One good thing that has come out of COVID-19 seems to be the family walk, says Belmont North's Eunice Hobson-English.
When families are in lockdown, a walk is one of the things they can do.
"Back in Scotland in the 1950s, the family walk on a Sunday afternoon was the normal thing. We headed for the nearest woods, often parkland belonging to a former stately home or castle. Our favourite in Ayr was Craigie Park," Eunice said.
"My parents walked along together, rekindling their romance," she said.
"It seemed to be a magical place when I was young, especially when the snow was on the ground and the River Ayr froze for the first time in recent history.
"The sense of freedom, being able to run freely and safely, collecting in-season bluebells, primroses, conkers (from horse chestnut trees) and acorns from below huge oak trees."
She recalled going home tired and happy.
"Now it has become a golf course. I don't know how much of the park is left," she said.
She feels fortunate that Lake Macquarie has "many wonderful spots for family walks".
Eunice said her family "didn't have television in those days to keep us indoors".
She suggested that TV networks could "shut down on a Sunday afternoon to get everybody out walking and discovering with excitement".
That would probably cause protests in the streets bigger than those for climate change and Black Lives Matter, but we get the sentiment.
A Wartime Romance
Eunice's parents, Tom and Kathleen English, met in Lancashire in England during World War II.
Her dad, a Scot, was in warfare decoys for the RAF. Her mum assembled engines for bomber aircraft.
"They married in 1944 then, after I was born in 1946, we moved to Scotland where Dad had work," Eunice said.
"They were together for 65 years and now their ashes are together on a high hill near Falkirk in Scotland, with an uninterrupted view of the night sky."
In The Stars
Eunice's family has a star named after it in "loving memory" of Tom and Kathleen.
This is done through a company called Star Index in which people can name a star for a fee.
Eunice thought it'd be pretty cool if our resident astronomy expert Col Maybury could find the family's star and help them see it through a powerful telescope.
Over to you, Col.
Snakes On A Saw
Following our story on Monday of a green tree snake on a bridge, Booral's Terry Robbs sent us this photo of a python "resting on the sharp edge of an old timber getter's saw".
"It's an unusual photo and we haven't seen that before," Terry said.
