It’s All Go with the Green Fayre

Posted on 24/11/201224/11/2012 by Alastair

This weekend StillWalks will be at the Green Fayre in the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Organised by Swansea Environment Centre and next to the Winter Wonderland Christmas Fair with its Big Wheel and ice skating rink, to say nothing of the attraction of the museum itself, it should prove to be a busy weekend – fingers crossed again!

We will be showing the full StillWalks video range on HDTV and will be selling

StillWalks DVD Collections 1 and 2
Framed and unframed photo prints
Gift vouchers and cards

Lizard Point again – In my last post I said I was going to put up some more images from Lizard Point this week but I have been so busy with project work, I have not managed it. Below are some photos from my daughter, Hannah, that I have picked out from those she took at Lizard Point and I think they’re great 😉 She has done her Photography A level, is now doing Foundation Art and is looking at universities for next year. Her own blog can be found at hduncanphotography.wordpress.com

Looking out at the Lizard

Over the edge at the Lizard

Peeping out at the Lizard

Caught in the act

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.

our solar pv panels

It’s a bit of a dull morning today but that does not stop the panels from producing electricity!

The Flowering Cherry continues to shed its leaves

Neptune’s Audience

Posted on 22/10/201222/10/2012 by Alastair

Last Friday I went down to Blackpill in Swansea Bay to meet a group of people doing Nordic Walking and try it for the first time myself. I wanted to try this for a few months but my prompt to do so was as much to do with the StillWalks project, Sights and Sounds of the Countryside as my personal interest – the project still needs further funding and if anyone is interested in helping out with this, here is the crowd funding link – 7 days to go to the deadline for funding.

The walkers are a group organised through Mentro Allan and I wanted to meet them in order to make first contact with carers in the area. We would like the community group on the Sights and Sounds project to be made up of carers from rural wards in Swansea.

Neptune’s Audience! Arriving early in the bay and having brought my camera, I got a few shots off before others arrived. Here is the reason for the title of this blog post 🙂 Other photos can be seen on Flickr.

Neptune’s Audience

Caught on the Hop!

. . . and on the wing.

All’s Well in Ludlow

Posted on 19/10/201219/10/2012 by Alastair

Despite the tension beforehand, all went well with our Meet the Artists event last Friday at Ludlow Assembly Rooms. It was well attended in the evening and it was good to talk with everyone.

Not only that, we also had a very pleasant stay in Ludlow at The Mount guest house and awoke the next morning to another beautiful day.

The exhibition runs until 26th October so there is still time to visit. Exhibition pics some of Ludlow are below and more will be posted on Facebook over the next couple of weeks.

Finally, on another matter, please check out the StillWalks Crowd Funding pitch and help me help kids and adults enjoy “Sights and Sounds of the Countryside”.

StillWalks exhibition

Jean Duncan Paintings

Evening in Ludlow

Morning in Ludlow

Crowd Funding – Sights and Sounds of the Countryside

Posted on 02/10/201202/10/2012 by Alastair

StillWalks Sights and Sounds of the Countryside Project – Crowd Funding

The StillWalks Crowdfunder pitch for outstanding funding towards the Sights and Sounds of the Countryside project is now live and looking for sponsors / investors.

This is a brilliant project that I hope, in future, to replicate with many other schools and communities.

Only £10 – Invest anything from as little as £10 and get a reward for your support.

Please take a look at the Crowdfunder pitch and help me promote the project and pitch by passing on this publicity to your network of contacts and friends.

I have personally guaranteed to cover this shortfall if the funds cannot be raised as I feel the project is so important not only to the schools and groups taking part but also to StillWalks and its development to say nothing of our natural environment.

All or Nothing – All the funds required through the Crowdfunder pitch must be raised if anything at all is to go towards the shortfall in the project funding. If the target is not reached in the time allowed (30 days), then you pay nothing and my guarantee comes into play.

All details of the project are on the pitch.

Production Day

Berry Woods

Posted on 28/09/201228/09/2012 by Alastair

Last week I visited Berry Woods on the Gower. The purpose of the visit was to explore the the area to be used as the production location for Knelston Primary School and the Sights and Sounds of the Countryside project (mentioned in a previous post) which is due to start next month.

I am really looking forward to going out with the children and the other project workers, Emily Hinshelwood and Julie Brunskill, to investigate the landscape in detail.

Here are some pics from my visit to the woods.

En route to Berry Woods

Moss in Berry Woods

Berry Woods

A friendly face near Berry Woods

Heading back from Berry Woods

I spotted four of these Buzzards while around Berry Woods

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John Muir Award Training Day

Posted on 21/09/201221/09/2012 by Alastair

I had a great day in Singleton Park, Swansea this week where I and about 20 others enjoyed a day of training in the delivery of the John Muir Award (see pics below). John Muir’s environmental philosophy and the award criteria fits perfectly with the ethos of StillWalks.

Appreciation and understanding of the natural environment is at the top of the agenda with StillWalks as are other features such as stress relief, health and wellbeing – these elements are also a part of the John Muir philosophy.

Town and Country – StillWalks, however, does not exclusively feature the natural environment and wild places. Indeed, the urban environment is of as much relevance to StillWalks as the countryside – and in fact this is the case with the John Muir Award as well. The young and the old, school children, teachers, families and individuals are all encouraged to look at and listen to, explore, discover and appreciate the wild places within urban areas as much as those in our countryside.

And the news is – StillWalks is going to be carrying out a project with schools and communities over the Autumn and Spring called Sights and Sounds of the Countryside. The project will tie in closely with John Muir Award work also being delivered to schools by Tim Orrell and Swansea Nature Conservation Team (hence the training day). StillWalks has successfully applied for funding for the Sights and Sounds project from Swansea’s Countryside Connections, Sustainable Development Fund and Literature Wales to work with an artist and writers to produce a collection of videos similar to those made on the Josef Herman project.

The training day was interesting, useful and great fun. Fortunately it was good weather and we were able to get out and about in the park for some fun and games.

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Time to Pause

Posted on 24/08/201224/08/2012 by Alastair

Time to Pause – This is largely what StillWalks is about – taking the time necessary to keep calm and not get too stressed. Whether it be relaxing at the end of the day or taking 5 minutes out in the middle of the working day, StillWalks can be both enjoyable and a useful alternative to actually getting out there for a real walk.

The queue of things to do – There never seems to be enough time to do all that I want or is necessary. So, considering what I have just said about StillWalks, I have decided to make a priority completing the four or five StillWalks that are half way through the post production stage by the end of September. The production days for these walks date back to the middle of March and completing them should be a priority because this is work I enjoy doing and, like taking a real walk or watching a StillWalk, has it’s therapeutic value.

Current explorations – In the meantime I have been enjoying finding a new place to produce a StillWalk – Singleton Park in Swansea and its botanic garden. I joined Martin Humphreys and others last Wednesday for a Bees and Butterflies walk through the botanic garden – it was very enjoyable and relaxing. The walk will take place again next Wednesday at 10 AM – anyone interested should meet at the botanic garden entrance in the park. Enjoy the photos from my phone below.