Fun and Games on the Beach

The sky may still be murky on this Swansea Bay walk, but the dogs are having great fun playing games on the beach. Walking along the tide line, it was great to watch them and see how much they enjoyed it. The patterns of tracks they left in the sand were mostly chaotic, but now and then there would be clear arc of paw prints showing a dog’s direction as it chased a stick or ball.

Other fascinating patterns were also to be seen in the black sand or coal dust covering part of this eastern end of the beach.

dog tracks

Playing Fetch

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Thorn and Thaw

Today I am again looking at the textures, patterns and colours I found on my walk this week in Carmarthenshire. They are different to those I enjoyed in the woodland yesterday but the remnants of Autumn seen in the spiky thorns of a bramble and the soggy brown mass of drooping vegetation at the trackside are just as attractive as the woodland.

When I take a closer look at the intricacies within in the forms of these natural objects, I always get excited about the complexity of the world around me and how every aspect of it, including ourselves, is all connected in such a variety of ways.

You can see from the “river” running down the track how fast the snow is melting. I can imagine that the moss that inevitable grows thick in places like this, still enjoys a degree of dampness even in the height of Summer.

Thorns

Rust and Restoration

About ten years ago we had a studio in Swansea’s Maritime Quarter. We first moved into it just before the area started being developed. The old dock next to the studio building was empty and a number of the buildings were derelict – it wasn’t the best area in town. How things change!

Walking round what is now the marina was . . . interesting – now it is very pleasant. The dock has boats in it again and housing, other buildings and art around it. The National Waterfront Museum holds a significant space there as do other architectural developments.

On this walk there was still a taste of the past, not so much in the brightly painted and well maintained Helwick Lightship but in the old rust bucket resting next to it. It looks a fascinating vessel and I am sure there must be good reason for it being there –  perhaps it is awaiting restoration. Why ever it’s there, they make for quite a contrast sitting next to each other.

Swansea maritime quarter

lightship

old rusty boat

Looking Through the Ruins

The ruined building by the phone mast near the top of my hollow way walk is a fascinating piece of old local architecture but I guess it is the state that it is in that interests me rather than what it was. The big hole in its side wall may have been a window at one time but now the ragged edge of the naked wall provides an interesting frame for views of the surrounding hills.

I find the structures of the hole in the wall, the electricity pylon and the interior of the building  juxtaposed with the hillside and tree growth against the chimney brickwork patterns of endless interest. Every time I take this walk I stop at this point for a look around at these and other features of the place.

I thought the pylon shot might also work well in b&w and so the monochrome image can be seen on Leanne Cole’s Photography blog Monochrome Madness post.

ruins and pylon

Morning Walk Goppa-1

Columns and Context

I like the arrangement of these lighting columns in Cardiff Bay but to put them properly in context you need to look at the wider picture at the bottom of this post.

I thought the dark lump on the glass discs in the second image was something nasty but on closer inspection, it looks like it is a lump of moss . . . so that’s one for the Moss Appreciation Society!

Cardiff Columns

Cardiff Bay Architecture-14

Cardiff Columns

Patterns in Water – Slo-Mo Flow

The patterns in the water flowing down the steel monolith structure in Cardiff Bay look like they could be parts of an abstract jigsaw. The slow exposure shot below was not an easy one to get as I didn’t have a tripod with me. I did my best though and like the combination of textures and the patterns that show up as a result of the (apparently) faster flowing water.

water flow patterns

slo mo flow

Metal Monolith

It’s a while since I was in Cardiff bay when the water is flowing down this shiny steel structure in Cardiff Bay. It is the metal monolith under which Torchwood had it’s headquarters.

It was a pretty grey day but I was pleased to have my camera with me – the patterns the water makes can be mesmerising. More of those to come shortly and some extra shots from my iPhone can be seen on Instagram – these can also be seen in the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Monolith of water

monolith of water