Tag Archives: magical

upright moss

Bishopston Valley Details and No Rain

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This walk for the “Our Gower” project extends beyond Bishopston Valley to the beach at Pwll Du, but I thought I would present some of the details of the valley which, with the dry weather of the second project day in the valley, allowed us to explore and photograph more easily.

Fungi community

We also recorded some of the sounds of the thickly wooded valley and made notes about the atmosphere of the place – how it made us feel, what its colours and textures were like and something of the history and geography of the environment. For instance, Guzzle HoleContinue reading→

Ash walking staffs

My Walk this Week – Our Gower Project Walk 2, Bishopston Valley

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The second of the schools I walked with on the Our Gower project had no more luck with the weather than when we walked out on the marshes (see last weeks posts) – if anything, it was worse!

Bishopston Valley

Bishopston Valley on South Gower is home to some wonderful ancient woodland . . . and when it is wet, it is also home to a great deal of mud. Despite the wet conditions (or perhaps because of them) everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. As well as Wellington boots, everyone had been givenContinue reading→

Tree Arrangement

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Dorset tree arrangement

Found on my walk this week in 2012, this arrangement of trees on top a Dorset hill seemed ancient and magical. I enjoy the formal espalier arrangements of trees that we often create with fruit trees and I like the formal pattern of tree avenues in France, but this is something different again and seems like very typically English.Continue reading→

Magical Calm Before the Storm

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I have said that the weather was kind to us on my walk this week. It can be seen here on the expansive beach at Whitford, that there was the potential to be caught by an impending storm. Fortunately the wind favoured us and took this huge bank of dark cloud off to the north east.

calm before the storm

calm before the storm

The scene felt other worldly with the calm humidity and the simplicity of the open space. The haze blurred the details of what land could be seen and the “canvas” was reduced to indistinct sea and sky in muted colours. The old Victorian iron built Whitford Lighthouse was an enticing object just out of reach in the water and a small flock of one of my favourite birds flew as if in slow motion along the length of shore, mixing their calls with the skylarks. It was magical!

Larks and Oystercatchers

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Still beach scene
calm before the storm
Oystercatchers
Whitford Lighthouse

Silence in the Woods

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The woods at this stage of my walk round Lower Lliw Reservoir are not silent as you will hear in the sound clip below. However, with there being no wind, much of the background sound that is often there, is missing. This changes the acoustics of the woodland environment entirely and the soft plop of ice and snow dripping into the reservoir can be clearly heard along with the hollow reverberation of someone’s voice and the raucous call of a crow.

The scene was magical, not least because of the crooked wooden fence that lines the twisting footpath and the soft crunch of my footsteps in the snow.

ice droplet

Peaceful Background

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winter footpath

crooked fence

Pool of Sunlight – Moments of Magic

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This is the kind of magical scene I would expect to see only in fantasy film. There are times in the real world when you’re in the right place at the right time and the real magic of the world is revealed. I have done virtually nothing to these photos other than take them!

Pool of sunlight

Pool of sunlight