The street food cafe under the plane in Mermaid Quay has changed hands – here it is being repainted on May 20
Although the London plane (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia) I am following in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, has changed little in the last month, nearby there is a lot going on.
Around the corner on Roald Dahl Plass (which used to be called the Oval Basin), from May 27 to June 1, there was the Urdd National Eisteddfod, a Welsh language youth festival of words and music.
Setting up the marquees in front of the Wales Millennium Centre in the week before the Eisteddfod
There was also a carousel
It was at this time that the brightly coloured Mumbai Gourmet Guru shack was repainted and it did very good trade under a new name during the Eisteddfod. I have not seen it open for trade at lunchtime since then, so maybe it is open only in the evenings, at weekends and on high days and holidays.
The shack has lost its lurid colours…
…and become a Greek street food outlet
Approaching the plane tree in Mermaid Quay
The old seed balls from last year have now fallen from the plane tree and a few of the new ones are starting to show
Overlooking the scene from the roof of the Packet pub at the end of Bute Street was a gull…
…a closer look
Looking towards the plane tree from the other side you can just see a smaller tree on the left…
…it is a mountain ash or rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and these are the flowers on May 20…
…and these are the developing berries on June 12
A bit farther along on the same side I noticed this artwork on a restaurant window…
…a closer look…
…you can just see the skyline buildings of Cardiff Bay reflected in the water – including the Wales Millennium Centre, Pier Head Building, Senedd (National Assembly building) and Norwegian Church
See you again next month – and I hope the weather warms up by then, as it’s very cold and wet for June!
You can find all my London plane posts here…
The Squirrelbasket 
Now that the shack is dark, the plane tree stands out more. It is a nice breath of nature in such a hard manmade environment.
Rowans look lovely in bloom and covered in red berries, I hope as it is more sheltered this one keeps it berries until ripe, when the birds will probably eat them. The rowan I followed in my garden 2 years ago had masses of blossom this year but the May cold, wind and rain have knocked most of them off, I was quite upset when I saw it. But that’s life!
Nice art work, Frances
I don’t think the position is ideal for this rowan and if I’m not mistaken the berries have already withered. But we do have plenty more in the area, in more auspicious places.
All the best 🙂
An intereting a varied post and you have reminded me of Mountain Ash which I seldom see here.
The artwork is amazing – there are some very clever people in this world.
I think the mountain ash probably grows wild in more northern areas but here I only see cultivated varieties.
Thank you for your kind comments and all the best 🙂
those reflections are fascinating – now you see them, then they disappear.
I have to admit I photoshopped out a glimpse of my own reflection in a dark area of the glass, too!
Best wishes 🙂
Great selection of pictures, there’s always plenty going on around the plane tree, although the Rowan seems to be stealing the show at the moment!
The area is still very busy with drainage works, too, so usually the tree is surrounded by utilities trucks and workmen.
Although the rowan looks pretty in detail, it is actually very weedy and much overshadowed…
Best wishes 🙂