Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, Nature, Trees on March 14, 2020| 10 Comments »
Buds breaking on the Turkish hazels in front of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay
In the first week of March there were at last signs of life returning to the Turkish hazels or Turkish filberts (Corylus colurna) in Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Bay.
Or at least one of the trees was starting to show buds – I am assuming catkin buds rather than leaf buds.
I had to look very closely but something is definitely opening up for spring.
Here are my photographs from March 2. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay on February 16, 2020| 4 Comments »
Animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, for the schools’ half-term holiday
I made a special morning trip to Mermaid Quay between heavy showers to catch a view of “Quay Rex”, an animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex moved in for next week’s school half-term holidays.
I heard its roar before I saw it, as I walked through between the shops to Tacoma Square, where the restaurants have a view of Cardiff Bay. It sounded a bit like a steam train preparing to move off. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, London plane, Nature, Trees on December 14, 2019| 4 Comments »
The London plane of Mermaid Quay in December
As the year comes to its end I have to say goodbye to the London plane tree (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia) in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, that I have followed through the months of 2019.
I include some pictures from earlier in the year in this post, after my December observations.
The last month has been cold or wet or windy and sometimes all three, and we have had one or two overnight frosts and a couple of foggy starts to the day. I caught a crisp, sunny spell on my visit to take the latest pictures. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, London plane, Nature, Trees on November 12, 2019| 6 Comments »
A few fallen leaves of the Mermaid Quay London plane trapped in a puddle
Despite strong winds here in Cardiff the London plane (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia) I am following in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, still has more leaves than many other tree species in the area.
This month the weather has been colder and wetter but with the odd day of lovely late autumn sunshine. The good thing about the rain is that it catches some of the beautiful fallen leaves in puddles, while last month they all blew away. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, Nature, The Wharf on October 20, 2019| 6 Comments »
Rose hips beside the Wharf
Last year I walked around the Wharf (former Bute East Dock) in Cardiff Bay almost every month, but in this my second year working at County Hall I am only an occasional visitor. This is partly because I am no longer following a tree beside the Wharf.
I may think I have seen it all before but I find the view is constantly changing. Here are the images from my most recent visit, in late September… (more…)
Posted in Art & Design, Uncategorized, tagged art, Cardiff Bay, design on August 31, 2019| 4 Comments »
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. (more…)
Posted in Cardiff, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay on August 20, 2019| 10 Comments »
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.
(more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, London plane, Nature, Trees on August 13, 2019| 6 Comments »
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. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, Nature, The Wharf on July 28, 2019| 8 Comments »
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) on the Wharf in July
Last year I walked around the Wharf (former Bute East Dock) in Cardiff Bay almost every month, but in this my second year working at County Hall I am only an occasional visitor. This is partly because I am no longer following a tree beside the Wharf and also because I fear I will not find anything new this second time around.
I needn’t have worried. The view is constantly changing – although mainly because of construction work rather than the plants I see. Here are the images from my latest visit, in early July… (more…)
Posted in Cardiff, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay on July 20, 2019| 10 Comments »
Big wheel in Cardiff Bay at the moment
One of the features of Cardiff’s Mermaid Quay in the summer is this big wheel, giving views over Cardiff Bay. It’s not really that big, but I decided one lunchtime that I would take my camera and have a mini adventure. It was three rotations for £4 so didn’t take long.
View from the top of the big wheel – the Wales Millennium Centre and the Pierhead Building. At this time a couple of weeks ago the Oval Basin (Roald Dahl Plass) was being prepared with stalls for the Cardiff Bay Food Festival
The Squirrelbasket 