The rods have been dug out recently. With calm sunny evenings, it’s been nice to spend some time in accessible parts of the coast as most of the path is closed for now due to the difficulties of social distancing close to cliff edges and also due to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path being a big attraction for visitors to the area. When it’s calm and pleasant at the waters edge, fishing is a good excuse to linger there. Similar to photography, it’s a meditative experience to spend some time casting a line and occasionally pulling in something to eat. Joey got lucky and pulled in a couple of good size pollock. I got a couple of tiddlers that went back but my excuse was that I was mostly busy taking photos ;)
People
Black Lives Matter - Haverfordwest
Despite the rain, several hundred people gathered in Haverfordwest yesterday to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. For a small town in West Wales it was an impressive turnout and testament to the strength of feeling that has grown internationally since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As the global reaction has gathered pace, many people are starting to re-examine both their national and local histories and with the dramatic toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol, other towns and cities are looking to their own memorials and questioning their validity. Haverfordwest has its own questions to ask as the past deeds of Sir Thomas Picton are coming under scrutiny. Thomas Picton was born in Haverfordwest and went on to become governor of Trinidad, a role to which he brought a brutal approach. His career was almost derailed after he was tried for authorising the torture of a 14 year old girl but he wasn’t sentenced and resumed his military career before being the most senior officer killed at the battle of Waterloo. He was celebrated for his bravery and career. Yesterdays demonstration was quickly followed by the removal of the blue plaque that marked the house in the town where he was born. In Cardiff the future of the statue that stands in City Hall is being discussed and the Picton memorial in Carmarthen is also under review. A widespread re-examination of Britain’s colonial past is overdue and hopefully this is the time when less well known parts of our story begin to be taught in history lessons as these dark chapters are echoed in current attitudes and events.
A side note on the photography aspect of yesterday: Due to the continuing Covid situation, attendees were asked to respect social distancing and to wear face masks and I realised how important the face is when establishing a quick relationship with someone you’d like to make a portrait of. Not being able to use a friendly face when approaching someone made me feel slightly awkward and in the end, with the sombre mood and rain, I chickened out a bit and used my long lens to get this image.
Visitor
We had a short visit from a young corvid the other day. A jackdaw chick had caught the unwelcome attention of a cat so came for a short visit before being returned to where it was found after reading the advice online. Baby jackdaws will live on the ground after leaving the nest and remain under the watchful eye of their parents who will fend off predators and feed them until they’re strong enough to look after themselves. At this young age they are easy to handle and although tempting to keep the little thing a bit longer, after a couple of pics, back home it went, happily riding down the road on the handlebars of a bike!
Arborist and Kacy & Clayton
Arborist are a band I was keen to see since 6Music have been playing a couple of their tracks recently. Fortunately they came to St Davids on Friday night as support for the returning Kacy & Clayton who this time brought a full band and really rocked the City Hall. Both acts were fantastic but Kacy & Clayton are a band I really enjoy for their great melodies and lovely twangy guitar sound and harmonies. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco produced their 2017 album The Siren’s Song so well, you know, they’re top quality. If you’ve a few minutes spare, the Arborist video for taxi is worth a watch and listen. Have a look at my pics from the night and videos below.
Bros Landreth in St Davids
Joey Landreth returned to St Davids last night. After playing the smaller RAFA venue last year, he was back playing to a packed house in the City Hall with a new lineup including his brother on bass guitar. A rocking show but also with some lovely quiet moments.
Christopher Rees and Erin Rae
Erin Rae from Nashville played the RAFA club in St Davids on Friday night with support from the excellent Christopher Rees.
From Erin’s website…
Gifted with a unique ability to fuse musical genres and influences to craft songs that feel fresh and wholly her own, with her new album Putting On Airs, Erin Rae has thrown down a direct challenge to the stereotype of what a Southern singer should be. Both lyrically and sonically, she strikes a fiercely independent chord, proudly releasing a deeply personal record that reflects her own upbringing in Tennessee, including the prejudices and injustices that she witnessed as a child that continue to impact her life to this day. According to Rae, "this album was born out of a need to do some healing work in my personal life, in order to address some fears and patterns of mine to allow my true feelings to come to the surface."
