Building Blocks on the Beach

Posted on 16/10/201316/10/2013 by Alastair

The beach at Llanelli is not all patterns in the sand (see yesterday), there are also many patterns in the stones.

Stones? I don’t think that is quite the correct description! Bricks, metal, clinker, copper and parts of walls would be a more accurate description.

Swansea, on the far side of the Gower Peninsula, used to be known as Copperopolis. In the early 1800s 90% of all the copper-smelting capacity of Britain was based within twenty miles of the city, and it seems there is still evidence of this on the beach in the Millennium Park at Llanelli.

There are more photos of these fascinating objects on the StillWalks Flickr Photostream – all taken on my iPhone.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video. Click the image below to watch the video.

Patterns and Prints

Posted on 15/10/201315/10/2013 by Alastair

What are these pimples in the sand? What is that strange cone shaped object in the sand?

We took a walk along the beach in the Millennium Park at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire last Sunday and not for the first time I thought “I have to do a StillWalk of this place!”

I’ll post some more reasons for this thought over the next couple of days. All photos taken on my phone because we went for a walk, not a photo shoot!

Autumn Rain

Posted on 14/10/201314/10/2013 by Alastair

As we move into Autumn and the rain returns, along with it comes a change of colour. This week’s featured StillWalks video is “Quarry Walk – Autumn Rain”. It features an old quarry in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

Last week’s featured video will revert to a sample length low resolution video but you can still buy it through the website walk under the Autumn Walks page.

Early Morning Woodland Sounds

Posted on 25/09/201325/09/2013 by Alastair

It was 6.22 AM when these sounds were recorded on my walk through Troserch Woodland. I had thought I might upload the StillWalks video that this weeks posts have been illustrating, but it’s not quite ready yet. Getting the sequence of images right and the sounds working well and logically with them, is important if the final result is going to do its job – give you a sense of place so that you can imagine being there.

Wildlife Habitat

Posted on 02/09/201302/09/2013 by Alastair

All images from this series of posts are available at StillWalks Photography.

The StillWalks video “Old Railway Track Walk” features many of the things you will find in a habitat like this – one that has been left to its own devices.

Over more than thirty years the trees have grown up, the brambles thickened, the wild flowers spread and I imagine the unseen wildlife is many times more abundant than that which we can see.

The photos below follow from yesterday’s post and are some of those taken for the StillWalks video.

Fungi Challenge

Posted on 29/08/201329/08/2013 by Alastair

Walking in the woods the other day revealed a range of fungi, but I am no expert in the identification of the various species. Can anyone name all these fungi?

All photos taken on my iPhone 4S.

Art and the Environment – Julie Brunskill, Ceramicist

Posted on 28/08/201328/08/2013 by Alastair

My wife, the ceramic artist Julie Brunskill, has a new gallery on her website – www.juliebrunskill.co.uk

It is a selection of new work from 2013 and explores the relationship between urban developments, the natural environment and climate change.

Signs, scenery and a pony in the woods

Posted on 22/08/201322/08/2013 by Alastair

This was the view I had from Three Crosses Community Centre whilst waiting for the rest of the dragonfly hunting group I was with last week. It was very pleasant sitting in the sun with a light breeze to cool me.

Looking across the Gower Peninsula, it struck me that there were a lot of signposts. However, they did not spoil the view but rather created an interesting mix of patterns and structures through which I could see the natural beauty of the landscape.

We accept or learn to accept a lot of things in our need for order in society and the power we want to run our lives – like the millions of electricity pylons and increasing number of wind mills, sky scraper skylines and network of roads to name but a few of the interruptions to our views. We want what they bring and they do not necessarily spoil the view – it is more a matter of how you think about them.

Having said that, there should be balance in everything and we cannot afford to lose much more of our natural habitat – after all, the horses need their shade!