St Mary’s Church, Welshpool gives a splendid vantage point over the town of Welshpool. You can see the lush green rolling hills beyond the town from the Church.
Welshpool War Memorial is situated within the grounds of St Mary’s Church, a 20ft memorial built of sandstone.
See the Full Set of Photographs here (on Flickr)
Miners Head by Dominic Claire at Cwmaman Sculpture Trail.
See the Full Set of Photos here.
A scrap of paper fell from the filing cabinet today echoing some of our reading from years past.
It was a quote by theologian Dorothee Soelle from her book The Silent Cry (Mysticism and Resistance) (2001) :
One of the spiritual difficulties in our situation is the inner connection between globalization and individualization. The more globally the market economy structures itself, the less interest it demonstrates in the social and ecological webs in which humans live, and the more it requires the individual who is without any relation whatsoever.
The partner that our global market economy needs is Homo Oeconomicus. This is an individual fit for business and pleasure, showing no interest in the anti-personnel mines that his car manufacturer produces, no interest in the water that his grandchildren will use – not to mention interest in God..
In reply to Soelle, we considered a scrap of poetry from memory… “every day do something that doesn’t compute”.
These are the rousing words of Wendell Berry in Manifesto : the Mad Farmer Liberation Front (Reclaiming Politics, 1991) :
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
…
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
In the Photograph : Fragile Earth sculpture by Paul Clarke at Cwmaman Sculpture Trail
The largest sculpture in Wales stands at 12 metres and weighs a colossal eleven tonnes.
Kite Trail by Carmarthenshire based artist Andrew Rowe was commissioned as part of a regeneration project and stands as a seafront market at Aberavon beach.
It was installed in December 2007 and stands opposite the Aquadome and next to Franco’s chip shop.
Work on the footings remains unfinished. There is also a much smaller ‘tail’ sculpture that accompanies the larger ‘kite’. When finished, the sculpture will be illuminated at night.
Enjoy the Full Set of Photos in the Gallery..
Wife on the Ocean Wave by Graham Ibbeson at Cardiff Bay
There is a full set of photos of Ibbeson’s sculpture here on Flickr.
Graham Ibbeson’s official website contains a wealth of information on his work.
Carnival Spirit comes to Aberdare for the 42nd Aberdare Carnival with a parade around Aberdare Town Centre and carnival at Aberdare Park.
See More Photos from Aberdare Carnival 2008 here
John Clinch’s From Pit to Port at Cardiff Bay, in the shadow of the Welsh Assembly ‘Senedd’ Building.
Click on the Image for a Larger Photo
Pilot of Bombus Airlines : This is flight 634 heading inbound for Inula Helenium requesting immediate clearance to land over.
Control Tower for Inula Helenium : Permission granted Flight 634… welcome back.
The showy bright yellow flowers of the elecampane have nearly finished this summer. For about three weeks, the ten foot displays have attracted bumble bees, honey bees, butterflies and other useful critters.
Come winter, when the birds are getting hungry, they will feast on the dried seed heads. The remaining parts of the plant will decay and feed back into the soil. Nothing is wasted in nature, and nothing is created which can’t add back to the whole.
Please observe a minute’s silence this week as a mark of respect for Aberdare’s Pound Shop which passed away recently.
Trading in garish blue in Canon Street Aberdare, the Pound Shop was always ready to offer shoppers comfort in the monotony of its pricing structure.
The Pound Shop passed away peacefully after a long illness brought on by recession in the retail sector.
Each of us hold special Pound Shop memories close to our heart, like the Christmas time a Half Price Sale was held, and thus for a fleeting few days it was the Half a Pound or Fifty Pence Shop.
Staff members brought a touch of colour to Aberdare town and were particularly fond of dressing up at Christmas Time.
It is difficult to estimate how many Aberdare shoppers walked through the doors – passing that huge sign saying “Pound Shop” – only to question the price of an item on display. We can only assume the question was asked many thousands, if not millions, of times.
We call upon Aberdare citizens and shoppers to erect a memorial stone for Aberdare’s Pound Shop etching those oft-used words which echoed around the lower reaches of Canon Street : “How much is that, love?”
Our condolences go out to former Staff at the Pound Shop who will miss a dear old friend and employer.
And whilst there we couldn’t resist snapping a few of the local landmarks, including :
