Greenbelt Walk

Last weekend the weather was a glorious 4 degrees Celsius. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I could almost imagine cartoon birds singing.

Margot, Glosette Girl, and I decided to take full advantage of the balmy temperature and went for a winter walk - technically, the last winter walk of the winter season.

Ottawa doesn't have mountains or oceans (unfortunately, sigh!) but it does have a good number of walking trails within - or just outside - the city limits. A large number of those trails are in Ottawa's greenbelt, which is a green crescent of forests, fields and farms encircling the original city. While the original idea (that the greenbelt would constrain development and encourage development in Ottawa's core), hasn't quite worked out that way, the greenbelt is still a great easy-access resource.

So on Sunday we moseyed on over to Shirley's Bay, which is the part of the greenbelt in the west of Ottawa.

Technically the trail is supposed to be for cross country skiiers only until April 12th (which tells you something about typical Ottawa's weather!) but the snow was melting fast and we took a chance that the skiiers wouldn't be too grumpy if they saw us.

The trail itself is dead flat and doesn't have much going for it in terms of scenery. But we had fun.

That was probably due to the fact that my Dad-instincts* were on full power and I had the foresight to bring a sled for Margot to sit on.

Mush Dada!

Instead of lil Ms. Grumps...

I think I'm in trouble in 10 years...

...there was lil Ms Sunshine!

...but maybe not!

Whoever invented sleds must have been a parent!

* Small chance it might have been Glosette Girl's instincts.