It is very nearly the end of March, and it's raining again, not too hard but enough to wet everything and make it rather unpleasant to walk out. Last week and indeed the week before it was rather different. At least then we had a couple of weeks when for the most part it was sunny if a bit on the cold side in the shade. Those days reminded me of a similar couple of weeks we had last April - lovely days with lots of sun - the only continuous period of sunshine we had all year. Surely the weeks we have just had aren't going to be the best of this year?
A sunny day is too good to miss so I took to my old bike on several afternoons. One day saw me on the hills above the Dysynni river on the road between Rhoslefain and Llanygryn. There are several good views across the valley and with my bike precariously balanced on the hedge I took this photo.
The mainly ruined stone buildings are part of the Bodowen farm and the view is to the hills on the other side of the meeting of the Dysynni and Fathew rivers On a larger version of this picture it's fairly easy to make out the white Tyn-Llyn-Hen farm house, one of the most prominent houses on the far valley side. (It's on the right, above the stone wall, and just to the left of that funny flat topped building.)
It was a good ride made better by stopping and talking to Kate and Pete two walker friends. However I was surprised at how much I had had to climb up to Rhoslefain from the Broadwater road outside Tywyn. Riding downhill from Llanegryn was the 'treat' at the end of the afternoon. Thankful to be home I realised how unused I am to what was really a moderate distance to cycle. Perhaps another time I'll do the ride in the opposite direction - perhaps!
The day improved and by mid-morning the sun was beginning to break through the thin cloud that had existed since dawn. I had an idea that there were photos to be taken in what could be called Tywyn's Industrial Park. Instead of getting in the car I decided that a bike would be a better bet especially as I could easily get on and off. So trusty old bike it was!
But when I got there I was not enthused by anything that I saw. So the new wire fence round the re sited Police Station was interesting enough in its own way but it didn't seem to provide a frame for a picture. So I gave up on the idea of finding anything in that location and decided to explore the road leading through the Gwallia - somewhere I had promised myself I would go but had never got round to doing. It's a pretty straight road that starts off well metaled but after a couple of field gates becomes a grass track by the time it has reached the Broadwater. Pleasant enough out there with a breeze and a bit of sun. The river bank is raised above the surrounding rather marshy grassland - no trees, a few reeds, and today just the sound of birds - non in sight.
Cycling back I had to stop. I could see how Tywyn was built on what I can imagine to be a shingle and sand spit of land just above river and high tide levels, and silhouetted was the tower of St Cadfan's Church.
I certainly hadn't anticipated being on this track today, and the view I couldn't really have imagined. So after a disappointing start to the morning I think I have one 'keeper'.
The light is never the same.
One day you see something, look carefully, take a photograph.
A week later you can be sitting in the same place with the same object at roughly the same time in the day, and it looks very different.
That's just what happened at lunch time today.
I was sitting at the table. M was doing a crossword puzzle.
And there was my serviette ring lying on a piece of white paper.
The sun was shining - a bit unusual because it's been a dismal wet winter - and I saw quite a detailed and intense shadow. Certainly worth a few photographs - here's just one.
I was pleased at the complexity and subtlety of the that shadow.
Bought M a new cold-frame for Christmas but up until today it hadn't got unpacked. These days substantial items tend to come 'broken down' or even in complete kit form. When I ordered I knew that the latter was the case because I had already built a slightly larger version a couple of years back
But Spring is coming, it might be getting a bit drier and warmer, and this morning I plucked up courage to unpack and start assembling. The cold-frame was delivered in two packs - one contained all the metal parts, the second the safety glass. Starting on the parts package the components were checked against the instruction sheet list - everything present! An hour and a half later the frame was complete except for a final tightening of all the small bolts.
It wasn't very warm in the 'potting shed' and by this time I was cold and couldn't face the prospect of cutting and applying foam strip on which the glass lies in the frame. But I did tackle opening the glass box. This is a substantial item, wooden frame and clad with what I estimate as 6mm thick ply sheets - pretty heavy too but up on the bench top I could get at the screws holding down the opening side of the box - the other face is nailed down.
Nearly lunch time. I laid the sheet of ply back on top of the now open box, collected the screws together and put them on the top until I felt more like identifying a sensible place in the workshop so that I could hoard them away for a job that probably will never happen. Sometimes, just sometimes, items squirreled away like this do come in useful! I've even known it to happen!
By the time lunch was over and I was showing M how I had spent the morning, the sun had moved round to shine on the ply top, and those screws.
Went and grabbed the camera and then had to wait until the sun came out again!
At least it's a different subject that I've captured - no cardboard box here!
Mid morning on an indifferent weather day isn't the most inspiring time to take photographs. But that is just what I was doing at Barton Waters up near Lincoln. It wasn't too warm either and restaurant that I was walking round had been closed and the interior was clearly being ripped out - all a bit depressing?
Then this caught my eye!
If I didn't know what I was looking at I might now be wondering just what had been photographed. Is the surface vertical, horizontal, or even at an angle?
A square light fitting has been inserted into narrow wood strip decking which encircled the restaurant. That building had been erected on piles out into a marina basin waters. For safety reasons a handrail had been built on the water edge of the decking and it's some of the supports for this that are casting the weak shadows across the wood strips.
The wood is weathered, worn, split in parts, and acquired an uneven coating of green lichen to add some subtle colour. Small dried leaves have got caught between the slats - all to produce a rather odd and slightly unsettling photograph.
- but before I did I tried taking some photographs - here is one!
What I particularly liked here were the shapes and colours of the shadows cast by the box edge, and they happened by accident rather than by design.
Well worth a photograph I thought, and another for the collection.
Time soon to gather all my box photographs together and possibly there are enough for another book.
The trouble is that I always seem to find yet another interesting box!
It always seems a pity that all the boxes get thrown away when we have removed the contents. Obviously a lot of effort has gone into their design. Sometimes this effort just produces a utilitarian box. Sometimes the result is a real visual delight. Sometimes perhaps as a result of the materials used the result is surprising.
I'm not quite sure into which category this box fits. Made out of corrugated material the chocolate colouring reflected the contents - bars of chocolate given to me by T & S and family. Not only did the contents please me but the box itself provided a challenge to try to capture its texture.
This is just one of the attempts I have made - and I think there must be more possibilities. The box hasn't been discarded and on another day it will come out of storage and who knows what I might see.
