Sunday, February 21, 2021

Beacon Hill Park on a Sunday Afternoon

 


Late this morning we received a text from our daughter-in-law inviting us on a "rain or shine" walk in Beacon Hill Park. We agreed with alacrity as meeting outdoors is what's recommended these days. There was a sharp wind, but most of last weekend's foot of snow has disappeared, other than piles of it due to plowing or shoveling. 

In the flower beds the earliest flowers are blooming - primulas in bright shades of yellow, purple, and white, and the hellebores are magnificent. In our own garden they are not nearly this far along so I admired them greatly.


How surprised I was to see a couple of peacocks standing like statues in a bed along the path. They barely moved when I stopped to take a photo.


As we continued walking we saw many more peacocks and peahens. Such a brilliant blue colour. And the detail of their headdress is amazing. We saw at least 40 of them, especially near the bandshell where a number of them perched on green benches as if waiting for a concert to begin. 


Moving along the pathway, we stopped to watch ducks in the water. Lots and lots of ducks, mallards and wigeons, and they all came running at the first glimpse of birdseed. Five great blue herons perched like grumpy old men in a tree above the pond, motionless other than for their feathers blowing softly in the wind. 


The grandchildren ran ahead and climbed trees and rocks, fed ducks, slid down playground slides and ziplines, and used up far more energy than we adults. Such delight.


How perfectly lovely it was to come across these prunus blossoms, a sign that spring is well and truly on her way. Hooray! 

We ended our walk at the iconic Beacon Hill Cafe where ice cream has been served for over 25 years. The children stuck with the traditional fare, while the adults opted for coffee or in my case, hot chocolate. A warming end to a windy, but fun walk. 


30 comments:

  1. Any such invitation is very welcome these days and I’m so happy with you for any signs of spring!

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  2. That little sprig of Prunus is a real joy, and gives a feeling of hope for Spring.

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  3. What a lovely walk you had and with company. Just what is needed at this time of year. The peacocks are beautiful.

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  4. What a great place to spend time with loved ones!

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  5. How lovely! Time with family and a gorgeous park is the best!

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  6. Dear Lorrie,
    Spring has definitely made a show in your area. How wonderful to see primroses and Hellebore. We are still deep in winter, cold and snow on the ground.

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  7. Looks like a wonderful day all around. So nice to see children enjoying the great outdoors. What fun to stumble upon the peacocks. They are such interesting birds and your photos are spectacular.

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  8. You had a nice walk! I love peacocks and their beautiful colors.
    Nice to see your grandchildren.

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  9. Such a pretty place to walk and with the grandkids! Perfect!

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  10. How nice to get out and about especially having fun with the grandchildren. A delight to see the peacocks, they are beautiful. A joy to see signs of spring.

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  11. You've captured Victoria's beauty again with your camera lens. Oh my! And to spend the day with your grandkids. What a splendid joy gift to your heart it must have been. I mentioned to Rick that your cherry trees are blooming. No chance of that here, so glad you share your wealth of spring sightings with us. We'll celebrate with you.

    Wishing you a beautiful week ahead, Lorrie.
    Brenda xo

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  12. The Hellebores are lovely. Mine are just a few inches high but a few warmer days and they should begin to bloom.
    The peacocks are beautiful but I remember how noisy they are!!
    Have a good week.

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  13. Sounds like a fun time. You are definitely ahead of us with the spring., although with the temperatures we are having today, the little snow we had is all but gone.The blue on the Peacock is just gorgeous.

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  14. What a lovely early springtime walk. I don't think I have ever noticed the head dress of a peacock. So very pretty. Those pink blossoms at the end of the post just make me smile. Yes, they truly do tell us spring is on it's way and I couldn't be happier. I haven't seen any pink blossoms here yet, but now I will be watching more closely.

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  15. What a lovely day to share with your family!

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  16. The peacock images are stunning!

    Nice to see the signs of spring on the west coast. Everything is still buried under snow here, but the days are getting longer...

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  17. What an amazing sight it must be to see 40 of those gorgeous peacocks! We rarely see them in Australia, and only one or two now and then. Vancouver Island sounds so beautiful - hope I get to see it one day!

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  18. So much beauty in this post . . . the vibrant plumage of the peacocks, the Great blue herons (we see those here and I love them!), the early blooms . . . and especially the opportunity to be together and the happy faces of cousins on the slide!

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  19. Primulas, hellebores, even prunus blossoms... sounds wonderful. Unsurprisingly, both adults and children enjoyed their time outdoors.
    We are still in full winter - and only dreaming of spring. Soon it's March, however, and we hope to see the first signs of spring.
    Have a lovely week ahead and stay well!

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  20. What a lovely walk that was! Thanks for taking us all along with you. For one, I enjoyed myself tremendously.

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  21. The peacock's vibrant color is amazing. Thank you for the hint of spring!

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  22. You definitely were all rewarded for getting out into the elements and enjoying that park. How amazing to see so many peacocks and heron! Very encouraging, too, to see those sweet blossoms! Happy end of February to you.

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  23. Oh your Spring has sprung!!! those children are just a joy to behold

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  24. Beautiful birds and children! I can feel the fresh air!

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  25. What a lovely place to take a walk and those peacocks . . . a beautiful surprise.
    Wishing you a lovely day. God bless you.

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  26. So nice to see that spring is on the way! Love the hellebores blooming all over now.

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  27. Lorrie - 40 peacocks? I imagine that was quite a sight! It's nice to see that spring flowers are blooming somewhere!!! How wonderful to spend time with your grandkids. Seeing them play with such abandon brings great joy!

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  28. What a lovely time, great pictures.
    The peacock so blue and the blossom so pink and wonderful smiling happy faces.
    I think my choice would have been a warm cuppa too :)

    All the best Jan

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  29. They do remind me of Grumpy Old Men! That's delightful and I'll think of that when we see them return tot he pond here again. Peacocks are a love of mine, unbelievably gorgeous! When my parents retired they moved to a wooded park neighborhood around a large natural spring and we loved traveling to stay with them and see the peacocks strolling through the yards. Not so fond of them when they perched on the roof and woke us up at dawn!

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  30. Hi Lorrie,

    What a fun outing this must have been!! I can't believe how much your granddaughter looks like you. :) Those hellebores are sooo pretty; my mom has lots of them in her yard, and I simply must plant some. They make very nice cut flowers, too. Peacocks are something, aren't they? We saw a male at a public garden a few years ago, and he was displaying for a female; they put on quite the show when they're courting. ;D That shade of blue is such a splendid color, don't you think?

    It looks like you're really enjoying retirement, Lorrie, and that's a wonderful thing. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

    Hugs,

    Denise

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