Willow Wall

Posted on 05/10/201629/09/2016 by Alastair

Returning from the wildflower garden to the children garden on my walk this week at Kunsthuis Gallery I explored one of its features. The willow tunnel entrance to this natural / man-made “dwelling” was too enticing not to do so. Bending down to child height I entered the dome shaped structure and enjoyed the changed and semi-secretive space with its growing willow walls and willow roof creating patterns and textures as it changed the sunlight from above.

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willow tunnel

Willow roof

willow wall

willow exit

Kunsthuis Colour

Posted on 04/10/201603/10/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week around the gardens at Kunsthuis Gallery in north east Englandnon a beautiful end-of-summer day revealed a lot of colour. After crossing one of the wooden footbridges over a small river, I carried on past a creatively arranged children’s play area and then through a tunnel-like path amongst some trees to discover a wildflower garden at the extremity of the property.

Summer Sedum

Summer Colour

River Rail

Kunsthuis wildflower garden

wildflowers

Sunflower

Bouncing Balls and Babies – Sounds of the Park

Posted on 14/09/201631/08/2016 by Alastair

If you were only to look at the images below, the scene in Brynmill Park, Swansea might appear quite tranquil, but the park is full of all sorts of sounds let alone the background ambience of the city. Bouncing balls and babies are just a couple of the elements to the park’s soundscape but I will be posting a more comprehensive edited recording of the sound landscape at the end of the week.

Bouncing Balls and Babies

Unlike yesterday’s post, I can name at least a couple of the flowers in the photos below.

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Fuchsia

Day Lily

Content of the Cliff

Posted on 03/09/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

Nearing the end of my walk this week from Nash Point to Monknash on the South Wales cliff-lined coast I have arrived at the mouth of Nash Brook and a place where the cliff tops come down to beach level. Looking at the content of the cliff it is easy to see why they are no longer the towering structures I have been enjoying along the rest of the walk. Although the durability (or lack of) in the layers and blocks of the cliffs can be seen in the structures and curves in photos below, the geology seen in this first image is much softer and in part explains the small valley from which Nash Brook flows.

leaving the cliffs behind

Layer Upon Layer and Pieces of the Jigsaw

Posted on 02/09/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

The depth of each layer of the cliffs along this section of the South Wales coast varies, as do the colours. From my artist’s viewpoint (or anyone else’s for that matter) these make for some fascinating and beautiful patterns. I know the basics about the geology going on in features like this and the length of time involved, but you will have to ask a specialist such as Jessica’s Nature Blog or perhaps Google.

Huge chunks of the cliffs have fallen onto the pavement below. No doubt this has happened over millennia, but whatever the timescale and geology, it is difficult not to be in awe at the structural patterns in them and the wider layout of the what could be the draughts pieces of giants.

Misty Mountain Ridge

Posted on 19/08/201611/08/2016 by Alastair

So on my walk this week the Welsh mountains were revealed to me, but not all of a sudden. It took time for the cloud to clear but gradually, bit by bit, the details of the mountains could be seen

Misty Mountain Ridge

Mountainside Farm

Light and Shade

Mountain and Cloud

Misty Mountain Ridge

Ascending Further

Posted on 17/08/201611/08/2016 by Alastair

Ascending further along my misty mountain route on my walk this week, the landscape below me may have been obscured but the colours and patterns in the path-side rocks could still clearly be seen, albeit less bright than would have been the case in sunshine.

Almost at the top I sheltered from the wild wind in a hollow at the side of the mountain track and recorded the blustering wind and the plaintive bleats of distant sheep and began to despair at the possibility of getting the views I had hoped for.

Colour and pattern

Mountain Wind

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colourful rock

Colour and pattern

Looking down through the mist

Mountain track

Paragliders – Colours in the Sky

Posted on 02/08/201630/07/2016 by Alastair

It was a perfect day for my walk this week at Colwyn Bay . . . if you like the wind! There are those that will take full advantage of the wind every time, such as paragliders. I spotted these two the moment I stepped onto the seafront and as I walked towards them, it was difficult to pay attention to the rest of my surroundings. The mesmerising entertainment of their aerial acrobatics was quite a distraction.