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Exercise; running through the woods; visiting Scotland
Posted: 25th May 2011
Exercise
The Observer reports a
study by Essex University in the child health journal Acta Paediatrica. Children have become
weaker in the last 10 years; they are less able to do sit ups, pull-ups and
they are less able to hold their own weight when hanging from wall bars. This is blamed on a shift away from outdoor
activities. I see a parallel in
dogs. Certain people advise that young dogs should have their exercise
severely restricted until they are well into adulthood to avoid strain on
muscles and joints. The reality is that
exercise fosters a strong skeletal system.
Walking in the woods
On the subject of
children and outdoor activities, up in Darvel, in Ayrshire we went for a walk
in the Lanfine woods. The birdsong was
so vocal it made me think of an Amazonian rain forest. (Not that I’ve been
there, I’ve just seen the films.) In my
day this was our perpetual playground as children. At that time the estate was owned by Lord
Rotherwick and the estate manager did his best to keep the locals out. On the
walk we met a group from the local Mair’s school, which is where I started my
education but is now a nursery. The
children were running through the woods and climbing trees and there was a
barbecue on the go. The present owners, a German family, seem to work with
local people to encourage access.
Hidden Gems No 94
The little town of New Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway
is well worth a detour, especially for a visit to Kitty’s Tearoom - “The finest
comestible on the table” according to the antique poster. It’s an old–style tearoom with great food.
The background music ranges from Django Rheinhart to Jimmie Shand and His Band.
It would be worth moving there just for the tearoom yet it isn’t mentioned on
local information sites.
There are a lot of pheasants wandering on the roads in Southern Scotland. I’ve heard of pheasant pluckers but this was more a case of pheasant dodgers.
Scotland is supposed to be cold and wet - (It is cold and wet, dammit!) but on the coast between Girvan and Ayr they were lifting potatoes and the carrots looked ready to harvest.
On the main A77 between Stranraer and Glasgow at Turnberry I saw a road sign (a proper red triangle one) which warned “Beware of otters”. I’m not making that up.
I’ve heard of pheasant pluckers but this was more a case of pheasant dodgers.
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