Llangwm, mid November

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I often make my way down to the estuary at this time of year. It's a little more sheltered when being on the coast is to experience the sea in its wildest state and it can be exhausting to spend time there; hunkering against sea spray and crashing noise. Standing in the mud on the estuary banks the water is flat and moves slowly. The tide gurgles in gently and not much punctuates the stillness except for the flitting of birds in the gathering gloom. The sucking mud dictates the pace of travel and everything feels slowed to its will. The boats here languish, drained of any memory of tack and jibe. Seeing me taking pictures, a woman emerges from her patio door to tell me she was born in the house and after a time away, has returned. She tells me how the moon had risen behind the woodland on the far bank and how she sees bass and mullet in the shallows sometimes. Her son still fishes the river but his easiest catch was a salmon trapped in a pool above the stepping stones. She tells me she is 93. We say goodbye as a chill breeze reminds us of the cold and the dark. Later, I'm introduced to Poem in October by Dylan Thomas and see some of these moments all over again. Dylan Thomas’ for me is the best voice to describe West Wales. Much of his writing was done in Laugharne, the next big river mouth East of here, and many of the images that he conjures with his words are familiar to anyone who wanders these places.

Bros Landreth in St Davids

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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

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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."

Snowdonia

On my way back from Anglesey the other week I spend a few days in Snowdonia. Some solo walking and then a bit of climbing and quarry exploring before heading home. It was windy up there so we had to decide on where to climb based on what was the best choice to stay warm which meant being in shadow sometimes. But the light came good at times.

Sea Cliff Climbing in Pembrokeshire

A day out climbing at Carreg-y-Barcud. Not far from home is some of the best sea cliff climbing in the world. A fine November afternoon was spent teetering on the edge with Joey and Louis below and hoping that the rain clouds offshore didn’t make landfall.

To All At Sea - Work by Anthony Garratt

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Last weekend I took a trip to Anglesey to meet with the artist Anthony Garratt and take some pictures of his latest installation and the accompanying performance piece.

The Royal Charter Storm scoured the West coast of Britain in 1859. The storm was named after a ship which was nearing the end of her journey from Melbourne to Liverpool but was wrecked off the coast of Anglesey. Including the 450 souls that lost their lives that night on Anglesey, another 350 or so were killed in various other wrecks and on land where roofing and masonry were torn from buildings. The church at Cwm yr Eglwys here in Pembrokeshire was also a victim of the storm and is the reason only the gable end remains standing. As a result of the storm, Robert Fitzroy, head of the Meteorological Office at the time, introduced the first gale warning service which was a precursor to today’s Shipping Forecast (which I often enjoy listening to late at night in the comfort of my bed).

The RNLI crew at Moelfre rescued 8 crew members from the cliffs but scores of bodies were recovered to the church of St Gallgo which acted as a temporary mortuary. The process took its toll on the vicar who had the task of identifying the bodies from their personal belongings and facial features. He died only three years after the event. In a tragic twist, the ship was full of prospectors returning from gold mines in Australia and for safe keeping many had their spoils sewn into their clothes; they drowned with their fortune only weighing them down.

160 years on from the tragedy, Anthony has produced a painted panel that sits on a weather vane positioned close to the site of the wreck near Moelfre. The panel has been collecting wind data over 2 months (the time it took the ship to sail from Melbourne) and this was then interpreted into a piece of music. On the night of the 160th anniversary, the piece was performed in St Gallgos church by the Hogia’r Ddwylan choir and violinist, Philippa Mo. It also featured a lyrical section from former National Poet for Wales, Gillian Clarke. As a final note, the ships bell from The Royal Charter was struck at the end of the piece.

It was an emotional night. The music produced from the wind was haunting and beautiful and it was strange to think that the sounds were echoing around the site where the bodies, still sodden and sandy, had been lain out upon the floor before sepulture. The music being generated by natural forces meant it was odd and abstract and the interpretation in strings and human voice had an ethereal quality. It was particularly eerie and poignant to hear the ships bell ringing in the church; the exact sound that would have been heard on the deck that fateful night before it was taken by the waves.

The day was filmed and once the footage is edited will appear here… https://www.toallatsea.co.uk/ Here are some of my pictures from the day. From rehearsals in the church to a visit to the installation before the final evening performance.