I came upon a lovely green parrot, with red beak and a pinkish ring around its neck dangling from a branch over the river Wey not 10 feet from where I stood. He happily posed for my camera (though my camera phone doesn't zoom, so you have to click on the picture to get a better view!) and lazily bounced on his branch, until he and his partner (hiding from view nearby) began to climb and hop from branch to branch higher and higher until finally taking flight, leaving me in awe and late for work.

Such a sight seems so out of place in England, so after scurrying back to my desk I decided to google 'wild parrots uk' and was amazed to find this article acknowledging a rising parrot and parakeet population in the UK and primarily in this area: Wild Parrots Settle in Suburbs

Apparently they are making their way from Asia and finding homes across Europe posing a threat to the smaller native birds. What will this changing climate reveal next?!

Winter in England

I've been working at a temp job for the past couple of weeks and the best part of the job is the proximity to the canals in Weybridge (which is the next town over from us where we are both working at the moment). On my hour lunch breaks, I change into my boots and wander along the canals, enjoying the birds, beauty, and luxurious homes along with the fresh air and much needed exercise after a morning of sitting behind a desk.

However, my daily walk was not possible yesterday as the country was blanketed in a foot of snow. The most England has seen since 1991! The landscape quickly transformed from muddy but quite green to white in a few hours causing chaos everywhere. The city shut down. Seeing snow like this once in a couple decades does not warrant snow tires, ploughs, or shovels. No one was prepared for it. Unaccustomed to winter driving, people slide passed us nervously. It took us twice as long to get to work and fortunately many people stayed home. We were both allowed to leave work a little early and went out to enjoy the snow. Our neighbourhood had been peopled by snowmen. Every corner and building had one. Neither of us had made a snowman since we were children, but as it is such a novelty here that the enthusiasm was contagious and we decided to join in.

Afterwards we treated ourselves to drinks and dinner in front of the fire at our local pub. Click here to see the contrast between yesterday and last week.

Carmina Burana at the O2 arena

Since Christmas we've been laying low at home for the most part. We've been in London every Sunday for church and to visit friends, but otherwise hanging out in Walton, with the exception of one outing this past weekend.

For Christmas, Dan gave me two tickets to see Carmina Burana at the O2 Arena (AKA The Millennium Dome). We enjoyed some sushi at one of the many restaurants at the venue before show. "Carmina Burana--Monumental Opera" was spectacular with fire works, elaborate costumes, and of course, intense music. This is their blurb:

"The O2 launches the Monumental Classics Series with Carmina Burana in January 2009. Franz Abraham, the creator of the production, brings Carl Orff’s masterpiece to life with over 250 performers - including the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir, as well as dancers, actors, and singers. The dramatic staging has been created by Walter Haupt, a long standing close friend of Orff himself, and features a giant set, previously only seen outside and in stadiums, sensational light projections and fireworks."

Thanks honey!

Merry Christmas from London!

Wishing all our beloved friends and family a very merry Christmas.



We are enjoying a simplified Christmas in England with Dan's parents Rose and Al, his sister, Lesha and her partner, Sean. Happily everyone arrived safely in the last couple of days, however only Lesha arrived with luggage, which means that most of our Christmas presents, stockings, and other festive items are somewhere between here and Halifax. Robin had some stocking stuffers for everyone, so we decided to improvise this morning and used oven mitts, hats and a cosmetics bag as make-shift stockings (see the picture of these odd stockings under the tree below--notice the mushrooms in the background, as there was no more room in the fridge). For fun, Lesha wrapped up some random cookies and things from the hotel across the street where they are staying this week. And we happened to have bought clothes for each of the people that are without their suitcases, so they were able to change shirts! We enjoyed a beautiful Ukrainian Christmas dinner tonight, perogies, kutya, cabbage, and all, as well as a lot of laughter. It's been a very happy Christmas for us despite the missing items. We hope that you and yours are having as much fun together as we are. We'll see you in the New Year!

Love from Robin, Dan, Rose, Al, Lesha, and Sean