Eco-School on the Hill

I was once very involved in the European (and wider) project called Eco-Schools.  It was once heavily promoted across the UK, but now it is most active in Scotland and Wales where the central administrations consider it significant and useful in promoting community involvement, and understanding the concept of environmental sustainability.  Clearly the ‘English’ parliament gives these things lower priority.

Anyway – I was in Swansea not long ago, and spotted an interesting building on a hilltop above the town.  Turns out to be a school built when open air education was considered a good thing.  On the way to the station I saw it from a different angle, and there was an Eco-Schools flag flying proudly.  Excellent publicity for the project in the Principality.

Poster adjustment for campaign purposes

Seen off the Upper Lewes Road, Brighton

The poster was originally for g3 I think, but the cunning amandment is much better.  38 degrees are seeking donations for their own anti-NHS changes campaign, but this seems easier and cheaper

Flamingo on Bath

Found this today whilst looking for something else.  Its about 3 feet by 2 feet and I bought it back in the 80′s from an auction in a seafront arches gallery.  I still like it, perhaps I’ll try to hang it somewhere.

Hoppy Beers

Took a stroll down town last Saturday and had a pint of Batemans XXXB in Wetherspoons for about £1.70 courtesy of the CAMRA 50p off vouchers.  But it wasn’t hoppy.

In the Evening Star I had a pint of Green Hopped IPA, 6.5% ABV and startlingly hoppy – one of those new world fruity hops dominated, but the Dark Star website tasting notes for 2011 tell me that green Target hops are added at some point after the boil.

Decided to see what Trafalgar Wines could offer as a take-home hoppy experience.  And they came through with flying colours.

Two excellent beers, the Thornebridge heavily hopped and strong IPA – Jaipur – and a new one to me, from Magic Rock Brewing, yet another IPA – Cannonball.

Visiting Conrad and Maggie near Carmarthen

From Swansea we took a train to Carmarthen.  On the first day of our stay we accompanied the dogs onto Llansteffan beach.  Miles of sand and mud – home of the cockles sold in Swansea Market – with views across to Worms Head.

 

The Gower from Llansteffan Beach

 

If you divide the horizon into five equal parts, the first fifth is Llanmadoc Hill on the Gower, the second contains Rhossili Down, and the third contains the Worms Head peninsula (you may have to copy and zoom in to see the detail). 

A grand location for a house, overlooking Llansteffan Beach to the Gower

Turning round after taking the picture I noticed the others had given up on me and headed back to shore.  Maggie thinks this house should be a guest house so more could enjoy the location and view, she said she’s never seen it occupied.  Walking on the track beside the house we found St Anthony of Egypt’s ancient Well.  Someone had decorated his image for Christmas.

Plaque to St Anthony of Egypt, on the wall of the enclosure housing the (dry) well

Climbing up the hill we entered Llansteffan castle.  The original walled space was the flat high space shown below, where Maggie and I are beside the first gatehouse.

Inside the walls of Llansteffan castle, watching the clouds get blacker

Later a new curtain wall and bigger gatehouse were added, seen to the right in the photo above, as well as below.

About to exit The New Gatehouse - hoping to avoid the rain.

The following day we went to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where again I enjoyed the giant curved roof.  The planting has come on since we were last here 8 years ago.

Looking up the length of the Mediterranean Glasshouse

Here you see Jackie enjoying the warmth of the giant glasshouse – she has taken her gloves off.

Jackie beside a flowering leguminose shrub

Swansea Trip, the last bit.

One afternoon Steve and I went for a walk to the New Guildhall (1930′s Deco ) and on to Mumbles.  I had been keen to see the wall panels painted by Frank Brangwyn

Bust of Brangwyn in entrance of Guildhall

for the House of Lords but rejected by them and brought to Wales for the new Guildhall.  But the hall was in use for A-levels so I just grabbed one picture through a glazed door, across a roomful of heads-down-and-writing students.

Celebrating the Empire with Frank Brangwyn

When we left it had started to rain, light enough to keep walking, even to give us a rainbow.

 

I've always been a fan of green corrugated iron sheds, but this is the grandest I've seen. Now an Indian restaurant

 

  The rain got much heavier, and we ran for a bus shelter and bus back into town. 

The tallest tower looks a little short here, but that's perspective for you.

This shot shows the tallest building in Wales.  Its just at the west end of South Dock, so Jackie and I went there for coffee on the 29th floor, and got a good view of the Mumbles across the Bay

Mumbles across a grey and rainy bay, but atmospheric for all that

Baron Spolasco

The Celebrated Baron Spolasco - the most successful Practitioner of Medicine and Surgery in the World!!!

Walking along the seafront there is a lot of public art to see, much of it weathering badly after only 25 years.  One stone relief shows a Baron Spolasco, and around his head are set tablets of verse which reads:

I pledge unto SPOLASCO’S name

A name in which we glory

His splendid CURES and HEALING fame

Recorded are in story.

He may have been born in or near Manchester as John Smith, but before he came to Swansea he had been selling his medical advice and potions in Cork until patients began to suffer more from his cures than their ailments.  He boarded a ship to escape any further beatings at the hands of unhappy Irishmen, but it struck a rock and sank.  He survived by clinging to a rock for three days, until the storm calmed and rescue came.  Returning to Cork he published a pamphlet of his ordeal and was hailed a hero. (How short the public memory.)  But soon he left again for Swansea, with carriage, horses, man-servant and much pre-arranged publicity.  The picture caption above is part of an advert he placed in a Swansea paper to announce his arrival, it continued, ‘having been called professionally to Wales, he may be consulted at his residence, 2 Adelaide Place, Swansea, relative to every Disease to which the human frame is liable.’

Crowds turned out to see him arrive,  ’in coach and horses, in splendid trappings, with postillions in bright colours and cockades, a black manservant in gorgeous livery . . . .’ and so on.

He arrived in 1838 and established a thriving business thanks to copious advertising.  He even survived two court cases, being acquitted of damaging patients health both times, but bad stories gradually began to dominate and he left Wales in 1845 for London.  Later he turned up in New York, still selling his medical skills, but ultimately died there in poverty. 

In a world of generally poorly developed medicine and bad communications a man could make a living selling snake-oil, for a while anyway.  But why did the developers celebrate him in their sculpture trail?  Perhaps they saw similarities between themselves and him?  Selling little boxes on the dockside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky.