My Walk this Week 130 – It Must Be Mist

Posted on 24/10/201819/10/2018 by Alastair

Mist or fog – whichever you think it is depends on where you are in relation to the cloud that creates it. Near the start of this walk I was able to look down on the mist/fog in the valley below, but as I climbed up the side of the valley, so it thickened to become more fog like.

But early morning fog is apt to clear or at least move and it is the latter that happened on this occasion – at least until later in the day when the sun finally raised the temperature and dispensed with the dampness. The gloom was very atmospheric and I didn’t mind in the least as I stopped to photograph and listen to my surroundings. The sounds included electricity pylons and cables fizzling in the moisture filled air and temporarily the sound of Continue reading→

Pylons in the Hills

Posted on 19/07/201319/07/2013 by Alastair

Coming down from the hills at the end of the day and heading into the sunlight can provide some remarkable views of the landscape – dependant, of course, on the weather conditions and time of year.

The end of my journey home from Felindre brought me down from the hills towards Pontarddulais in South Wales where there is a vast network of metal giants criss-crossing the land as part of the National Grid.

Electricity pylons seen against the light and the land need not be a blot, but rather a fascinating part of the composition, creating patterns and networks of lines that may not be natural, but are something we are happy to live with in order to have the power we need for modern life.

These and more photos can be seen and purchased at StillWalks PhotoShelter.

Pylons

I’ve got loads of energy & I’m jumping for joy

Posted on 09/11/201209/11/2012 by Alastair

The energy is coming from the sun, operating efficiency and insulation. We recently got a big refund and our energy bills slashed and that is why I was jumping for joy, to say nothing of relief.

It’s a year ago now that we had our solar pv panels installed on our roof. At the same time we also updated our gas central heating and the plumber, Jon Phillips, did a great job – I’d recommend him to anyone.

Loads of energy and bills slashed – We had been paying through the nose for our energy prior to this but were lucky enough to get the solar pv installed by HomeSun before the government subsidy was cut. With the central heating update, it all still cost a few thousand pounds but we will have covered this amount in just three years with the massive savings we are making on our energy bills.

The Solar PV is particularly useful to us because we work from home and are able to make use of the energy as it is produced. If this were not the case, then the panels would be sending all that energy straight to the National Grid at least through the working week.