Back On the Buses

Due to my car breaking down recently (on top of a Welsh mountain), I found myself having to use buses to get to work for the first time in – well, I can’t think how long.

These photos and sounds may be familiar to those who use buses all the time, but for me, I came to the experience with a new ear and eye. The first bus I took seemed a bit of rickety old thing but this just made for a fascinating series of rattles, squeaks, creaks and bangs to say nothing of the changing noise of the engine and the hiss of doors.

These were recorded the day before World Listening Day!

Bus en route to Gowerton

Standing at bus stop Pontlliw

 

 

Teenage Blackbird

We have had Blackbirds in our garden every year for many years now but this year there are more than ever. A family of 5 lost one of their crew to one of the local cat recently but its youngest sibling is still around and enjoying the seed we put out for it and the other birds.

You can still see the yellow border to its beak showing that perhaps calling it a teenager is going a little beyond its age.

I like nothing better than to watch and listen to them outside my studio door. Below is one of the recordings I made of Blackbirds a couple of years ago.

Teenage Blackbird

Teenage Blackbird

Teenage Blackbird

Sounds of Swansea Bay Cycle Path

For all the years I have lived near Swansea, I have never walked the full length of the cycle/footpath from Swansea to Mumbles, just different parts of it at different times.

The path runs along the top of the beach from Swansea’s maritime quarter right round to Mumbles Lifeboat Station. On the other side is Oystermouth Road, a busy road along which tourists must drive as well as locals to reach the Gower Peninsula, one of Wales’ most popular areas and was designated as the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956.

Despite the proximity of Oystermouth Road, the sound clips I recorded recently might suggest that the road is much further away than it is. There was plenty of traffic on it at the time but the light breeze was blowing away from the cycle/footpath and so even for my iPhone, this was not the predominant sound.

Swansea Cycle Path 1

Swansea Bay Cycle Path

Swansea Bay Cycle Path

Swansea Bay Cycle Path

New Spring StillWalks Videos

This week’s featured StillWalks video is a sample of one from a new set of videos I have produced featuring Lower Lliw Reservoir.

The full set of four walks (one for each season) will be available soon on DVD and this will include an introductory video. The HD videos will be available to purchase online at a later date.

The walk round the lower reservoir is beautiful at all times of the year and I hope that you will enjoy this short sample. When the DVD is published in a few weeks, it will be available through the cafe at Lliw Reservoir and also via the StillWalks website.

Arboretum Walk – Featured StillWalks Video

The featured StillWalks video changes today to “Arboretum Walk” which takes place in early Spring and is from Gelli Aur / Golden Grove Country Park in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales.

If you would like this video in HD (720p), you can pay whatever you like via the donate button in the sidebar of the website and I will send you a link to download the video for you to watch in full screen high definition any time you choose. You can watch it on your computer, mobile or HDTV (via USB memory stick).

Splash!

This image did not make it into the finished StillWalks video from Lower Lliw Reservoir but the sound did. The image that accompanies the sound in the video is of the resultant ripples in the water.

evening splash

splash