Tag Archives: Spring

Nature Taking Over

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We are nearly at the time of year when it seems to me that as I walk or drive around both urban and rural areas, nature is about to pounce. The roadside and footpath plants are just laying in wait for the right moment to leap out and claim back the world that is theirs.

The evidence is starting to show – the living greenery pushing through the fence below only needs a second or two in the greater scheme of things to utterly take over the man made structure designed to hold things back, keep things in or out.

Fence growth

If you need more proof, then look at the wild garlic in the patch of riverside woodland below . . . and this is nothing in comparison to some other areas of woodland garlic I have seen.

During a recent drive on the Gower to help with a litter pick at Horton, I passed through the area of rolling woodland near Parkmill – I could not believe my eyes (or my nose) but I am sorry to say that it is a difficult place to stop your car when en route to another destination, so I did not get any photographs. I will have to put this in my diary for my next trip and make sure I have the time stop.

If viewing this in an email, please click the post title to see other photos in this post, thank you.

Flower Cycle and Reviewing the Week

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My last flower of this week is not one from our garden, though I look forward to the tulips opening outside our studio.

Appropriately, as we end the week, these bought tulips are at the end of their cycle. They are no less beautiful for their age though, and I am often attracted by dying flowers with their colour changes and withering patterns.

dying tulip

Structural Patterns

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My “flower” image today is not like the others I have been posting. The colour is still there and it is beautiful, but the structural patterns created by the plant are an even greater attraction. I never tire of it!

Euphorbia

The Concertina of Time

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Time being what it is, i.e. flexible/fickle/short/relative, my walk this week will not be happening. I hope you miss the “walk” but still enjoy my posts through this week of Spring flowers. Most are from our garden and the images are a mixture of camera and iPhone photos.

First up – crocuses 🙂

crocuses

Constructing the Changes and Reviewing the Week

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This may seem an odd image with which to end my walk this week but it is a fact that new building is constant. Fortunately I am still able to rise above it (literally) by walking higher up the hill from which the residents of these houses regularly get to enjoy beautiful sunsets.

My short soundscape this week reflects all aspects of the walk. Listen to it while viewing my selection of the images I’ve posted through the week.

Construction

Goppa Soundscape

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Focus on the Landscape

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Climbing on up to the top of the hill on my walk this week naturally changed the views of the landscape again. Having done this walk four or five times in the week, you can see the changing weather from day to day.

Through the recent weeks of Winter the changeable weather within one day, or even within an hour, might have accounted for all these photos. The last week or two, however, have been much drier and whilst still changeable, it is a welcome break from so much rain and hints at the season changing to Spring.

The sound clip below illustrates something of the current weather both in the birdsong and also in the crunch of the bracken underfoot as I walk across the hill to another viewpoint.

On top of Goppa

Birds and Bracken 

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

My Walk this Week – Hints of Spring

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The photos for my walk this week span a few days. I took the same walk each morning for four days and was partly inspired by the first hint of Spring – i.e. sunshine!

It’s another short local hill walk. The hill is fairly small, but steep and rises to about 450 feet. At the bottom my route followed that of the local river with snow drops lining its banks. I was tempted to stop and take some (rare for me) slow exposure shots of the water falling over the weir.

I didn’t have my tripod with me and so most of the shots were discarded. However, there were a few I liked including the underexposed one taken with a faster shutter speed and which shows the patterns and textures in the falling water.

Snow Drops

Downstream

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Following the Lliw downstream from its source on the Mawr, the first village the river flows through is Felindre.

Situated below the Lliw Lower and Upper Reservoirs in South Wales, it is not known for year round sunshine. There have been a good number of sunny days in 2014 but, as can be seen in the photos, this was not one of them!

River Lliw

River Lliw