As we woke up this morning to grey skies, there was what sounded like raindrops pounding sporadically on the roof above our attic bedroom. Outside however, the was no evidence that rain was falling or had fallen since yesterday evening. On the flat roof below the window were a couple of dozen starlings, and many more on other roofs nearby. Some took flight, circled around and then settled for a while before finally heading off to hunt for breakfast.
The strange noise from above our heads was made by the birds' clawed feet as they landed or shifted around. Fourteen miles north of here is Aberystwyth Pier, whose iron skeleton provides a night roosting place for hundreds of thousands of starlings, and their murmurations are an unequalled local spectacle. Not all starlings in the region flock to Aberystwyth at night it seems. In fact, yesterday afternoon for about ten minutes a group of a hundred or so starlings took to the air and did some formation flying over the port, but then dispersed.
After breakfast we walked again up the Aeron riverside path for three quarters of an hour before turning back, to be in good time for our lunch booking at Hive. We started with a dish of whitebait between us, then Clare had hake with a cockle sauce, and I went for spicy roasted cauliflower with couscous, raisins and roasted almonds, Moroccan style washed down with Butty Bach ale. Most enjoyable.
The wind was quite strong when I walked around the harbour and then along the coast path northwards. The tide had just turned, and I was amazed at how the wind forced the sea through the harbour mouth in six foot high waves. The bed of the harbour only had river water flowing out on one side, and all the boats were high and dry. As I walked along the quay, in came the water, and in twenty minutes all but the bigger of the boats were afloat again. Waves pounded on both sides of the sea wall sending plumes of spry into the air. I took pictures of this but almost all were out of focus. Walking again with Clare after supper we saw gulls feeding on small fish washed in by the waves, but again all my pictures were blurred, but not really motion blur, but rather as if the camera autofocus couldn't compute the correct focal length for the aimed for shot. Was this to do with ambient light conditions? Or had I inadvertently changed a camera setting that I don't understand without realising? Research is needed.
We watched a channel five programme with Andre Marr talking about about Rembrandt's masterpiece 'The Night Watch', explaining its significance as a national treasure for the Dutch, and how it symbolises key elements in their national identity and self understanding. There was a programme on the radio several months ago with a similar subject. I'm not sure if it was himself or someone else, but it caught my interest, and it was great to see the painting and hear it explained in detail. Currently the painting is being restored in situ and remarkably in full view of the public. A large glass enclosure surrounds the painting which also encloses the restorers workshop, and lift platform which enables them to work on the canvas, cleaning and retouching at close quarters. It's a measure of how important the painting is to citizens that hundreds come each day to see the work in progress.
Work has been going on all week on resurfacing the public car park opposite in a piecemeal fashion. Any time a car leaves now, a traffic cone is placed to block the spot. After our trip to Llanerchaeron House, we had to park on the street until the evening, and sneak back in to reclaim a parking space for our last couple of days. We'll be on our way home in the morning straight after breakfast, and won't have to lug our bags more than fifty yards to pack the car. I wonder if the council workers come in on a Saturday anyway?
No comments:
Post a Comment