Mumbles lighthouse

My Walk this Week 233 – The Sea The Sea

On my walk this week I was mesmerised by the susurration of the sea, the sea. It was the light and colour that really caught my eye, but when looking at its gentle, repetitive movements and listening to its rhythmical shush and liquid intricacies I couldn’t help but be enamoured of the full expanse of Swansea Bay at high tide.

Still using my iPhone I am frustrated by the effect even a slight breeze has on its microphones – but the distortion in the audio in this video is not what is in my memory.

Being in Mumbles to run an errand with my daughter (Hannah Duncan Creations), we took the opportunity to walk along the seafront to the pier. The sunlight caught the outcrops of rock, made islands by the high tide, on which the lighthouse is built and the sharp edge made me think of the shot of Catalina Apple used for the operating system of that name. Looking at that system image afterwards, I was less convinced of any similarity.

I only took a few photographs and short video clips but the walk was a very enjoyable and welcome break from the darkness the seemingly interminable rain brings. It’s not so much the rain I dislike as the lack of light that comes with it.

open bay view

My Walk this Week 164 – Bay View Walk

My walk this week is a short one in Swansea Bay that I was able to fit in between meetings. I try to organise my days to allow me to do that as I find even a short walk in the open air a valuable refresher for my brain and body.

bay growth

I often use my StillWalks® videos in the same way – to get a short break in the middle of a busy day as its not always convenient or even possible to go out for a walk. The videos don’t give me the physical exercise but they do refresh my brain and relax my nerves.

My walk took me onto the expansive beach of Swansea Bay Continue reading

wave chaos

Approaching Dawn Down on the Seafront

The darkness lifted ever so slowly as I proceeded on my walk this week from city centre to seafront in the approaching dawn. Having traversed the Maritime Quarter with its shadow patterns and reflections (see previous post) and experiencing a hint of the cold wind to come, I emerged onto the seafront behind a stainless steel sail sculpture and quickly retreated back behind the corner of the building by my side.

Urban Dawn Walk

It was cold and wild and the distant blue-grey light on the eastern horizon gave no hint of how the day may turn out. The tide was high and the waves crashed against each otherContinue reading

Tawe River Mouth – Reviewing the Walk

It was a nice sunny day for my walk this week, though I still had my umbrella with me as an encumbrance. My final view of the walk was looking across Swansea Bay from the dunes to Mumbles and its lighthouse.

I have included a soundscape again this week to accompany my selection of images from the walk. Click the play button and then the first thumbnail to view the images in sequence.

Mumbles from Swansea

Tawe Walk Soundscape

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Art and Direction

Walking back towards the seafront from the marina in Swansea Bay I passed three of the many sculptures situated in the Maritime Quarter. These are three of several weather vane art works for which Robin Campbell was responsible as an architect working with Swansea Council in the ’80s and 90’s. I can remember sculptor and potter, Martin Williams, working on this first piece in the studio next door to mine (see yesterday’s post).

The weather vanes are clearly all still fully operational as the wind direction indicated by each tallied with the others. If the wind seemed calmer in the shelter of the marina on this walk, on my return to the seafront it was again obvious and bringing further murky weather over from across the bay at Mumbles where you can just about make out Mumbles Lighthouse.

weather vane art

My Walk this Week 20 – Bay Walk

My walk this week sees more changeable weather. There were plenty of other people walking and running in spite of the wintry wet conditions which says something for the attraction of Swansea Bay. Fortunately, from the point of view of photography, what can feel like miserable weather for walking, can produce some “atmospheric” images.

Looking out for those shots can also help with the mental attitude to walking in this weather and as it didn’t continue raining for too long, the walk was in fact very refreshing and entertaining.

It wasn’t just the able bodied who were using the promenade – having said that, take a close look and you will see that the runner below is clearly very able bodied!

Swansea Bay

If you listen carefully to the sound clip below, you should hear the intermittent tone of Mumbles lighthouse in the distance as well as footsteps and an intrepid cyclist.

Windy Seafront

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Mist, Murk and Reviewing the Week 10

The Meridian Tower is the main structure that can be identified in this misty, murky shot across Swansea Bay from Mumbles. So ends a week of photos taken in dull, damp weather –  I hope you have enjoyed them in spite of the weather.

A gallery of all the images I have posted this week can be seen below.

Meridian Tower