Lliw Reservoir is a popular place with people of all ages these days. There is evidence below of the fact that it is as popular with children as it is with adults. And the fact that there is a nice cafe there is no doubt an added attraction but many go there for walks and never get a cuppa.
Whether people are there for a walk or a cup of tea is not really important – I simply like the fact that people get out there and enjoy the sights and sounds of the place. It is certainly a change of environment from the city or even to village.
When visiting the Botanic Gardens (NBGW) the natural course to take on a walk is up the main path from the entrance towards the fountain at the end of a small lake. From here you have a number of options in terms of direction but if you have children with you (or even if you haven’t), the temptation is then to follow the twisting miniature stream set into the centre of the walkway.
Eventually, at the top of the path, you reach the simple but attractive water feature that feeds the meandering stream and you can look back down the way you have come and scan some of the other areas of the gardens.
All but one of the photos I am posting this week are from our walk here near the end of September. However, I had to look to my archives for a shot of the twisting footpath stream and this one is from June 2011. My youngest daughter once said a few years after the gardens opened in 2000 that this was her favourite place in Wales – I am sure that this magical twisting trickle had something to do with it.
The Josef Herman Schools Award is an annual project hosted by the Josef Herman Art Foundation Cymru which employs different artists each year to work with four South Wales primary schools. This year the Foundation is working with the Tate on a two-year project called Mining Josef Herman; part of a Transforming Tate Britain: Archives and Access programme.
The children enjoyed a promenade performance by Lighthouse Theatre followed by a series of drawing workshops with me in school and in Ystradgynlais, where Herman lived for 11 years. We worked with iPads and traditional drawing materials.
The children researched selected works by Herman provided by the Tate Gallery, London, and made presentations which were recorded on iPads. The exhibition features a selection of their drawing on paper and two TV screens showing both their presentations and animations of the iPad drawings they produced. The exhibition is at The Welfare in Ystradgynlais and will continue until mid September.
Recently we have been going through what most parents do at that time when their children take flight and leave the family home. Both our girls are now at university and the house feels so, so empty. There seem to be so many things that make us notice that they are not with us, such as singing along to their music in the front room – a regular activity that meant they were always there in the background, if not actually talking to us!
During a mid week visit to our local park to meet a photographer from the local paper (the South Wales Evening Post will be running an article about StillWalks on Tuesday), I was reminded of the girls when they were younger.
I had the StillWalks kit with me for the photo shoot and took the opportunity of getting some shots from the playground which was nearby. In doing so I was reminded of Ellen and Hannah and the times we pushed them on the swings and watched them climbing and playing on the various pieces of equipment.
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