Close To Nature

Last Saturday morning, we went to Labrador Park for a jaunt. The view of the sea just beside the long walkway of Labrador Park was breathtaking. The sun was out cheerily - the weather was balmy with swaying, happy trees. The stinging smell of sea salt was invigorating, although it did make me and Big Bee sneeze a couple of times. Perfect.

We sauntered under the hot noon sun to the long lingering jetty, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on our faces, waving to the abundant shoals of small fishes in the emerald waters. We even saw a pair of barracudas! Well, I am no fish expert, but at least they look like barracudas!

Big Bee was skipping all around, tiring herself out, sweating profusely. She enjoyed looking at the fishes a lot. Little Bee was trotting along beside us, stopping every 5 metres to oooh and aaah at any tiny crawling insect or leaf or anything she found interesting. She was very attached to her pink hat, kept adjusting it herself, trying to look pretty for the camera.

We decided to walk up the boardwalk into the shady cool of the forest. Respite from the heat of the sun! Hubby had to carry Little Bee, and Big Bee kept telling us how lucky Little Bee was. Well, there is absolutely no way any one of us can carry 24 kg Big Bee up the boardwalk steps!! So, walk she must.

The almost virgin forest is a gorgeous canvas for all the things we cannot find in our daily city life. Long trails of ants marching along an elongated branch, to Big Bee's fascination. Funny creepy crawlies never seen before. Fluttering butterflies with gorgeous patterns on their wings. We pointed all these natural miracles for the Bees to understand and appreciate Mother Nature.

And as Labrador Park used to be a fort during the World War 2, the forest was dotted with gun embankments (or whatever the term is). We even stopped by an old fort gun, climbing up the gun, pretending to blast at the dreaded Japanese enemy, much to Big Bee's excitement. She was climbing up and down the gun station, turning wheels here and there. Little Bee, however, was terrified of the gun, strangely. The moment we chanced upon the gun, her expression changed to one of worry and fear, her body turned rigid, her legs hugging my waist tightly, and her hands patted her chest fretfully.

We also had a little refreshment break at the resident restaurant, which is a nice breezy alfresco cafe perched beside the famed Labrador tunnels. The coke, which Big Bee and me devoured, never tasted more invigorating!