Musical interlude : Song Exploder

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I've enjoyed listening to the Song Exploder podcast recently. I always find it interesting to hear how a piece of creative work is put together and to have an insight into the thinking and processes behind the finished article; this podcast provides that insight for an ever growing list of tunes. Music is often something that becomes a background to daily life and although the age of listening to music is often said to be behind us, this is also the information age and we can learn more than ever about the artist behind the work. Give it a listen.

Making the best of it at Nolton Haven

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A brief trip out to Nolton Haven yesterday evening to catch the last rays of sun. Nolton is usually a little bay I only drive or cycle past on my way along that section of coast that has the more appealing stops of Druidston or Newgale to visit. As the tide was too high to fully enjoy either of those bigger beaches I decided to pull in at Nolton. Unlike those big bays, the headlands at Nolton form a tight gateway to St Brides Bay that gives it a more enclosed feel.

This shot required a little improvisation. Standing on the beach fishing my camera out of its bag I immediately realised that the the little plate that attaches camera to tripod was sitting warm and happy on my kitchen table where I'd left it. Not wanting to give up on the shot I had in mind, I placed the camera on top of the tripod anyway, took a deep breath and held it in place as best I could for the 6 seconds it took to make the picture. After a few attempts I managed to keep it still enough despite the waves sloshing around the tripod legs and climbing my wellies.

A podcast you might like to listen to

Last year I discovered the Radiolab podcast and really enjoyed listening back to all their past episodes and each new one as they were released. It's a fascinating podcast that covers all kinds of interesting stuff in accessible and entertaining fashion. I thoroughly recommend it!

I particularly enjoyed this one about recent discoveries in the world of fungi that has revealed new understanding of tiny networks that connect whole groups of trees. If you've a spare half hour then click play, I can pretty much guarantee you won't regret it!

The Carmarthen Fans

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I hadn't really realised that the Brecon Beacons National Park extends so far into Carmarthenshire and that the Black Mountain area isn't so far beyond Llandeilo. I'd always thought it was a fair drive to get into any kind of mountain environment but it turns out that a good ridge walk along the Carmarthen Fans is well within reach on a day trip from Pembrokeshire.

I went to have an explore back in December but was rained off on a horrible day but struck it lucky last week with a bright sunny day with the added bonus of a dusting of snow on the top. It was colder than it looked with a fierce wind whipping over the top of Picws Du as I made my way along the ridge but there are great views of Llyn y Fan Fach and out over the hills to enjoy. I didn't linger long to take any of these pictures as the cold meant my battery was failing and I had to warm it up in my pocket several times to get some more life out of it.

Christmas in Pembrokeshire

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Being from Wiltshire orginally, I usually spend Christmas with family there but circumstances never remain the same and so this year I spent it in Pembrokeshire. Boxing day was a beautiful day so a walk on the beach with family made a lovely change from the norm. This is Newgale and a familiar picture to anyone who has seen my front cover of the OS North Pembrokeshire 1:25k map which I took in similar conditions. Sunshine and low tide will always give you a chance for some silhouettes and there were plenty of opportunities as there were scores of people burning off mince pies.