Video: Walking and Film Shorts (5)

 The GREAT Canadian Comeback Continues with More Flexibility

Plus, I Film a Few Fish in an Underwater Setting

Many of the fish that over-wintered are looking pretty rough!

Introduction:

The good weather in March, particularly from the 21st - 25th, spoiled me. I walked and biked in t-shirt and shorts and got a little sun on my winter-white legs. Look away! Look away! 

As well, I found the perfect opportunity to photograph and video the fish (Gizzard Shad) that over-wintered in Carling Creek (a wee tributary of the Thames River in London ONT) just north of Blackfriars Bridge. 

So, related to my walking, biking and running progress - all goes well. Though I feel I could train quickly for an April half-marathon - my 45-miles/points per week average keeps me in good trim - I have decided to give it a pass and get back into running very slowly this spring, and keep my eye on the possibility of a summer or fall half-marathon. 

Entries in my journal (above) over the last full week in March reveal that I'm either using up a lot of bandages or have added a new feature to my fun and fitness routine. The last bit is true. The plus-sign indicates that I completed a 'stretching + weights' routine (STR + WTS; add one-half point per day) after 3 walks and 1 bike ride in a five-day span. The new routine is almost a regular habit now and I think it will help me achieve an important goal as I make my comeback, i.e., ultimate svelteness! 

I will end the month with a few more walks, and perhaps another lengthy bike ride in the new and improved TVP North Branch (stretching all the way to Highbury Avenue!). And I'll end this post with a portion from my first underwater video... didn't even get my feet wet!

Video: Walking and Film Shorts (5)

Please click here to view Video: Walking and Biking Shorts (4)

More entries will follow as the GREAT Canadian Comeback continues.

Photos and Video GH

Underwater Video! The GREAT Canadian Fish Story (2) March 2021

Gizzard Shad Survived Harsh Winter But the Numbers are Down

"1000 Maybe 2000 Fish" are Now "100 Maybe 200 Fish"

Recent 'above-water' video reveals that it's tough being a fish

Underwater video will appear below. Brilliant : )

Introduction:

Side note: The harsh reality of winter affected my walking and running routine. I do not always like running in winter - slush is my Enemy No. 1 - plus, I developed a sore foot from hitting two hidden potholes in December, and twice rolling the same foot off the edge of the pathways in January - and more. So, I walked a lot and dusted off my recumbent exercise bike to maintain a healthy fun and fitness routine. I will come back to running once winter is behind us (soon, I predict) and the sore foot is repaired.

That being said, while walking throughout the late fall (November) and winter, I grew fascinated with a mighty fish story, i.e., the mass congregation of gizzard shad spotted in Carling Creek north of Blackfriars Bridge in London. I wrote about the "1000 Maybe 2000 Fish", took scores of photographs per week, several videos, and watched as they experienced a 'die-off' during a particular cold stretch.

But recently, a captive audience of Londoners have watched an exciting event - the GREAT Canadian Comeback of the fish. The 100 maybe 200 survivors of our cold winter have given birth to 1000s of minnows in Carling Creek and the 'captive audience' and I have been thoroughly entertained by this up-close, vibrant and natural process of regeneration. After a year of Covid-19 and some of the changes to our normal routines, perhaps this process is a watery tonic to wintery blues.

One day last week I tied my GoPro - locked inside a waterproof jacket - to a long shoelace and went fishing for underwater closeups of shad and offspring. A quick peek (22 seconds) is shared below:

More underwater video will appear in an Adobe Spark format soon.

Please link here to view earlier videos and stories (e.g., "1000 Maybe 2000 Fish") related to this ongoing, ever-changing fish saga.

Enlightening Videos - "1000 Maybe 2000 Fish": The Movie : )

Entertaining : ) Stories - The GREAT Canadian Fish Story (1) December 2020

Please click here to view very recent photos and 16-second video of my second-favourite fish story: Photographs: Lots of Walkn and Fishn in 2021

Photos and Videos GH 

Photographs: Lots of Walkn and Fishn in 2021

The Months Go By, in Foto Files from January - March

The "1000 Maybe 2000 Fish" Survived the Winter

Some vivid memories return as I search my Foto Files

Introduction:

I did more walking and biking than running during the first three months of this year due to a slight foot problem. As a result, I carried a camera on more days than not.

Below are 53 photos from different walking trails in the city of London. I include as well one 14-second video, fish related. Gizzard Shad filled a small tributary (Carling Creek) of the Thames River just north of Blackfriars Bridge beginning in late fall, and a handful survived the winter. That being said, 1000s of minnows now inhabit the same portion of the aforementioned creek, so another round of "fish fotos" may grace these pages in the future.

First, here's a view from my front porch while I'm lacing up my boots:



The first flowers of January!

Only one bench left on TVP North

I'm impressed with the good ice opposite Harris Park, London

TVP West, aka Terry Fox Pathway

Morse Code on my back deck: "Wear warm socks"

The neighbourhood skunk had a walk-about the back yard

The entrance to the skunk's den, under my shed

On the TVP West to Wonderland Gardens:













On the TVP North, on the flats near UWO:



Downtown London is linked via TVP to UWO:













I spotted just a few fish near Blackfriars, early March:



I'm now on TVP West:












The last snows of March, 2021:







This is a puzzle, north of Wortley Village:



I'm heading north to Gibbons Park on St. Patrick's Day:

A wee bit o' green in Gibbons Park

                     A wee bit o' grin in Gibbons Park on St. Paddy's Day

The "1000 Maybe 2000 Fish" are now "100 Maybe 200 Fish":

Some of the Gizzard Shad look pretty beat up!

Presenting... the One Video!

Wee minnows are abundant in Carling Creek

More photographs to follow. I walk, run, bike and take pictures.

Questions or comments can be added below. Cheers!

Please link to more news and views (pics) at A Year's Work, 2020

Photos, Video by GH