A Comparison of Stones and Shells in Time

A couple of weeks ago I posted photos from a similar position to the image you see below – Keeping Things in Perspective

Now, following the crazy weather and high tides that we have had in the south and west of the UK (to say nothing of the rest of the country), the landscape has been changed. The coast has seen massive stacks and arches disappear. Here in Swansea, the scene on the beach perhaps bears no comparison to those fallen stacks, but it is still notably different to that which I photographed a fortnight ago.

Hundreds of tons of stones now sit at the bottom of these steps where before there was a water filled trench. The solitary shell I photographed in the sand two weeks ago now has hundreds of companions.

Swansea Bay Stones

Swansea Bay ShellsSorry to those who expect it but there is no featured StillWalks video this week. It will be back next week.

Posts in the Lake

There are posts . . . and then there are posts. Today’s post is about the posts in Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough, NE England.

Unfortunately there is not a lot I can say about them as I don’t know why they are there. I assume they are the remnants of some past structure such as a platform. There are other fishing platforms around the lake as can be seen in this week’s featured StillWalks video – but in the end, your guess is as good as mine. If anyone does know why they are there, please let me know in the comments.

Hemlington Lake

Hemlington Lake

This week’s featured StillWalks video is from Middlesbrough. Although the production for “Suburban Lakeside Walk” was done in the Winter, it was clearly much better weather than is evident in the iPhone photos I took around the lake this winter.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Suburban Lakeside Walk” which features Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Facing Into the Wind

Can anyone tell me if this is something ducks do instinctively? Facing into the wind suggests a desire or need to reduce wind resistance, but considering there are plenty of places on Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough, that they could shelter, why not make use of them rather than facing into the wind?

I suppose they might just not want their feathers ruffled – due to a sense of style?!

 

Ducks on Hemlington Lake

Swans on Hemlington Lake

This week’s featured StillWalks video is from Middlesbrough. Although the production for “Suburban Lakeside Walk” was done in the Winter, it was clearly much better weather than is evident in the iPhone photos I took around the lake this winter.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Suburban Lakeside Walk” which features Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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It was a wild and windy day . . .

. . . and it had been a dark and stormy night! But it wasn’t actually rainy when I finally went for a much needed walk around Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough on New Year’s Day. I did two circuits because one was just not enough and was lucky to get back to my inlaws’ house in the nick of time without getting wet.

I had brought my cameras with me but had not taken them out on the walk and so relied on my iPhone 5c yet again. Watch this week’s featured StillWalks video below to see what the place is like in better weather (albeit Winter).

Hemlington Lake

Hemlington Lake

This week’s featured StillWalks video is from Middlesbrough. Although the production for “Suburban Lakeside Walk” was done in the Winter, it was clearly much better weather than is evident in the iPhone photos I took around the lake this winter.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Suburban Lakeside Walk” which features Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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A Tale of Two Cities

Middlesbrough on New Year’s Day is the focus for this week’s posts. Last week I was looking at Belfast on Boxing Day and the lack of human activity there. Middlesbrough, on New Year’s Day, was quiet as well. Two reasons for this could be that people were recovering from the night’s festivities but the other is likely to have been the weather!

The weather on the first day of 2014 in the north east of England (if not the whole of the UK) was miserable, wet and windy. Flood warnings have been regular for many places at the end of one year and the start of the next and I feel sorry for all those who have suffered from these and the accompanying power cuts.

However, the photo below proves that it was not bad weather everywhere all of the time. The sunset reflected in the windows of Middlesbrough Town Hall as seen from MIMA on New Year’s Eve is evidence of that. Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art is a fantastic bit of architecture and always has fascinating exhibitions – we make a point of visiting it each time we are staying in the area with family.

The current exhibition by local artist William Tillyer occupies both of MIMA’s main galleries and although there were only about half a dozen works that we personally liked, the whole exhibition was interesting with some of the works being visually quite deceptive. I am not allowed to show photos from the show but you can click the links above to find out more.

Middlesbrough Town Hall

This week’s featured StillWalks video is from Middlesbrough. Although the production for “Suburban Lakeside Walk” was done in the Winter, it was clearly much better weather than is evident in the iPhone photos I took around the lake this winter.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Suburban Lakeside Walk” which features Hemlington Lake in Middlesbrough. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Art and Architecture in Belfast

You will have to watch this weeks featured video to see more of the architecture of Belfast than is shown in the image below.

And the art? Some is intentional and some coincidental. Either way, how you look at something will affect how you see it. How you see something will affect how you understand it – and its possibilities!

Belfast Architecture

Art on a Belfast wall

Belfast Sculpture

River Lagan, Belfast

 

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “City Walk” which features Belfast, Northern Ireland on Boxing Day. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Bridging the Gap – Reflections on Time

It is a few years now since I was last in Belfast but the images I am posting this week from my StillWalks video “City Walk” still stand as a fair representation of Belfast on Boxing Day in Northern Ireland.

Over the years the city has changed as any city does with new architectural developments. There are, however, aspects of all cities that remain for longer and in doing so help to set the character of the place. One such spot in Belfast for me is the Albert Bridge. Being next to Central Station, it was the starting point for visiting the city on foot and in my case, walking to college.

Albert Bridge, Belfast

Albert Bridge, Belfast

River Lagan, Belfast

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “City Walk” which features Belfast, Northern Ireland on Boxing Day. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Peace in the City

There are not many places these days that take a break at any time of the year. Belfast, however, is one city where you can find it relatively quiet on Boxing Day. Unless things have changed in the last few years, the shops would not have opened and the sales would not have started.

That does not mean there is no activity but as you can see from the first photo below, the streets are not crammed with traffic jams and crowds of people rushing all over the place. There’s nothing like taking a little time out once in a while!

Happy New Year everyone 🙂

Belfast Street, Boxing Day

City Hall, Belfast

City Hall, Belfast

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “City Walk” which features Belfast, Northern Ireland on Boxing Day. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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