Lego lands on Mermaid Quay

Lego dragon on Mermaid Quay

For the last few summer weeks there has been a group of fantasy characters gathered on Cardiff Bay’s Mermaid Quay. And these are all constructed from Lego, the famous Danish brand producing interlocking plastic bricks and other models.

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Fairground mixed feelings

Close-up of a carousel horse in Cardiff Bay

This summer the “beach” and funfair has returned to Cardiff Bay’s Oval Basin – also known as Roald Dahl Plass. I looked in on it as I returned to the office from lunch one day last week. It seems to attract families and there is a small enclosed pool like a mini lido on the seaward side of the funfair. I’m not sure I saw a lot of sand, which would in any case have had to be shipped in for the event.

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2019 tree following 8: Sunshine and showers

Seed ball of (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia)

I seem to remember that last month, during a heatwave, I said “Please let it rain”. Be careful what you wish for!

In the last few weeks here in Cardiff we have had very changeable weather, with thundery and torrential rain, gale-force winds and sunny spells in between.

It all seems to have benefited the London plane (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia) I am following in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay. The tree is looking lush and green in the height of so-called summer.

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Tree following link box for August 2019

Seeds of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) on a dead branch in my garden

The tree-following link box has now closed for another month.

Here in Wales we have had the hottest day of the year so far, hitting 31C on July 23, followed by severe thunderstorms.

In Cardiff we have been luckier than those in the north of England, where storms a week later washed away a road bridge in the Yorkshire Dales and damaged a dam in the Peak District of Derbyshire.

You will find everyone’s updates below, so enjoy exploring…

Firstly here’s a welcome return to tree following for my linkbox predecessor:

Lucy – Loose and Leafy in Halifax – trees in a tree

Erika Groth in Sweden – aspens

Anni Kelsey in Shropshire – summer trees

Flighty’s Plot – Liz’s witch hazel in Lexington, Kentucky, and Mike’s apple tree

Hollis – In the Company of Plants and Rocks – Russian hawthorns

JayP – Amblings around Penwith (Cornwall) – flowering dogwood

Alison at the Blackberry Garden – quince – suckers

Frances at Island Threads, off the North West coast of Scotland – hawthorn

Pat – Squirrelbasket – the London plane of Mermaid Quay

And here’s a little extra suggested by JayP:

You might be interested in this link to an artist called Kurt Jackson, who has been following a particular thorn tree for the last year. He has an exhibition of the work he made and it is on until 17th August, in St Just in far West Cornwall.

Thanks for that 🙂

If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here. Why not join us? Point us to any tree-related post you would like to share, using the link box published on the 7th of each month and lasting for a week.

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News from the world of trees 2019 #3

Here is another round-up of tree news articles from around the world. Click on each of the pictures if you would like to read the full stories.

Monsieur Plant makes tree hugging an art

Botanical artist Christophe Guinet — known as Monsieur Plant — has installed a ‘human-vegetable’ work entitled Tree Hug in Annecy, France, reports Design Boom…

House made of cork is shortlisted for prize

Shortlisted for the 2019 Stirling prize, a house in Eton, UK, at the vanguard of ‘corkitecture’ is broadening ideas of sustainable construction, says The Guardian…

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