Bright park flowers at summer’s end

Sunflower in Thompson’s Park

There was still plenty of colour on offer in my local Cardiff parks – Victoria Park and Thompson’s Park – as September ushered out a meteorologically disappointing summer. Here are some of my pictures…

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May in Thompson’s Park

Young beech leaves in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff

I visit my nearest green space, Thompson’s Park in Canton, Cardiff, at least once a month. It has a small lower garden with a duck pond and an upper field surrounded by trees, currently at their spring best. Here are my latest pictures:

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St David’s Day in Thompson’s Park

Daffodils in Thompson’s Park

Monday was St David’s Day – the national day of Wales – and it is not complete without daffodils so I went to Thompson’s Park to see what I could find. Here are my pictures from a half-hour afternoon walk in early spring sunshine…

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New Year’s Day in Thompson’s Park

Thompson’s Park in Cardiff on New Year’s Day – people gathered near the duck pond

One of my New Year resolutions in this time of lockdown was to get out more, walk most days and get some sunshine. At least I started well on New Year’s Day with a walk around Thompson’s Park. It’s a favourite of mine so I suppose none of these images show anything new.

In these Covid days I do try to avoid people so find myself straying from the pathways to distance myself and holding my breath as I pass if I can’t. I don’t suppose I was surprised that people gathered dangerously together near the duck pond in the lower part of the park.

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Meeting old friends in Thompson’s Park

Beech trees in Thompson’s Park, with Romilly Road beyond the park railings

Firstly, my apologies for being slightly inactive on the blog recently and not responding to comments in a timely manner.

I remain very busy working full-time from home and caring for my husband – still in agony and immobile as he waits for the urgent hip replacement operation cancelled in March thanks to the first Covid-19 lockdown.

And to top it all I have fallen out of love with WordPress and its new Block Editor, which I can’t get to work even if I use a different browser as recommended by one of the WordPress experts. I also couldn’t work out how to continue using Classic Editor until Mike Rogers (of Flighty’s Plot) kindly pointed out a little arrow in the admin panel that I hadn’t noticed. Thanks so much!

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Thompson’s Park in early spring

Magnolia bloom in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff

I started the Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown a fortnight ago with the intention of visiting a park every week for some exercise, but already I am slacking. So far I have visited only one – Thompson’s Park.

It is our nearest park but I hadn’t walked through it for a few years, since I started working down in Cardiff Bay. There was a time when I visited it monthly, and here are my images from those days.

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2016 tree following 12: The year of the oak

Frosted oak leaves on January 3, 2017

Before I turn my attention to a new tree to follow in 2017, I am looking back with fondness at the old oak (Quercus robur) I have followed throughout 2016 in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff.

I visited again on a frosty day last week but now it’s winter there is not going to be much change until it starts the annual cycle again in spring.

The only new observation was this spent firework from the New Year’s Eve festivities…

Firework shell under the oak on January 3, 2017

So here is a comparison of how the tree looked as the months passed in 2016.

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Thompson’s Park in early winter

Lush leaf of bear’s breeches (Acanthus mollis) in December

At the beginning of 2016 I promised myself I would keep an eye on Thompson’s Park in Cardiff as the seasons changed through the year, so I have just enough time before Christmas to fit in a snapshot of the park as we pass from late autumn into early winter.

I took these pictures on November 25 and December 9 and in just a fortnight almost the last of the autumn leaves fell. Some berries and seeds remain and there are a few winter blossoms. Please let me know if I have misidentified anything…

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2016 tree following 11: Golden days before they end

Fallen oak leaves in December

Last month I was becoming a bit impatient with the oak tree (Quercus robur) I am following in Cardiff’s Thompson’s Park, as it seemed slow to take on autumn hues. But I knew that when the right time came it would all happen very quickly, so I have visited the tree twice this month. And what a difference a fortnight has made.

The following pictures were taken on November 25 and December 9 and where I can I put similar shots together for comparison. A fortnight ago the leaves were golden but now they are brown and more have fallen to the ground.

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Just a pile of logs and sawdust…

Fallen horse chestnut in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff, in June 2016

This is the story of the life after death of the horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) blown down in Storm Imogen in Early February. It stood in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff, and I have been keeping an eye on it all year.

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