29th April 2025

What do you do when the sun is shining and you have a Wee Daftie in your life? You go walk beside some water while looking for birds.

Naturally.

I picked Wee Daftie up from school, brandishing a snack and a drink, so that we could shadow the walk I did last Wednesday. Which also mirrored our very first walk together at the start of the month.

It all seemed very fitting.

And bird laden.

For as long as I have had my girl, we have been walking together. From walking with her in sling, to the trike, her reigns, to just her long, strong legs we have put in some miles together. And often these walks came with a side of nature. Intentional or not.

I’ve had an app on my phone called Seek for years and we still use it on walks to identify the beautiful bits around us we don’t instantly recognise. We used it today in fact to discover some Spanish bluebells, garlic mustard and hogweed. Delightful.

Our walk took us through Stockbridge, along Warriston, around St Mark’s Park, down to the weir and back along the cycle network to home.

My girl and I smashed our steps by the time we got home and had a gorgeous time, chatting, laughing and bird spotting. In no particular order we saw mallards, moorhens, coots, herons, rubber duckies, a dipper, pigeons galore and a lone blackbird. We heard many other chirps and squawks from the hedgerows but I can’t possible comment as to what they were. But they were loud and lovely. Cheering us on, no doubt.

It’s been an absolute honour raising money in such a meaningful way. Walking with my Wee Daftie while finding a way to say thank you to those strangers who supported us? Yes please.

We have one more day to go and I know we’ll smash it. I’ll need to tally our final totals but we’ve done well and it feels great.

So, one last time, let’s get ready to Stroll with Simba.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/carolynne-murphy-3?newPage=true