bending lines

My Walk this Week 195 – Station Stroll

My walk this week is more of a stroll along my local railway station and is another short walk fitted in between other things going on in my day.

tunnel and light

Having to wait for something or other, I took a wander down there knowing that, as stations go, it is quite an attractive one. The thick carpet of moss on the unused section of the bending platform was luxurious to say the least – it felt wonderful to walk on! When I turned round to face the sunshine, I could see the light, not at the end of the tunnel but at its far side. Powerful and bright in the distance, it was a classic effect of the conditions.

One of the other noticeable things about the station was the number of bright-sounding birds – I wasn’t the only one enjoying a brief respite from the wind and rain of one storm following directly on from another. And if you listen, you will here amongst them one of our local song thrushes 🙂Continue reading

Loughor Estuary

My Walk this Week 193 – Estuary Atmosphere

My walk this week took me down to the Loughor Estuary which has its own unique atmosphere whatever the weather conditions.

Loughor Estuary

On this occasion it was dull and windy but no less enjoyable for that. If you like the wind, as I do, then this open, expansive land and waterscape is a good place to find it at a low elevation. The place can be spectacularly still and beautiful during a quiet sunset but I enjoy almost as much the cloud cover and wind here – a place that feels somewhat mystical in all conditions.

Lonely, harsh, wild, still, contemplative – all of these adjectives and more suit the place at different times.

Estuary Soundscape

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The soundscape follows me down a farm track, past early signs of Spring and a rushing stream to the open, wind blown estuary and salt marshes, under the railway bridge and out through the tall marsh grass by the river where I disturbed a pair of ducks but caught them fleeing on camera.

So click the play button to listen while viewing the images below – click the first one and then again to move forward through the carousel.

Running Away (from a dark day?)

As we came out of the Great Glass House at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on my walk this week, I looked at the impending weather and took a couple of shots. I had noticed the family in the middle ground but only realised the symmetry of the children running away from each other as part of a game after I had taken the photo.

Running Away

Those dark clouds did catch up with us but not at this point in our walk when I was still interested in the growth andContinue reading

Cascade Construction

Nearing The Waterside on my walk this week I have arrived at the cascade construction down which the water from a bygone reservoir tumbles and flows. Emerging from a tunnel which would once have been below a dam wall the river flows through the woodland valley on its route down to join the River Lliw.

The Afon Lliw starts in the same area – the uplands north of Swansea known as The Mawr – and is a part of our locality that I love. I produced video of a project a couple of years ago where local school children followed and researched the Lliw from source to sea – you can see the various video chapters here.

water cascade

Continue reading

Flower Cycle and Reviewing the Week

My last flower of this week is not one from our garden, though I look forward to the tulips opening outside our studio.

Appropriately, as we end the week, these bought tulips are at the end of their cycle. They are no less beautiful for their age though, and I am often attracted by dying flowers with their colour changes and withering patterns.

dying tulip

Beauty in Age

Maybe it’s just me but I find these dying daffodils still hold their beauty. It is just different to when they were young.

Dying Daffodils

 

That Early Morning Dew

Early morning sunlight, dew on the grass and flowers – what more could you ask for?

The Daffodils have been and almost gone at Easter time in Galloway, Scotland but the Bluebells are coming through and both the flowers and the grass look like they are revealing in the early morning sun.

dew on Bluebells

dew on grass

dew on grass

Spring Sights and Sounds at Clyne

This week’s featured StillWalks video – a walk through Swansea’s Clyne Gardens.

The video is set a few weeks ahead of the current date in terms of the time of year but the flowers and activity of the birds celebrate the beautiful sunny weather of Spring with gusto and are a welcome change to the wild, wet and windy weather we had through Winter.

The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Garden Park Walk – Spring” which features Clyne Gardens in Swansea, South Wales. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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