In The Shed

A Beach Campfire Beneath the Stars

Making the most of the last nights of Summer 2019:

Our campfire beneath The Plough constellation

Yours truly beneath the stars

I made a couple of audio recording whilst there too, to help capture better the atmosphere of the evening (headphones needed to appreciate the field recording):

Three Cliffs Bay, Pennard

I took a walk down to this fine beach today:

Three Cliffs Bay

It was a lovely walk down from the car park...

...and I saw this curious scene en route:

Skittles decorating the path down to Three Cliffs Bay

The magnificent Three Cliffs Bay

Three Cliff Bay, looking towards Oxwich

Heading back along Pennard Cliffs...

Pennard Cliffs

...I stopped off for some refreshments at the Pennard Stores outdoors cafe, where I made this short field recording of the background chatter there:

I couldn't think of a better way to round off this year's summer :)

Gale Recording From My Garden Shed

Saturday August 2, 2019:

Camping Weekend at Llangorse Lake, Brecon

I went camping near Llangorse Lane, near Brecon, with my family and some friends this past weekend. We were spoiled with the weather and the scenery was spectacular.

The lake was particularly stunning and we even had an hour out on its water in a rowing boat :)

Llangorse Lake, South Wales' Largest Natural Lake

The lake, the largest natural lake in South Wales, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where both fish and birds are found in extraordinary numbers. Of archaeological interest, the lake also hosts Wales' only Crannog - a small artificial island that are more prevalent in Scotland and Ireland.

Llangorse Lake And Its Unique Welsh Crannog

The crannog is constructed from huge oak plank that were secured deep into the pear beneath the lake, upon which a dwelling platform was constructed from layers of soil, stone and brushwood. Archaeological digs at the site have unearthed high quality textile, an antler comb, remnants of a shrine and an 8th Century bronze hinge. I 1925, a 9th Century dugout boat was also discovered beneath the lake. The crannog, which has been dated to c. 890 a.d, originally had a 3 metre wide wooden causeway connected it to the mainland and is believed to have been the centre of royal administration of the area.

Rowing boats for hire on Llangorse Lake

Rowing Boat, Llangorse Lake

There are numerous folk tales associated with the lake. There have been innumerable sighting of a townscape appearing beneath the rippling surface of its waters and during winter, when the lake is frozen, the groans of the drowned can be heard hollowing from the cracks in the ice.

Rowing on Llangorse Lake

The lake is also said to be home to the mythical water beast, the Afanc. The monster of the lake was first reported by the 15th Century Welsh poet, Lewys Glyn Cothi and is said to have killed anyone who fell into the waters there. The beast is described as being a dwarf-like demon with the appearance of a crocodile. Although folklore records that the beast met it ends at the point of King Arthur's might Excalibur, sightings of a strange creature inhabiting the lake continue to be reported. A replica of the Excalibur, celebrating the slaughter of the Afanc, is now on display near the water's edge.

The sword in the stone. The sword Excalibur is said to have slain the Afanc

The campsite near the edge of the lake is a spacious environment and has some lovely and picturesque country walks in which to while away your time there.

Horse, Llangorse

Swan, Llangorse

Swan, Llangorse

I managed to do a trio of audio field recordings whilst at the camp. These are best listened to with headphones. First up was this recording of the ambient chatter of the campers:

The following morning, I recorded the dawn chorus from a small footbridge that crossed this lovely little stream. Listen carefully and you will also hear the swan I saw there giving itself a little wash:

And finally, this is a dawn chorus recording I made on my final morning of the camp, of the water birds at Llangorse Lake itself:

I enjoyed getting away from the hustle and bustle of modern life for a few days. And last weekend's camp give me the perfect opportunity to relax and do a little more writing on my second draft of Berserk! while soaking up the natural environment about me :)

Working on the second draft of Berserk! whilst camping

Catching up on some reading during a short rain shower

Sounds From The Garden Workshop

Red Arrows Passing Overhead

My latest audio recording, taken on July 13, 2019 of the Red Arrows flying overhead my house:

A Blackbird and a 450 Year Old Horse Chestnut Tree

I fell in love with this old chestnut tree whilst staying in our Norfolk yurt last week. It repeatedly drew my attention and got me exploring it on numerous occasions. If ever there was an enchanted tree, then this was most definitely it!

Sunrise at the 450 Year Old Chestnut Tree

Sunset at the 450 Year Old Chestnut Tree (pictured on the left)

I also fell in love with a characterful Blackbird that was nesting in this tree. He really was a bit of a chatterbox.Unfortunately, I did not manage to photograph him but you can hear his dawn chorus call here and in the clip below you can hear the slightly different call he made each evening:

The Blackbird's evening call was apparently made to deter other Blackbirds from entering and roosting in its territory. This magickal tree was its domain and he was intent on keeping it that way! :)

Norwich Outdoor Market Field Recording

A Norfolk Dawn Chorus

Whilst holiday in Norfolk for my birthday weekend, we were woken early each morning by incredible dawn choruses. The lead vocalist amongst them, an extrovert blackbird, even perched on top of the yurt we were staying in to blast out his song! Here is an audio recording I made of the little fella and his choir. It's long but is beautiful in the complexity of all the different birdsong recorded!

 

Sea Palling

Our third and final beach visit last Saturday during our weekend holiday in Norfolk was Sea Palling. This was the least scenic of the trio of beaches we spent the day exploring but it was also the most popular (due to the numerous cafes and amenities at the edge of the sand). Here's an audio recording I took whilst there, which should give you a decent sense of the place:

 

Whilst in Sea Palling, I spotted this lovely poppy in flower near the car park that I thought I would share with you all :)

Horsey Gap

We chose Horsey Gap as our second beach to visit in Norfolk on my birthday. Not as pretty as the nearby Winterton-On-Sea, but we did get to see some wild seals. Now, as anyone who had read my novella Lore (shameless plug) will know, seals are not always all things sweet and nice but it was great fun seeing these guys enjoying themselves so close to the beach :)

Seals Engoing The Waves at Horsey Gap

It was difficult to make an audio field recording here but I did manage to get some brief audio of the waves by tucking my Tascam DR-40 recorder down amongst the rocks at the base of this beach groyne:

Norwich Cathedral

I visited Norwich Cathedral over the weekend. It is a beautiful and serene place. Whilst I captured a few sounds and images I experienced there for this post, it was, unfortunately, beyond my means to share the gorgeous scent of frankincense that pervaded the cathedral with you :(

Norwich Cathedral Main Stained Glass Window Reflection in Copper Font

Votive Candles, Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral Cloisters

Morning Gusts

It was very windy here this morning. It seems like we are having another typical British summer :(

Raining in My Writing Shed

Sometimes, you just have to love the rain :)

  

Monknash and Nashpoint Lighthouse

I paid a visit to Monknash today. The path down from the village to the Jurassic coastline was billed as a beautiful secret walk on the internet, but the route was moderately busy in the Saturday sunshine. Along the track, which dips down from the Honesty Box car park (£3 at the time of my visit), I passed the ruins of Monknash Mill, and I spent a little time there to take the following photographs and make an audio recording of the trickling stream there:

 

It was on down to the beach then, where I discovered a rather lengthy strength of coastline, backed with a huge length of crumbling cliff that is apparently rich in ammonite and other fossils.

Monknash Beach

Monknash Beach is a stunning and picturesque beach but with only limited stretches of sand, so I didn't find any seaglass to add to my growing collection. The beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

My next audio recording from the day was captured in the beer-garden of a reportedly haunted pub, whilst recovering from the sweltering climb back up from the coast. The Plough ad Harrow was built in 1383 and originally formed part of the grange of a local monastery. At one point the building was used by the monks to store the bodies of drowned sailors recovered from the beaches below. Some of the timber from the numerous shipwrecks associated with this neck of coastline were used to form the beams in the later restructuring of the inn.

 

My final stop off for the day before heading home was this gem of a lighthouse at Nash Point:

Nash Point Lighhouse

Nash Point Lighthouse Fog Horn

I will have to head back down to the lighthouse at some point in the future to do an audio field recording of the fog horn in action... :)

Tree Bumblebees in My Garden

For the past couple of years, I have had a tree bumblebee nest in the roof of my garden shed. They are friendly little creatures and did not bother me once when I stuck my audio recorder right in their tiny bumblebee faces. Best to use headphones as you can then hear the bees fly through your head :)

 

An evening in the garden

The first nice evening of the year 2019 fell on Good Friday. This was the first chance for neighbours to spend an evening out in their gardens playing and having bbqs. The evening sunshine was soft and warm, the air thick with the scent bbq smoke. This audio recording was made from my own back garden and picks up the ambience of neighbours just enjoying being out in the gardens. Good Friday 2019 was a good one :)

Dawn Chorus

The rewards of rising early at this time of year are immense!

Newton Beach

I tool a walk along Newton Beach today. It was a beautiful day and I managed to do a little audio field recording whilst down there. You can hear the resulting audio recordings here. I recommend good quality headphones for the best experience:

This was my first visit to Newton Beach and whilst it was not the most scenic of beaches, it did offer  a fine brisk walk and some interesting finds along the route: 

Washed-up tree-trunk, Newton Beach

Seaglass and Pottery found on Newton Beach