Interesting Objects in the Woods

Posted on 30/10/201330/10/2013 by Alastair

The sound of many pheasants in yesterday’s post was not accidental. There are many pheasants on the Gower Peninsula, but I had not seen or heard such a concentrated number of them before.

When I went into the woods at Cwm Green, I discovered various objects that seemed to have a specific purpose that appeared to relate to the rearing of pheasants, presumably for the shooting season. Not being an expert on these matters, I was only guessing at their use but the fact that there was an enclosure protected by an electric fence suggested something along these lines. In fact, I wasn’t sure that it was still in use as it looked as though it had not been tended for some time but I wasn’t going to touch the fence to find out.

What I liked was the way the other objects around the area were clearly settling nicely into their natural home and becoming a part of the woodland undergrowth. How ever much we think we can influence or control nature, in the long term, we are only a danger to ourselves if we do not respect the natural environment.

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 – “Woodland Walk” which is from Penllergaer Woods near Swansea, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

The Rolling Out of Autumn

Posted on 29/10/201329/10/2013 by Alastair

Autumn comes at different times in different places, even within a relatively small geographic radius. A few weeks ago I was at Cwm Green on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales and, as you can see in the second photo, the trees are just starting to change colour.

I am hoping that the recent strong winds we have been getting here will not shorten the process of falling leaves too much as there are a couple of places I would like to catch for a StillWalks production during this process.

This week’s photos and sounds (lots of pheasants) are from my early morning walk at Cwm Green although the featured StillWalks video this week is from another nearby woodland.

The pheasants and many other sounds can be heard below.

Yellow – Botanic Gardens, Swansea

Posted on 26/10/201326/10/2013 by Alastair

These are for my daughter who is 22 today! Happy Birthday Ellen 🙂

Identity – Unlike yesterday’s post, I know these flowers in the Botanic Gardens in Swansea, at least generally if not specifically! The first is a Day Lily, the third, a Rose and the last a Japanese Anemone.

And the second? An Aster I think! Can anyone confirm that and / or identify the Rose or the Lily?

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.

Autumn Lakeside

Posted on 20/10/201320/10/2013 by Alastair

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.

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.

Old Industry

Posted on 19/10/201319/10/2013 by Alastair

Behind the new apartments and Discovery Centre in the Millennium Coastal Park at Llanelli, there is another discovery to be made. Llanelli has recently been seeing some significant developments and they are good to see.

However, just because something is old and unused does not mean it has no interest. Walking back towards the Discovery Centre, the remains of industry in the area can be seen and I was drawn over to take a closer look. All photos taken on my iPhone.

This last shot is of one of the old hydraulic rams used with the dock gates in the old Llanelli dock yard.

Thistle in the Sand

Posted on 18/10/201318/10/2013 by Alastair

These thistles are naturally designed for this environment. More than that, they look as if they have been designed full stop! Their colour, pattern, shape, form, texture – all fit perfectly with other aspects of the area, particularly the spikiness of the grass and, of course, the contrast of the soft sand.

You wouldn’t want to sit down on one! Those spikes are mighty sharp and I guess this may be a hazard to be aware of during the Summer months in the Millennium Coastal Park at Llanelli. All photos taken on my iPhone.

Llanelli Beach – Landscape and Architecture

Posted on 17/10/201317/10/2013 by Alastair

It seems evident from these photos, that the buildings along Llanelli sea front were not built using the material that can be found on the beach. The worn brick in the foreground of the first image is one example of the wide array of fascinating stone like materials that can be found (see yesterday’s post).

The apartments beside the Millennium Coastal Park Discovery Centre seem to me to be out on a bit of a limb from the rest of the town but the residents have an excellent view of the wider part of the Loughor Estuary and across to the Gower Peninsula and the old Victorian cast iron attraction of Whitford Lighthouse.

The Millennium Coastal Park is a popular place at the weekend and in fact, you will see people enjoying the walks there on any day of the week. People do not generally feature in the StillWalks videos I produce but that is not always the case and more coincidental than deliberate. However, if I am to produce a StillWalk of this area, I think I will need to include both sound and images of people if it is to reflect what the place honestly. That said, there will be fewer people there on a blustery Autumn day than on a beautiful Summers day but it is strange that the photos below have not one person in them as it was relatively busy on the day. All photos were taken on my iPhone.

Building Blocks on the Beach

Posted on 16/10/201316/10/2013 by Alastair

The beach at Llanelli is not all patterns in the sand (see yesterday), there are also many patterns in the stones.

Stones? I don’t think that is quite the correct description! Bricks, metal, clinker, copper and parts of walls would be a more accurate description.

Swansea, on the far side of the Gower Peninsula, used to be known as Copperopolis. In the early 1800s 90% of all the copper-smelting capacity of Britain was based within twenty miles of the city, and it seems there is still evidence of this on the beach in the Millennium Park at Llanelli.

There are more photos of these fascinating objects on the StillWalks Flickr Photostream – all taken on my iPhone.