Beveridge Park, Scotland in Summer Time

Hello Hello to all Hivers, Hivians, Silver Bloggers and anyone else reading this.

I hope you have been enjoying a joyous July so far ...

This week's #sb-chronicles prompt number 3 ....

"Take us to visit a special place in your hometown."

It can be any place, a park, a house, a street, a building. Why do you like it? What makes it special for you?

As soon as I saw the prompt that @coquicoin wrote then I knew what she thought I would choose.

Of course Edinburgh is where I grew up, but not where I live now.

So I am taking this prompt as being where I live now.

I do love reading chronicles from others and thanks to everyone that shares their chronicles with us.

There are two special places which I love to visit and do so each week.

Closest wins!

From my house, it takes me 7 minutes to walk to the sea, but only 5 minutes to walk and be inside this park I am taking you today.

Introducing Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy, Scotland

We had a Royal visit at the end of June. King Charles and Queen Camilla visited our town as part of war memorial centenary celebrations.

This park is where they arrived by helicopter.

It explains why the erected this bonnie new sign!

Beveridge Park is a beautiful Victorian park located in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. It was established in 1892 when Provost Michael Beveridge bequeathed 104 acres of the Raith Estate to the people of Kirkcaldy.

New signpost, thanks Charles!

As you can see the park features formal gardens, a boating lake, play areas, woodland walks and so much more that we don't have time to explore everything today.

The Rose garden

When we first moved to Kirkcaldy four years ago the roses were much bigger. However the council who look after the park are on a cost cutting exercise and have ripped up so much of the park, that I am sure Mrs Beveridge would be turning in her grave if she saw what they are doing. They did plant new smaller roses eventually.

These roses are only here for the Royal Visit.

Mrs T and I used to sit and eat sandwiches during the pandemic on that bench sometimes. The council have removed the wall that was around it as well as a bush that was a popular haunt with pollinators. And they replaced them with a few flowers. Of course they won't maintain them!

The Boating pond

The rose garden leads to the Boating pond.

We do have a fleet of big swan pedalos but I am not showing them today, they are on the other side of the lake with the play areas.

Dafty the Pomerian duck's grandson eyeing up the Swan family.

Of course I come to the park to feed the birds and animals.

I have often named the children of Mr and Mrs Swan as the pies and written about them often.

This year four cygnets have made it to this safe stage of development.

Like father like sons

Just like humans, bird children learn by copying their parents.

So stop fluffing giving your kids your bad habits people!!

Stump formerly a gorgeous tree, thanks council!

Yes you guessed it, there was a big tree growing here, this spring they chopped it down.

Actually if you look to the right you can see those white swan pedalos.

This is another feeding spot I drop off oatmeal and bird seed.

However Mrs T went in under a bush to throw food and whispered Ed Ed come here...

Can you see why she was excited ...

A gorgeous wee not so ugly duckling!

Thankfully mum and dad were keeping out of harms way. The seagulls don't go under the bushes where he was.

Back around the pond and I call this ...

Coot Corner

I love the coots and we are getting more and more every year. Do you see their pointy sharp beaks. They are mean fluffers and go after the seagulls!

The young still get fed by their parents and they are almost the same size.

Meet Chalky another new star of the park.

This year we received a white duck, who has been named Chalky!

It is very rare you see white ducks in the wild, so fluff knows where he came from.

He is a hit with the brown Mallard ladies though!

You can see the big island in the middle of the boating pond as another little duck family lead is to another part of the park.

Mrs Beveridge memorial garden

It is all thanks to Mrs Beveridge the wife of the Provost of Kirkcaldy who pestered her husband to leave some green space for the citizens of Kirkcaldy to enjoy some outdoor activities.

This fountain is in her honour.

One of her favourite animals was the beaver and if you look at the animal on the fountain ...

... it is a beaver.

Squirrel park

The squirrels love to eat and this year have been particularly hungry for some reason as have all the birds too.

All these pictures have been taken this month are so really are Summertime pictures of what life is like!

What is life without bees...

Houston we have liftoff!

Talk about a cool action shot, this almost was a perfect shot and yes he is taking off!

Flowers galore!

Peace Garden

The Peace Garden in Beveridge Park is a secluded area designed for reflection and tranquility. It features an obelisk with inscriptions and symbols relating to different religions, aiming to foster understanding and connection between diverse communities.

May Peace Prevail on Earth

Guess what the council did to the peace garden .... We used to have beautiful hedges and where you see the flowers. Yes another magnet for the bees, then they ripped them up and planted a couple of flowers!

What the Peace Garden used to look like!

I took this picture on 15th March 2022

Galloway garden

This was another part of the park that saved us during Covid.

However, it has a bit of a sad history to it.

THIS GARDEN IS DEDICATED TO
THE VERY PRECIOUS MEMORY OF JAMES GALLOWAY
BORN KIRKCALDY 1924 DIED KIRKCALDY 1993
AND HIS DEARLY-LOVED NEVER-FORGOTTEN WIFE

HELEN GALLOWAY

BORN GLASGOW 1924 DIED TORONTO 1974
WHO SPENT 25 HAPPILY MARRIED YEARS
IN KIRKCALDY BEFORE AN ILL-FATED EMIGRATION
IN 1974 TO CANADA. IN 1991 JAMES FINALLY
RETIRED TO THE HOMETOWN HE LOVED
AND MISSED, NEVER AGAIN TO LEAVE.

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