Cwmdonkin Park

Time and Temptation

At the rate I am going it may be next Autumn before I get the StillWalks video wrapped up from the production day I had in Cwmdonkin Park recently. The temptation is always to work on post production as soon as possible after the production walk but this does not often happen.

The number of StillWalks videos pending is mounting but there are only 24 hours in each day and you can’t spend all of them on one task. What I need is a time stretcher! 🙂 Hopefully I will be able to catch up over the next couple of months and expand the existing StillWalks video collection with several new ones from Spring, Summer and Autumn 2013.

Completing the Cwmdonkin video is a priority in this respect as next year is the anniversary of Dylan Thomas’ birth and there is a strong association between him, his poetry and the park.

Cwmdonkin Park

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Abertawe Walk” which is along the cycle path alongside the River Tawe going into Swansea, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Less is More

I’m back, but with fewer photos and fewer posts – that is my intention anyway!

About a year ago I started posting more frequently because I like doing it and I wanted to show what was going on with StillWalks other than what was being done for video production. I also wanted to present sets or series of photos because that is the way the StillWalks videos work.

However, for the time being, I will be posting fewer images and less often. Different images and sound clips may also be spread across other social media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and SoundCloud.

I will also continue to feature individual StillWalks videos from time to time. The current featured video will be the last for Autumn this year and can be seen at the end of this post. Just click the image to play the video.

Frosty Autumn Garden

One of the first frosts in our garden

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Abertawe Walk” which is along the cycle path alongside the River Tawe going into Swansea, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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Peace and Tranquility the StillWalks Way

“My sister bought me one of the StillWalks DVDs and I really enjoy it. I look forward to new collections coming out.”  Reg Wadsworth

There are currently two DVD collections of StillWalks videos available. The details four each DVD can be seen on the StillWalks Shop page where you can also make your order.

This week’s featured walk (see below) is not on either of the existing DVD collections but you can now order your own selection of StillWalks videos on DVD. See the StillWalks Shop for details.

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You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “After the Tide” which is from the marshes on the Loughor Estuary, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

Looking for Christmas Presents?

Order StillWalks DVD Collection 1 or 2 for a beautiful set of relaxing StillWalks videos or order your own choice of StillWalks videos on DVD with your own message.

Buy Now

Collection 1 features seven walks in South Wales. Collection 2 features eight walks from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Existing DVDs – £11.99 each.

Order a bespoke collection of your choice of 4 or 8 StillWalks videos. These can be authored in PAL or NTSC standards (see below). Bespoke DVD collections are produced with a unique disc label and cover which can include a special message if required.

Four StillWalks videos of your choice on DVD – £45.00, eight videos – £75.00.

Prices do not include p&p.

NB – Existing DVDs are available in the PAL standard. These DVDs may be watched on any computer but they will not play on a TV in certain countries where the NTSC standard is used, such as the USA. Click here for a list of countries using PAL and NTSC standards.

Botanic Gardens, Swansea – Textures and Patterns

It seems I have a Swansea Parks theme this week! Following my visit to Cwmdonkin Park, I went down to the Botanic Gardens in Singleton Park. I had gone there to attend a Walking Forum meeting but arrived early. I had my camera with me and so took a few shots of some of the flowers in their various stages for the current season.

I am embarrassed to say I do not know the names of these particular plants – embarrassed because I probably could have made a note of them in the gardens at the time. Also because I have not been able to identify them since as I don’t have enough visual information. The photos are all details of the heads and not the foliage or the rest of the plant, making it difficult to see the context in which the plant is growing.

Being more interested in the patterns and textures than the plant  identification at the time of photography, it is not the first time I have not considered that I may be curious about this later on or, indeed, require it for a blog post such as this.

If anyone can identify these two plants, I would be very grateful.

Botanic Gardens, Swansea

Botanic Gardens, Swansea

Botanic Gardens, Swansea

Botanic Gardens, Swansea

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Autumn Lakeside Walk” from Gnoll Park, Neath, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

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The Sounds of Cwmdonkin Park

There are a number of different features to Cwmdonkin Park in Swansea and if it was anything like it is now in Dylan Thomas’ time, then it is hardly surprising that he liked the place.

All the photos I have posted this week from my recce walk of the park have been take on my iPhone and I look forward to returning with my full StillWalks production kit. I had the kit in the car when I was there but neither had the time nor the inclination to go and get it!

Noise pollution – Too much of my time in the park was spent with the aural backdrop of somebody from the parks department using a leaf blower! I cannot think of a more irritating source of noise pollution.

There are two sound clips here, tell me which you prefer.

These and two other clips can also be listened to on SoundCloud.

Cwmdonkin trees

Cwmdonkin trees

Cwmdonkin trees

Cwmdonkin trees You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Autumn Lakeside Walk” from Gnoll Park, Neath, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

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Cwmdonkin Park Recce, Swansea

Last week I had an unexpected walk around Cwmdonkin Park in Swansea. The park is well known for its association with Swansea’s very own poet Dylan Thomas and it has recently had some work carried out in it with a grant from European funds.

It was a good time to be there as this work had been completed and the colours were changing with the season. The sun was shining and if it hadn’t been for the noise pollution of a park worker blowing leaves away with a noisy machine, it would have been perfect. The noise (which eventually stopped) did not stop me getting a number of photos on my iPhone and I will be posting these here through the week.

This weeks featured StillWalks video can be viewed at the bottom of this post and last week’s video will revert to the sample version.

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-1

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-2

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-3

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-4

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-5

Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea-6

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Autumn Lakeside Walk” from Gnoll Park, Neath, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

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Autumn Lakeside

Some advance images from next week’s featured StillWalks video – “Autumn Lakeside Walk” from Gnoll Park, Neath, South Wales.

This is the last day for this week’s featured video “Quarry Walk – Autumn Rain”. You can see this at the bottom of this post.

Gnoll Park Lake 1

Gnoll Park Lake 2

Gnoll Park Lake 3

Gnoll Park Lake 6

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video. Click the image below to watch the video.

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