Remembering 9/11 and One World Trade Center, New York City, New York 

Remembering 9/11 and One World Trade Center, New York City, New York 

Memorial to World Trade Center 

John and I had planned for a while to take a trip to Swansea, Wales, UK to visit John’s older sister Phyllis.  Finally, we bought two tickets from Air India.  We were scheduled to leave Newark, NJ on September 10, 2001.  We always plan to stay more than three weeks’ vacation as we wanted to spend as much time with Phyllis as we can, since Mom, John’s mother passed away in summer 1994 and Phyllis was alone by herself.  So, we planned to stay with her until October 9, 2001, which was the day we returned home to Newark.  ————————————

“Do you know the World Trade Center collapsed?” 

The taxi man asked us while he took our luggage out from the trunk. 

“No!  It is impossible.  We just came from World Trade Center.”

We responded. 

“Two planes hit the twin towers.”

The taxi man gave us more information. 

After greeting Phyllis, we ran in the living room and turned on the TV and found out that there were no Twin Towers anymore.  We learned that the terrorists hijacked the airplanes and used planes as weapons to destroy the buildings and people on the plane and thousand more in the World Trade Center Towers.  We also learned about the disasters in Washington DC and Pennsylvania. ——————————————————

After we came back home to Newark, NJ from Swansea, the first thing I wanted was to visit the remains of WTC to join others who felt the sadness from the loss of so many people.  We also went to Jersey City by the peer at the bank of Hudson River opposite WTC to look at the empty spots where Twin Towers would have been. Our hearts ached and we were confused as to the cause of this destruction.  We liked to bring friends and family to view the NY skyline and watch the 4th of July fireworks by the Hudson River with the WTC in the background. 

I began doing the artwork relating to WTC, a few ceramic sculptures as a Memorial for the Twin Towers.  I kept my artwork to myself.  I showed them to only few people who were close to me.  I did not want to provoke negative feelings or bad memories in others.  I felt such sadness about this horrible event.  It is the same sadness for any horrible event such as Holocausts, the nuclear bombs in Japan, the killing field in Cambodia, in Rwanda and other places in the world.  We humans never learn to be civilized.  We seem so quickly to forget the horrible events that took place and then bad things happen again.  We kill each other directly and indirectly.  The indirect actions of corruption, greed and power hunger cause direct action to surface.  Innocent people will always end up suffering the effects.  Hopefully we will be wiser and able to learn from past events and improve our human race to be able to live with each other in peaceful coexistence. 

Twenty years have passed since the 9/11 events and I would like to share my artwork with others and express some of my thought on my Peace Project website. 

Many thanks to my daughter and son-in-law who subscribe the website for me and my husband who has the patients to correct my writing.  

The followings are the pictures of my sculptures I produced on March 16, 2002 I made especially as a memorial to the Twin Towers and the people who lost in these events:

The description of WTC memorial: 

Two towers stand erect, supported by two long panels.  Outside of two panels are animal designs in one side and the garden and plants on the other side.  The long path between the two towers inside panels is blank spaces which can be the area that the loved ones or any ones express their thought in writing.  And the corridor between two panels can be the place for children to play hide and seek. 

I made this small-scale Twin Towers sculpture as a replica for loved ones or any ones who comes to mourn, let go of sadness and to remember the loss.  I hope we can realize that we should enjoy and appreciate one and other while we are still alive.  

Memorial to World Trade Center 

Time to mourn

Time to cry

Wipe the sadness away

Time to remember

Time to live

Get up and go

Work awaits

I will go on

Remembering the past

With heavy heart

When you are apart 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, September 11, 2011, 5:57 AM 

Lost Hope  

Little girl feels 

Little girl hurts 

To feel the pain so young 

Her innocent lost

Even though it hasn’t begun 

We all lost our innocent and freedom 

Innocent of hoping working hard 

We will be better some day 

But freedom lost 

Sudden someone comes

And take the hope away 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, September 04, 2011, 9:45 PM

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 a total of 343 firefighters died with thousands of innocent civilians in the World Trade Center and other locations. Their lives were taken away by fanatic, brainwashed believers of a distorted version of their own religion.  If the hijackers believe in humankind and nature, they would not kill themselves and others.  So, one should always learn to questions what one is told to believe. 

I salute all the brave firefighters and others who risk their lives saving others.  May peace be with the brave firefighters, all their families and the others. 

Respectfully yours, 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Friday, August 8, 2003

 I wish it were!

Something that have wings

To save him

I love butterfly

Deep in my heart

I sent the butterfly

To catch him

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, September 15,2002

Order from the Top 

Sharp bayonet piercing on my back

As I am dying

Why do you kill me?

I don’t know you!

And you didn’t know me!

Oh! I forget

It’s an order from the top

If you didn’t kill me

I probably will kill you

Because I got order from the top also

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts Sunday, 8.28.2011, 6:27 PM

Mother liberty holds the twin towers

Close to her heart

Protecting World Trade Center

With her believe 

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Mother Liberty, do we still breathe free in this land of liberty?

Breathe free with fear for this event has come

Don’t shed your tears for this human race

The lesson learns might make us grow

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 10:55 PM

What is the same and different between these two men?

One, they are both human beings

Two, they are both dead

Three, they are well known

Four, they both had a goal to be achieved

Five, one is nonviolent and other is violent

Six, one is spinning cotton on a wheel and other has a weapon

Seven, one is productive and other is destructive

Which do we prefer after we analyzing the lives of these two men?

History will record these two men’s actions when they were alive

I hope we can learn from these two people without vengeance and hatred

Let us teach our younger generations all over the world

To understand that we are all the same

If we harm others then we will harm ourselves in the end

 

Do not brainwash the youngsters!!!!!!!!!!! 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Monday, 9.13.2011, 1 PM

Flowers from my little garden

Floating in the air

Let each beautiful one

Touching each soul

Seeing beautiful things

Rising to the sky

Just wait for a little while

I will be with you all

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Monday, 9.13.2011, 1:20 PM

World Trade Center Remembered

 

World Trade Center falls

Becoming colorful Twin Towers

Teaching us

They are here

And they are gone 

Thinking how good

When they are standing there

As we take things for granted

Even with the love ones 

Or the cleaning workers

Or the others that faithfully

Do their jobs for everyone

World Trade Center

 Becomes colorful

In our mind

 I didn’t do anything

Why you hate me this much?

What did I do wrong?

Or did my fellow countrymen

Cause the trouble to the others

That I do not aware of?

 

These questions and thought

Become active

In my brain neurons

Start charging for reasons 

Thanks to the Twin Towers

You make us think

I miss you

 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts Saturday, August 27, 2011, 3:40 PM

For more information, please visit the following link:

 https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/

 

World Trade Center Under the Same Moon

 World Trade Center Under the Same Moon

 

The moon rises over the night sky

 

We sit and hold hand tight

Looking at the moon gets brighter

And the sky turns dark

By the Hudson River

 

Once we stood here

Watching the moon

Over the World Trade Center

Our hand firmly together

 

The same moon

But now the new one rise

Under the same sky

And the shiny moon

 

Let us hope

Peace will come to mankind

 

No fighting, no killing

 

Let build new World Trade Center

Under the same moon

 

As our hands tightly grip

Bond us with each other

And bond us all

 

Let Peace stand strong

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Wednesday, July 04, 2012, 1:55 A.M.

For more information, please visit the following link:

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/world-trade-center-under-the-same-moon/

One World Trade Center 9.8.13 Part1

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

One World Trade Center 

Piecing through clouds

Up high in the sky

Tall and slender

With beauty and grace

 

People all over the world

Admiring they come

 One World Trade center

That is your name 

 

Trade without greed

Trade with fairness

Trade with love

Trade with integrity

That is what the new

World Trade Center should be

 Warm people hearts

With generosity and kindness

With these qualities

No one will want to take you down

 

Forget the past

Start the new

Let us all come together

With prosperity and peace for all  

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Tuesday, September 11, 2013, 10:33 pm

Link to One World Trade Center 9.8.13 Part 1 page

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-9-8-13-part1/

 

One World Trade Center Part 2

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

 Link to One World Trade Center Part 2 Page:

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-part-2/

 

One World Trade Center Part 3

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

Link to One World Trade Center Part 3 Page:

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-part-3/

One World Trade Center Part 4

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

Link to One World Trade Center Part 4 page: 

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-part-4/

 

One World Trade Center Part 5

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

Link to One World Trade Center Part 5  

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-part-5/

 

One World Trade Center Part 6

New York City, New York 

On Sunday, September 8th, 2013 

Link to One World Trade Center Part 6 Page:

https://ingpeaceproject.com/remembering-911/one-world-trade-center-part-6/

Photographs and artworks by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Go to the top

Welcome to The World Bodhi

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and Mali DeSantis

Artwork by John Watts

🙂 🙂 🙂Happy Birthday Bodhi 🙂 🙂 🙂

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

🙂 🙂 🙂Happy Birthday Bodhi 🙂 🙂 🙂

Bodhi’s First Day on Earth, Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

New born, Baby Bodhi, Big Brother Kai, Mommy Mali and Daddy Jim (James DeSantis), Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Big brother, Kai holds Baby Bodhi for the first time on Tuesday, March 10, 2020

New born, Baby Bodhi, Big Brother Kai, Mommy Mali, Grandma Ing from Thailand, Grandma Maria DeSantis from Italy, and Grandpa Jim DeSantis, descendant of Italian and Polish, on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Bodhi and Grandma Maria DeSantis

Bodhi and Grandpa Jim DeSantis

Grandma Maria is taking photos of Bodhi.

Grandpa John, from Wales, UK, could not come to the hospital for the birth of Bodhi, Mommy Mali called him on his iPad at home.  He was so glad to see the new born, Bodhi, on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

New born, Baby Bodhi was born with a full head of spiky red hair.

Big brother, Kai is gently touching Baby Bodhi head and fingers and, in his mind, saying “I will take care of you my little brother.”.

Daddy holds Baby Bodhi’s hand with all his love and care.  Mommy is so happy to see that finally Baby Bodhi is here, joining with all the family and grownups to be healthy and strong like Big brother Kai.

You talking to me Brother Kai?

Brother Kai!  See!  My tongue is coming out just like yours.

Yes Mommy, I am sorry.

Daddy is carrying me carefully and gently to Mommy for my second drink of Mommy’s milk.

                             🙂  Thank you, Mommy, I am very hungry 🙂

Big Brother, Kai is very Happy to have his Baby Brother, Bodhi on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

I went out to our small garden to take photographs of our little group of daffodils that have some flowers blooming.  I realized that today is the first day of spring.  I would like to welcome the plants that are starting to show their beautiful flowers from the long sleep during the winter cold. 

As I was looking at photographs of our second new born grandson, baby Bodhi, I thought that this is a great time for me to celebrate and share our new born grandson Bodhi with the world.  This healthy human came to the world giving us happiness and joy, despite the circumstances of the world. 

We will overcome the plight of the coronavirus (COVID-19).  Scientists will find some medication to cure the disease.  This moment makes all people realize that we are part of one humanity.  If one country is in trouble, the whole world will feel the consequence.  It is only a matter of time for the ripple effect to reach the whole world. 

Although trouble comes to us, love still prevails. Our little baby grandson, Bodhi heals our suffering.  He gives us happiness, and joy, for the spring that is arriving, with flowers blooming.  Freshness and beauty will be with us all again.

🙂 Have a Happy Spring Everyone 🙂

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Friday, March 19, 2020

Go to the top

Mumbles Visitors, Swansea Bay, Wales, UK, June 9, 2019

Mumbles Visitors, Swansea Bay, Wales, UK, June 9, 2019

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

John was waiting for me to come down from Oystermouth Castle hill.

Oystermouth Castle (Welsh: Castell Ystum Llwynarth) is a Norman stone castle in Wales, overlooking Swansea Bay on the east side of the Gower Peninsula near the village of the Mumbles.

I looked down seeing Mumbles village.

We walked along the shops of Mumbles center toward the promenade by Swansea Bay.

Beautiful baskets of mixed flowers are hung in front of some shops and bars.

Father and son were enjoying ice-cream together by the view of Swansea bay.

Swansea bay at the time of a receding tide.

People enjoyed walking along the promenade of Swansea bay.

Over all the mountaintops is peace.

In all treetops you perceive scarcely a breath.

The little birds in the forest are silent.

Wait then; soon you, too, will have peace.

By JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE (1749 – 1832)

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

Leave home In the sunshine: Dance through a meadow – Or sit by a stream and just be. The lilt of the water Will gather your worries And carry them down to the sea.

By J. DONALD WALTERS 

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

THE PEACE OF BEING AT ONE WITH NATURE

The morning sun, the new sweet earth and the great silence

By TC. MCLUHAN 

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

Once you have heard meadowlark                                                                                                                       and caught the scent of fresh-plowed earth,                                                                                                                            you cannot escape peace.

By SEQUICHI

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

I lay in a meadow until the unwrinkled serenity

entered into my bones, and made me into one                                          with the browsing kine, the still greenery,                  the drifting clouds, and the swooping birds. 

By ALICE JAMES 91848 – 1892)

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

DRAW AWAY

I can’t bear a journey to the village –

I’m too contented here. I call my son to close the wooden gate. Thick wine drunk in quiet woods, green moss, Jade gray water under April winds –

and beyond the simmering dusk of the wild.

By TU FU

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

Do not let trifles disturb your tranquility of mind.

Life is too precious to be sacrificed for the nonessential and transient.

By GRENVILLE KLEISER

From A SPECIAL GIFT OF PEACE & CALM BY A HELEN EXLEY GIFTBOOK, Published in 2001

Go to the top

Oystermouth Castle, Swansea, Wales, UK, June 9, 2019

Oystermouth Castle, Swansea, Wales, UK, June 9, 2019

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

This is the Gower Peninsula’s finest castle, standing on a small hill with a magnificent view over Swansea Bay in the resort town of Mumbles. It is well-preserved, intricate and exciting to explore. Oystermouth Castle was founded by William de Londres of Ogmore Castle

We enjoyed walking in the woods in back of the Castle, near the chapel window.

 Sun shines on leaves 

Touching little pink flowers

On the ground a patch of light yellow-green grass

A bush of dark green plants near by

On the surface of the castle wall

Creates a harmony of textures

And shades of green

A moment of utopia on earth

I was so happy to be surrounded by nature. We need to protect the forests and create more green places for all of us to enjoy.

Peace with Nature, where all life originates.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Monday, June 17, 2019

Here there are beautiful tall trees.

 There is a woods in back of the castle.

Sun shines through the space between the leaves that cover the tree branches, casting a beautiful shadow on the tree trunk.

Adults and children have a good time walking through the woods.

I love the roots of the tree, growing out and wrapping around the trunk of the tree.

John walked out of the woods, unexpextedly viewing a large open space of neatly cut grass.

With a special lens I viewed the beautiful pink flowers inside the castle.

Oystermouth Castle (Welsh: Castell Ystum Llwynarth) is a Norman stone castle in Wales, overlooking Swansea Bay on the east side of the Gower Peninsula near the village of the Mumbles.

Oystermouth Castle, showing the gatehouse and the chapel window

 The chapel (on the second floor of the chapel block) has 14th century traceried windows. According to local tradition the chapel was built under the direction of Aline de Mowbray.

People enjoyed playing football on the grass. I enjoyed viewing the shadow of the castle cast upon the grass.

Go to the top

Oystermouth Castle, Mumbles Village, Swansea Bay, Wales, UK, 6.9.2019

Oystermouth Castle, Mumbles Village, Swansea Bay, Wales, UK, June 9, 2019

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Oystermouth Castle (Welsh: Castell Ystum Llwynarth) is a Norman stone castle in Wales, overlooking Swansea Bay on the east side of the Gower Peninsula near the village of the Mumbles.

The early castle The first castle was founded by William de Londres of Ogmore Castle soon after 1106 following the capture of Gower by the Normans. In 1116 the Welsh of Deheubarth retook the Gower Peninsula and forced William to flee his castle which was put to the torch. The castle was rebuilt soon afterwards, but was probably destroyed again in 1137 when Gower was once more retaken by the princes of Deheubarth. The Londres or London family finally died out in 1215 when Gower was again taken by the Welsh under the leadership of Llywelyn the Great. In 1220 the Welsh were expelled from the peninsula and the government of Henry III of England returned the barony of Gower to John de Braose who rebuilt both Swansea Castle and Oystermouth.

In the 13th century the Braose family were Lords of Gower and held the castle as part of their extensive land holdings and titles, including other castles on Gower and in the Welsh Marches. The de Braose dynasty could afford to rebuild Oystermouth castle in stone. A high curtain wall was built, internal buildings added, a chapel, basements,three storey residential buildings with fireplaces and garderobes on each floor. The castle had every residential feature necessary for living in some comfort and was also refortified cleverly. Towards the end of the century Oystermouth rather than Swansea Castle became their principal residence. Edward I paid a brief visit here in December 1284.

By 1331 the Lords of Gower were living elsewhere and the castle declined in importance in the 14th century.

The daughter of the last de Breos Lord, Aline de Breos, who improved the chapel making it one of the finest in any castle in south Wales, later married John de Mowbray, and the Lordship of Gower including the castle at Oystermouth passed to the de Mowbrays through this marriage, and then to the Herbert family, and finally the Somersets, who became successive Marquis of Worcester and finally Dukes of Beaufort.

Decline and decay After the Middle Ages, the castle gradually fell into ruin. A survey of Gower made in 1650 describes Oystermouth Castle as [a]n old decayed castle of no use, but of a very pleasant situation. It was portrayed in art in the 18th century as a picturesque ruin, and was restored by George Grant Francis in the 1840s while the castle was owned by the then Duke of Beaufort. In 1927 the Duke of Beaufort gave the castle to Swansea Corporation; today, the castle is maintained under the responsibility of the City and County of Swansea council.

2000s restoration In 2009 the National Assembly for Wales announced it was investing £19 million in the country’s heritage sites in an attempt to boost tourism.[1] As part of the programme Oystermouth Castle closed in 2010 while it underwent a £1 m refurbishment; it reopened to the public in July the following year.[2] Following the first phase of conservation works Oystermouth Castle reopened to the public in mid July 2011. The scheme includes new visitor facilities, an educational space, improvements to access and a 30-foot high glass viewing platform and bridge that leads to Alina’s Chapel.

Notable features of the castle On either side of the entrance gate the walls curve inward, showing that at one time there were supposed to be two round towers built into the gatehouse. It is unknown whether these were ever built.

The chapel (on the second floor of the chapel block) has 14th century traceried windows. According to local tradition the chapel was built under the direction of Aline de Mowbray.

Remnants of an ornate medieval painting dating back to the 14th century have recently been found in the chapel. The surviving painting is thought to be over 700 years old and was spotted during conservation work in the historic attraction’s chapel area. Exposure to the elements has taken its toll on the painting over time but expert Cadw analysis suggests it’s a double-arched canopy that contains the figures of angels. Some of the clear elements of the painting that remain include a wing with multiple feathers and circular shapes that form a head with yellow hair surrounded by a nimbus. It’s thought the painting is both highly important and testimony to the original design of the chapel attributed to Alina de Breos in the early 14th century that once formed part of a larger work of art.

This is the Gower Peninsula’s finest castle, standing on a small hill with a magnificent view over Swansea Bay in the resort town of Mumbles. It is well-preserved, intricate and exciting to explore. Oystermouth Castle was founded by William de Londres of Ogmore Castle

Ogmore Castle early in the 12th century. Of this first castle, which was probably a ringwork and bailey on the highest part of the hill, there is now no trace. The castle later came to be the chief residence of the lords of Gower, and its history became intimately connected with that of Swansea Castle.

The earliest stone building of the castle, the keep, dates from the 12th century. This is the building straight ahead of the entrance. It has been much altered and incorporated into a later block, of which it now forms the southern half. Originally it was a free-standing, rectangular building, entered through an arched doorway, now blocked to the right of the present entrance porch. The great hall would have been on the first floor. Twice the Welsh burnt this early castle, first in 1116 and later in 1215.

In the 13th century the de Braoses were lords of Gower and held the castle, and towards the end of the century Oystermouth rather than Swansea became their principal residence. Edward I paid a brief visit here in December 1284. The de Braoses rebuilt the castle in stone, and most of what remains today is from that period. On the east and west sides is a high and impressive curtain wall with a wall-walk along the top. At its north-east end this leads to a garderobe and then rises to a small tower from which the panoramic view is magnificent. This is a good place from which to appreciate the lovely south window of the chapel. On its north side the castle is enclosed by the outside walls of several residential blocks.

The castle entrance on the south side is an arched passage flanked by what were originally two half-round towers. These have had their fronts hacked off, and the remainder patched and tidied up. Inside the castle the southern part is an open courtyard, with remains of two long, rectangular buildings against the curtain walls on either side of the entrance. The rest of the castle buildings fill the northern end. Behind the keep is a rectangular room with small windows and a fireplace in the south wall. Above this was the lord’s private apartment, or solar, and below is a basement.

A narrow passage leads through the top floor of the north-west block, thought to be the earliest stone addition to the castle after the keep. It is a high, three storey block with a barrel-vaulted basement, and similar middle floor, now held up by a modern pillar. In the south-east corner there is a fascinating narrow passage, dimly lit by narrow slits, which leads back to the keep. It skirts round a spiral staircase which can be glimpsed through its slits. To the west of the keep is a small guardroom. The north end of the west range is a three-storey residential building with fireplaces and garderobes on each floor. To the south is a range with steps leading down to two barrel-vaulted basements and steps up to a large, once well-lit room, with the remains of a large fireplace in its west wall. Apparently the de Braoses lived in some comfort here.

There remains the chapel block on the east side, architecturally the high point of the castle. It was added in the early 14th century, and is usually attributed to Lady Alenora de Mowbray, wife of lord John Mowbray who held the castle then. It blends in well with the rest of the castle, but its detail suggest a much greater level of refinement. On the ground floor are a large fireplace, narrow trefoil-headed splayed windows and a garderobe in the south-east corner. Above is a similar floor. But on the top floor was a large chapel, the great glory of which is its east window. This and the other chapel windows, retain their fine tracery, the finest of the period of any window in south-east Wales.

The chapel use was short-lived, for by 1331 the lords of Gower lived elsewhere. A gradual decline set in, and by the 16th century the castle was ruined. It still has the power to stir the imagination.

Welsh’ s Flag with red dragon as a symbol

Mumbles’ Village

I stood on the hill of Oystermouth Castle and looked down to Swansea Bay, the pier extending onto the beach, where the light house stands tall by the edge of the bay.

We enjoyed viewing outside of the Castle with beautiful yellow flowers in full bloom near the stone structure of the Castle creating a romantic atmosphere.

Two bouquets of pink flowers growing out of the wall as if it is an invitation saying “Hello” to the visitors who come to enjoy the Castle. Plants and trees beautify the place and surroundings creating oxygen for us to breath at the same time taking in carbon dioxide giving a healthy environment.

Sunlight shines on the leaves, giving different shades of green and light yellow as if the artist painted them on a canvas.

This is a glimpse of beauty that nature creates, if we take notice, cultivate, and enjoy it in our beautiful world.

Go to the top

Dylan Thomas ‘Poems, Seagulls, Swansea Centre, and the Shoppers, Wales, UK, on, May 25, 2019

Dylan Thomas ‘Poems, Seagulls, Swansea Center, and the Shoppers, Wales, UK, on, May 25, 2019

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Oh, Seagulls!

You are free

Flying above people

Landing on the roofs and on the ground

Walking among people

As if you are the shoppers

Picking throw away food

For your delicious meals

Swansea is your home

No place like Home

Poem written by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Saturday, June 8, 2019, 12:30 a.m.

While I was walking among the Welsh, I thought about Dylan Thomas. He is one of my favorite artists. I wish that he would have lived longer than thirty-nine years. He passed away on November 9, 1953, shortly after his thirty-ninth birthday.

Dylan Thomas was one of the great Poet and writer in his time, 1914-1953 and at the present time. He was born in Swansea on October 27, 1914. He was a son of the senior English master at the grammar School in Swansea.

He worked briefly at the South Wales Evening Post before embarking on a literary career in London. He wrote eighteen poems in 1934, twenty-five poems in 1936.

He wrote, The Map of London in 1939, Deaths and Entrances in 1946, and, In Country Sleep, in 1952.

Dylan Thomas’ collected poems 1934-1952 was published in 1952.

Throughout his life he also wrote short stories, the most famous collection being the autobiographical stories comprising, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, in 1940.

During the 1940s and early 1950s he also wrote film scripts, and features and talks for radio.

Between 1950 and 1953 he went on four lecturing visits to America, and it was on the last of these trips that he completed his radio play for voices, Under Milk Wood.

On November 9, 1953, shortly after his thirty-ninth birthday, he collapsed and died in New York City. He is buried in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, which had become his main home since 1949.

On March 1, 1982 a memorial stone to commemorate Dylan Thomas was unveiled in ‘Poets’ Corner’ in Westminster Abbey.

The above information was taken from, “The Collected Stories Dylan Thomas”, edited by Walford Davies, introduced by Leslie Norris.

Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs

About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,

The night above the dingle starry,

Time let me hail and climb

Golden in the heydays of his eyes,

And honoured among wagons

I was prince of the apple towns

And once below a time

I lordly had the trees and leaves

Trail with daisies and barley

Down the rivers of the windfall light.

And as I was green and carefree,

famous among the barns

About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,

In the sun that is young once only,

Time let me play and be

Golden in the mercy of his means,

And green and golden

I was huntsman and herdsman,

the calves Sang to my horn,

the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,

And the sabbath rang slowly

In the pebbles of the holy streams.

All the sun long it was running,

it was lovely,

the hay Fields high as the house,

the tunes from the chimneys, it was air

And playing, lovely and watery

And fire green as grass.

And nightly under the simple stars

As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,

All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars

Flying with the ricks, and the horses

Flashing into the dark.

And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white

With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all

Shining, it was Adam and maiden,

The sky gathered again

And the sun grew round that very day.

So it must have been after the birth of the simple light In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm

Out of the whinnying green stable

On to the fields of praise.

And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house

Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,

In the sun born over and over,

I ran my heedless ways,

My wishes raced through the house high hay

And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows

In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs

Before the children green and golden

Follow him out of grace,

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me

Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,

In the moon that is always rising,

Nor that riding to sleep

I should hear him fly with the high fields

And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.

Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,

Time held me green and dying

Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

From Read Me 2: A Poem For Every Day of The Year

The Song of the Mischievous Dog by Dylan Thomas

There are many who say that a dog has its day,

There are others who think that a lobster is pink,

And that bees never work in their hives.

There are fewer, of course, who insist that a horse

Has a horn and two humps on its head,

And a fellow who jests that a mare can build nests Is as rare as a donkey that’s red.

Yet in spite of all this, I have moments of bliss,

For I cherish a passion for bones,

And though doubtful of biscuit,

I’m willing to risk it,

And I love to chase rabbits and stones.

But my greatest delight is to take a good bite

At a calf that is plump and delicious;

And if I indulge in a bite at a bulge,

Let’s hope you won’t think me too vicious.

From Read Me: A Poem A Day

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

30 Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears,

I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

From A Poem For Every Night of The Year

From ‘Under Milk Wood’ by Dylan Thomas

Every morning when I wake,

Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,

O please do keep Thy lovely eye

On all poor creatures born to die

And every evening at sun-down

I ask a blessing on the town,

For whether we last the night or no

I’m sure is always touch-and-go.

We are not wholly bad or good

Who live our lives under Milk Wood,

And Thou, I know, wilt be the first

To see our best side, not our worst.

O let us see another day!

Bless us all this night, I pray,

 And to the sun we all will bow

And say, good-bye – but just for now!

From A Poem For Every Day Of The Year

And Death Shall Have No Dominion by Dylan Thomas

And death shall have no dominion.

Dead man naked they shall be one

With the man in the wind and the west moon;

When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,

They shall have stars at elbow and foot;

Though they go mad they shall be sane,

Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;

Though lovers be lost love shall not;

And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.

Under the windings of the sea

They lying long shall not die windily;

Twisting on racks when sinews give way,

Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;

Faith in their hands shall snap in two,

And the unicorn evils run them through;

Split all ends up they shan’t crack;

And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.

No more may gulls cry at their ears

Or waves break loud on the seashores;

Where blew a flower may a flower no more

Lift its head to the blows of the rain;

Though they be mad and dead as nails,

Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;

Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,

And death shall have no dominion.

From A Poem For Every Day Of The Year

From love’s first fever by Dylan Thomas

From love’s first fever to her plague, from the soft second

And to the hollow minute of the womb,

From the unfolding to the scissored caul,

The time for breast and the green apron age

When no mouth stirred about the hanging famine,

All world was one, one windy nothing,

My world was christened in a stream of milk.

And earth and sky were as one airy hill.

The sun and mood shed one white light.

From the first print of the unshodden foot, the lifting

Hand, the breaking of the hair,

From the first scent of the heart, the warning ghost, And to the first dumb wonder at the flesh,

The sun was red, the moon was grey, The earth and sky were as two mountains meeting.

The body prospered, teeth in the marrowed gums,

The growing bones, the rumour of the manseed

Within the hallowed gland, blood blessed the heart,

And the four winds, that had long blown as one,

Shone in my ears the light of sound,

Called in my eyes the sound of light.

And yellow was the multiplying sand,

Each golden grain spat life into its fellow,

Green was the singing house.

The plum my mother picked matured slowly,

The boy she dropped from darkness at her side Into the sided lap of light grew strong,

Was muscled, matted, wise to the crying thigh,

And to the voice that, like a voice of hunger,

Itched in the noise of wind and sun.

And from the first declension of the flesh

I learnt man’s tongue, to twist the shapes of thoughts

Into the stony idiom of the brain,

To shade and knit anew the patch of words

Left by the dead who, in their moonless acre,

Need no word’s warmth.

The root of tongues ends in a spentout cancer,

That but a name, where maggots have their X.

I learnt the verbs of will, and had my secret;

The code of night tapped on my tongue;

What had been one was many sounding minded.

One wound, one mind, spewed out the matter,

One breast gave suck the fever’s issue;

From the divorcing sky I learnt the double,

The two-framed globe that spun into a score;

A million minds gave suck to such a bud As forks my eye;

Youth did condense; the tears of spring

Dissolved in summer and the hundred seasons;

One sun, one manna, warmed and fed.

Poem by Dylan Thomas

Go to the top

Trip To Swansea In My Husband’s Motherland, Wales – Part 3

Photograph by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

 Swansea Market,Shopping Center and Bus Station, Swansea, Wales, UK

 

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“History of Swansea: Industrial Revolution
From the late 17th century to 1801, Swansea’s population grew by 500%—the first official census (in 1841) indicated that, with 6,099 inhabitants, Swansea had become significantly larger than Glamorgan’s county town, Cardiff, and was the second most populous town in Wales behind Merthyr Tydfil (which had a population of 7,705). However, the census understated Swansea’s true size, as much of the built-up area lay outside the contemporary boundaries of the borough; the total population was actually 10,117. Swansea’s population was later overtaken by Merthyr in 1821 and by Cardiff in 1881, although in the latter year Swansea once again surpassed Merthyr.[14] Much of Swansea’s growth was due to migration from within and beyond Wales—in 1881, more than a third of the borough’s population had been born outside Swansea and Glamorgan, and just under a quarter outside Wales.[16]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“History of Swansea: Industrial Revolution
20th century
Through the 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving the Lower Swansea Valley filled with derelict works and mounds of waste products from them. The Lower Swansea Valley Scheme (which still continues) reclaimed much of the land. The present Enterprise Zone was the result and, of the many original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks; North Dock is now Parc Tawe and South Dock became the Marina.”

 

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea:Governance, The Guildhall
Local government
Main article: City and County of Swansea councilIn 1887, Swansea was a township at the mouth of the river Tawe, covering 4,562 acres (1,846 ha) in the county of Glamorgan.[22] There were three major extensions to the boundaries of the borough, first in 1835, when Morriston, St Thomas, Landore, St John-juxta-Swansea, and part of Llansamlet parish were added, and again in 1889 when areas around Cwmbwrlaand Trewyddfa were included, and in 1918 when the borough was enlarged to include the whole of the ancient parish of Swansea, the southern part of Llangyfelach parish, all of Llansamlet parish, Oystermouth Urban District and Brynau parish.[23][24]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“In 1889, Swansea attained county borough status,[25] and it was granted city status in 1969, which was inherited by the Swansea district when it was formed by the merger of the borough and Gower Rural District in 1974.[26] In 1996, Swansea became one of 22 unitary authorities with the addition of part of the former Lliw Valley Borough. The new authority received the name ‘City and County of Swansea’ (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Abertawe).[27]
Swansea was once a staunch stronghold of the Labour Party which, until 2004, had overall control of the council for 24 years.[28] The Liberal Democrats were the largest group in the administration that took control of Swansea Council in the 2004 local elections until the 2012 council elections saw the council return to Labour control. For 2009/2010, the Lord Mayor of Swansea was Councillor Alan Lloyd, and in 2010/2011 Richard Lewis was the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor changes in May each year.”

“History of Swansea: Industrial Revolution
High Street in 1915
In the Second World War, its industrial importance made Swansea the target of German bombing, and much of the town centre was destroyed during the Swansea Blitz on the 19, 20 and 21 February 1941 (the ‘Three Nights Blitz'[17]).
In 1969, Swansea was granted city status,[18] to mark Prince Charles’s investiture as the Prince of Wales. The announcement was made by the prince on 3 July 1969, during a tour of Wales.[19] It obtained the further right to have a lord mayor in 1982.[20]
Within the city centre are the ruins of the castle, the Marina, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the Environment Centre, and the Market, which is the largest covered market in Wales.[21] It backs onto the Quadrant Shopping Centre which opened in 1978 and the adjoining St David’s Centre opened in 1982. Other notable modern buildings are the BT Tower (formerly the GPO tower) built around 1970, Alexandra House opened in 1976, County Hall opened in July 1982. Swansea Leisure Centre opened in 1977; it has undergone extensive refurbishment which retained elements of the original structure and re-opened in March 2008.”

 

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea (/?sw?nzi/ SWON-zee; Welsh: Abertawe [ab?r?taw?]), officially known as the City and County of Swansea(Dinas a Sir Abertawe), is a coastal city and county in Wales. It is the second largest city in Wales after Cardiff, and the twenty-fifth largest city in the United Kingdom.[1] Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of G?yr.[2] Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands. According to its local council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. The last official census stated that the city, metropolitan and urban areas combined concluded to be a total of 462,000 in 2011,[3] making it the second most populous local authority area in Wales after Cardiff. During its 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was a key centre of the copper industry,[4] earning the nickname ‘Copperopolis’.[5”

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“History of Swansea: Archaeological finds are mostly confined to the Gower Peninsula, and include items from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Romans reached the area, as did the Norsemen.
Swansea is thought to have developed as a Viking trading post. Its Englishname may be derived from Sveinn’s island (Old Norse: Sveinsey) – the reference to an island may refer to a bank at the mouth of the river Tawe, or an area of raised ground in marshes.[6] An alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Norse name ‘Sweyn’ and ‘ey’, which can mean inlet.[7] This explanation supports the tradition that the city was founded by the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard.[8][9] The name is pronounced Swans-y /?sw?nzi/), not Swan-sea.[10]”

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“History of Swansea: Abertawe, its Welsh name, meaning Mouth of the Tawe,[11] first appears as Aper Tyui c. 1150 [see Place-Names in Glamorgan, Gwynedd O. Pierce, p 182.]
The earliest known form of the modern name is Sweynesse, which was used in the first charter granted sometime between 1158 and 1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick. The charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, called burgesses certain rights to develop the area. A second charter was granted in 1215 by King John. In this charter, the name appears as Sweyneshe. The town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town as Sweyse.[12][13]
Following the Norman Conquest, a marcher lordship was created under the title of Gower. It included land around Swansea Bay as far as the River Tawe, the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe, and the peninsula itself. Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received a borough charter some time between 1158 and 1184 (and a more elaborate one in 1304).[14]”

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017
Photograph by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

“History of Swansea: Industrial Revolution
The port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal.[14] At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the combination of port, local coal, and trading links with the West Country, Cornwall and Devon, meant that Swansea was the logical place to site copper smelting works. Smelters were operating by 1720 and proliferated. Following this, more coal mines(everywhere from north-east Gower to Clyne and Llangyfelach) were opened and smelters (mostly along the Tawe valley) were opened and flourished. Over the next century and a half, works were established to process arsenic, zinc and tin and to create tinplate and pottery. The city expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was termed “Copperopolis”.[14]
The Swansea smelters became so adept at recovering gold and silver from complex ores that in the 1800s they received ore concentrates from the United States, for example from Arizona in the 1850s, and Colorado in the 1860s.[15]”

 

Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Culture
Brangwyn Hall main entrance, The Royal Institution of South Wales was founded in 1835 as the Swansea Literary and Philosophical Society.
Performing arts[edit]
The Grand Theatre in the centre of the city is a Victorian theatre which celebrated its centenary in 1997 and which has a capacity of a little over a thousand people. It was opened by the celebrated opera singer Adelina Patti and was refurbished from 1983 to 1987. The annual programme ranges from pantomime and drama to opera and ballet. Fluellen Theatre Company is a professional theatre company based in Swansea who perform at the Grand Theatre and the Dylan Thomas Centre. The Taliesin building on the university campus has a theatre, opened in 1984. Other theatres include the Dylan Thomas Theatre (formerly the Little Theatre) near the marina, and one in Penyrheol Leisure Centre near Gorseinon. In the summer, outdoor Shakespeare performances are a regular feature at Oystermouth Castle, and Singleton Park is the venue for a number of parties and concerts, from dance music to outdoor Proms. A folk festival is held on Gower.[48] Standing near Victoria Park on the coast road is the Patti Pavilion; this was the Winter Garden from Adelina Patti’s Craig-y-Nos estate in the upper Swansea valley, which she donated to the town in 1918. It is used as a venue for music shows and fairs. The Brangwyn Hall is a multi-use venue with events such as the graduation ceremonies for Swansea University. Every autumn, Swansea hosts a Festival of Music and the Arts, when international orchestras and soloists visit the Brangwyn Hall. The Brangwyn Hall is praised for its acoustics for recitals, orchestral pieces and chamber music alike.[49]

Red fountain water during the celebration of St David’s Day in Swansea
Swansea is also home to the Palace Theatre. Located at 156 High Street, it is recognisable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building’s original name was the ‘Pavilion’. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a nightclub.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Festivals[edit]
Swansea hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1863, 1891, 1907, 1926, 1964, 1982 and 2006. The 2006 event occupied the site of the former Felindre tinplate works to the north of the city and featured a strikingly pink main tent. In 2009 Swansea Council launched Wales’s only week long St David’s Week festival in venues throughout the city. The Beginning and Do Not Go Gentle are Festivals in the Uplands area of the city where Dylan Thomas was born and lived for 23 years.”

 

Artist who produced artwork in his shop
“Cats Leave Pawprints on your heart”
Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Welsh language: There are many Welsh language chapels and churches in the area. Welsh-medium education is a popular and growing choice for both English and Welsh-speaking parents. 45% of the rural council ward Mawr are able to speak Welsh, as can 38% of the ward of Pontarddulais. Clydach, Kingsbridge and Upper Loughor all have levels of more than 20%. By contrast, the urban St. Thomas has one of the lowest figures in Wales, at 6.4%, a figure only barely lower than Penderry and Townhill wards.[50]””
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Artist who produced artwork in his shop
“Cats Leave Pawprints on your heart”
Swansea Market, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Food
Local produce includes cockles and laverbread which are sourced from the Loughor estuary. Local Gower salt marsh lamb is produced from sheep which are raised in the salt marshes of the Loughor estuary.[51]”

For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Shopping Center, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: The geology of the Gower Peninsula ranges from Carboniferous Limestone cliffs along its southern edge from Mumbles to Worm’s Head and the salt-marshes and dune systems of the Loughor estuary to the north. The eastern, southern and western coasts of the peninsula are lined with numerous sandy beaches both wide and small, separated by steep cliffs. The South Wales Coalfield reaches the coast in the Swansea area. This had a great bearing on the development of the city of Swansea and other nearby towns such as Morriston. The inland area is covered by large swathes of grassland common overlooked by sandstone heath ridges including the prominent Cefn Bryn. The traditional agricultural landscape consists in a patchwork of fields characterised by walls, stone-faced banks and hedgerows. Valleys cut through the peninsula and contain rich deciduous woodland.[35]
Much of the local authority’s area is hilly with the main area of upland being located in the council ward of Mawr. Areas of high land up to 185 metres (607 ft) range across the central section and form the hills of Kilvey, Townhill and Llwynmawr, separating the centre of Swansea from its northern suburbs. Cefn Bryn, a ridge of high land, forms the backbone of the Gower Peninsula. Rhossili Down, Hardings Down and Llanmadoc Hill form land features up to 193 metres (633 ft) high. The highest point is located at Penlle’r Castell at 374 metres (1,227 ft) on the northern border with Carmarthenshire.[34]”

For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Shopping Center, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Mumbles Pier, situated around four miles outside the city centre.
About three quarters of Swansea is bordered by the sea—the Loughor Estuary, Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel. The two largest rivers in the region are the Tawe which passes the city centre and the Loughor which flows on the northern border with Carmarthenshire.[34]
In the local authority area, the geology is complex, providing diverse scenery. The Gower Peninsula was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Excluding the urbanised area in the south-eastern corner, the whole of the Gower Peninsula is part of an AONB.[35] Swansea has numerous urban and country parklands.[36] The region has featured regularly in the Wales in Bloom awards.[37]”

 

 Swansea Shopping Center, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Three Cliffs Bay
Swansea can be roughly divided into four physical areas. To the north are the Lliw uplands which are mainly open moorland, reaching the foothills of the Black Mountain. To the west is the Gower Peninsula with its rural landscape dotted with small villages. To the east is the coastal strip around Swansea Bay. Cutting though the middle from the south-east to the north-west is the urban and suburban zone stretching from the Swansea city centre to the towns of Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.[34]
The most populated areas of Swansea are Morriston, Sketty and the city centre. The chief urbanised area radiates from the city centre towards the north, south and west; along the coast of Swansea Bay to Mumbles; up the Swansea Valley past Landoreand Morriston to Clydach; over Townhill to Cwmbwrla, Penlan, Treboeth and Fforestfach; through Uplands, Sketty, Killay to Dunvant; and east of the river from St. Thomas to Bonymaen, Llansamlet and Birchgrove. A second urbanised area is focused on a triangle defined by Gowerton, Gorseinon and Loughor along with the satellite communities of Penllergaer and Pontarddulais.[34]””

For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

Swansea Market, Oxford Street, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Religion
The city is home to 10% of the total Welsh Muslim population;[68] Swansea’s Muslim community is raising money to open a new central mosque and community centre in the former St. Andrew’s United Reformed Church. This would replace the existing central Mosque on St Helens Road and be in addition to the other three existing mosques (Swansea University Mosque, Hafod Mosque, Imam Khoei Mosque).[69]
Swansea is represented in Buddhism with the Dharmavajra Kadampa Buddhist Centre, Pulpung Changchub Dargyeling (Kagyu Tradition) and a branch of the international Dzogchen Community (Nyingma Tradition). Swansea Synagogue and Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall are both located in the Uplands area.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Market, Oxford Street, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017
“Swansea: Notable people
See also Category:People from Swansea and List of people from Swansea.
People from Swansea are known locally as Swansea Jacks, or just Jacks. The source of this nickname is not clear. Some attribute it to Swansea Jack, the life-saving dog.[57][58]
Throughout the 19th century, the Vivian family did much to develop Swansea into a city. Their wealth and influence came from large copper mining, smelting and trading businesses in Swansea (Vivian & Sons), and is still visible today in their former family residences: Singleton Abbey (now used by Swansea University), Sketty Hall, Clyne Castle and Clyne Gardens. Henry Vivianbecame the first Lord Swansea in 1893.
Swansea’s most famous daughter is Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones who still owns a home in Mumbles. Swansea is also the home town of 2013 ITU Triathlon World Champion Non Stanford.[59] The thriller writer, Mark Ellis was educated in Swansea.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Shopping Center, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Geography
Boundaries[edit]
The “City and County of Swansea” local authority area is bordered by unitary authorities of Carmarthenshire to the north, and Neath Port Talbot to the east. Swansea is bounded by Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel to the south. The Urban Subdivision of Swansea covers all urbanised areas within the city boundary, with a population of 179,485, it is considerably smaller than the unitary authority.
Physical description[edit]
See also: List of places in Swansea
The local government area is 378 square kilometres (146 sq mi) in size, about 2% of the area of Wales. It includes a large amount of open countryside and a central urban and suburban belt.[34]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

Swansea Shopping Center, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Welsh politics[edit]
The National Assembly constituencies are:
• Gower, current AM is Rebecca Evans, Labour since 2016
• Swansea East, current AM is Mike Hedges, Labour since 2011
• Swansea West, current AM is Julie James, Labour since 2011
The city is also part of the South Wales West regional constituency and is served by Suzy Davies AM (Conservative), Bethan Jenkins AM (Plaid Cymru), Caroline Jones AM (UKIP) and Dai Lloyd AM (Plaid Cymru).
UK politics]

Lock bridge over the river Tawe
The UK parliamentary constituencies in Swansea are:
• Gower, current MP is Antonia Antoniazzi, Labour since 2017
• Swansea East, current MP is, Carolyn Harris, Labour since 2015
• Swansea West, current MP is Geraint Davies, Labour since 2010
Twinning
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom
Swansea is twinned with:[29]
• Cork, County Cork, Munster, Ireland[30]
• Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany;[31]
• Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
• Bydgoszcz, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.[32]
It also has a friendship link with Nantong, China.[33]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea is also the home to Swansea Rugby Football Club (Swansea RFC), a founder member of the Welsh Rugby Union and one of the most important teams in the early history of Welsh rugby union. Playing out of St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground the club not only produced several of the greatest Welsh rugby superstars, including Billy Bancroft and Billy Trew, they also hosted national touring sides from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Known as the ‘All Whites’, Swansea kept a constant supply of players that filled the Welsh ranks in the early history of the game. In 1935 Swansea became the first club side to beat the All Blacks.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“In 2003, Swansea RFC merged with Neath RFC to form the Ospreys. Swansea RFC remained at St Helen’s in semi-professional form, but the Ospreys moved into the Liberty Stadium in Landore for the start of the 2005–2006 season. Neath-Swansea rugby games used to be hotly contested matches, such that there was some debate about whether a team incorporating both areas was possible. The team came fifth in the Celtic League in their first year of existence and topped that league in their second year. By 2012 they had won the league a record four times.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground is the home of Swansea RFC and Glamorgan County Cricket Club have previously played matches there.[61] In this ground, Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes in one over; the first time this was achieved in a game of first-class cricket. The final ball landed on the ground past the Cricketers’ pub just outside the ground.[62] It is also the home of the tallest floodlight stand in Europe.[63]
Swansea’s rugby league side plays 13 miles (21 km) from Swansea in the small town of Ystalyfera. They are known as the Swansea Valley Miners but were formed as the Swansea Bulls in 2002.
The Swansea Bowls Stadium opened in early 2008. The stadium hosted the World Indoor Singles and Mixed Pairs Championship in April 2008 and the Gravelles Welsh International Open Bowls Championships in 2009.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017
Photograph by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts
“Swansea: Notable people
On the literary stage, the poet Dylan Thomas is perhaps the best-known. He was born in the town and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands where he lived for 23 years and produced two thirds of his published work from his tiny bedroom which has been faithfully recreated as it may have been in 1934 and is open for house tours, events, Edwardian dinner parties and overnight stays. There is a memorial to him in the nearby Cwmdonkin Park; his take on Swansea was that it was an “ugly lovely town”. In the 1930s Thomas was a member of a group of local artists, writers and musicians known as The Kardomah Gang, as they frequently met in the Kardomah Café which was in Castle Street, Swansea until bombed during the second World War.[60]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea: Beaches
Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula was named the most beautiful beach in Britain by travel writers who visited more than 1,000 beaches around the world in search of the perfect sands (2007). The Travel Magazine praised Oxwich for “magnificent and unspoilt” scenery and as a “great place for adults and children to explore”.[128] It has over three miles (5 km) of soft, golden sands, making it the ideal family getaway. The Guardian named it one of Britain’s blue-riband top 10 category beaches (2007).[129] The Independent newspaper hailed Rhossili Bay as “the British supermodel of beaches” (2006) and the best beach in Britain for breathtaking cliffs (2007),[130] whilst The Sunday Times listed it as one of the 25 best beaches in the world (2006).[131] Thanks to its clear air and lovely golden sand, this romantic stretch of sand was voted the best place in the UK to watch the sun set (Country Living magazine 2005)[131] and one of the top romantic spots in the country (The Guardian2007).[132]
Llangennith Beach, with its soft sands, consistent beach break and great facilities, was listed as the best place to learn how to surf in Britain by The Observer (2006)[133] and one of the 10 ‘classic surfing beaches by The Guardian (2007).[134] Gower also claims Britain’s Best Beach, Three Cliffs Bay. The Gower landmark topped the BBC Holiday Hit Squad nationwide competition (2006)[135] and was voted Britain’s best camping beach by The Independent thanks to its superb setting and quiet location (2007).[136] Three Cliffs Bay also made the final of the ITV series Britain’s Favourite View – the only nomination in Wales and backed by singer Katherine Jenkins.[137] Nearby Brandy Cove came sixth in an online poll to find the UK’s top beach for the baby boomer generation (2006).[138] Beaches which won 2006 Blue Flag Beach Awards are: Bracelet Bay, Caswell Bay, Langland Bay, Port Eynon Bay and Swansea Marina (one of the few Blue Flag Marinas in Wales). All of these beaches also won a Seaside Award 2006. Limesladewas awarded the Rural Seaside Award and the Green Coast Award. Other Green Coast Awards went to Pwll Du, Rhossili Bay and Tor Bay.”

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Swansea:Plans
Swansea City Centre is undergoing a £1 billion transformation scheme.[70] A large area of the city is earmarked for redevelopment. A new city-centre retail precinct is planned involving demolition of the dilapidated St. David’s Shopping Centrewhich has three or four traders, about 13% of the retail space in the centre and the Quadrant Shopping Centre. Including relocation of the Tesco Superstore near to the city’s Sainsbury’s store in Parc Tawe, the new retail precinct will be almost four times the size of the Quadrant Centre. The city centre is also being brightened up with street art and new walkways, along with the first phase of the David Evans – Castle Street development. New green spaces will be provided in conjunction with the proposed Quadrant Square and Grand Theatre Square. Redevelopment of the Oxford Street car park and Lower Oxford Street arcades are also planned.[71]
At the sea front, The Tower, Meridian Quay is now Wales’s tallest building at a height of 107 metres (351 ft) with a restaurant on the top (29th) floor. It was under construction adjacent Swansea Marina until 2010.[72]”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

Swansea Shopping Center, Oxford, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

“Sport
Further information: Swansea City A.F.C., Swansea RFC, and Ospreys
The Liberty Stadium.
Swansea City A.F.C. (founded 1912) is the city’s main football association team. Originally playing at the Vetch Field, they moved to the Liberty Stadium at the start of the 2005–2006 season, winning promotion to League One in their final year at their old stadium. The team presently play in the Premier League, after being promoted during the 2010/11 season. The Football Association of Wales had decided that for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Wales would play all of their home ties at either the Cardiff City Stadium or the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea has three association football clubs that play in the Welsh Football League: Garden Village, South Gower and West End.”
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Bus Station, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

Railways
Swansea railway station has trains mostly run by Arriva Trains Wales a Deutsche Bahn Company, on the West Wales Line to Llanelli, Carmarthen, and branches to, (a) Tenby and Pembroke Dock, (b) Haverfordwest and Milford Haven and (c) Fishguard Harbour with connecting Stena Line ferries to Rosslare Europort and Iarnród Éireann trains via Wexford to Dublin Connolly.
To the north along the Heart of Wales Line via Llanelli, and onwards via Llandovery, Llandrindod and Craven Arms to Shrewsbury.
Along the South Wales Main Line to Neath and stations to Cardiff Central (for connections to other parts of the United Kingdom), Newport, Reading and London Paddington to the east. Mostly run by Great Western Railway (train operating company).
There are also suburban stations in Gowerton, Llansamlet and in Pontarddulais which are served by Arriva Trains Wales.
Transport]
See also: Transport in Wales
Roads
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Swansea Bus Station, Swansea, Wales, UK on Monday, October 9, 2017

Buses
Bus routes within Swansea are operated predominantly by First Cymru, while smaller bus and coach operators such as NAT Group, South Wales Transport, Lewis Coaches, First Call Travel and DANSA also operate some routes in the city, most of which serving Swansea bus station. First operates the Swansea Metro, a road-based FTR bus rapid transit route, introduced between Morriston Hospital and Singleton Hospital in 2009,[91] and a shuttle bus (Service X10) to Cardiff Central bus station calling at Bridgend Designer Outlet. In late 2015 the fleet of Wright StreetCar articulated buses that served the Swansea Metro route were removed from service and replaced with standard non-articulated Wright StreetLite vehicles.
Veolia used to operate the rural services around the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw Valley branded Gower Explorer and Lliw Link respectively. Since Veolia’s withdrawal from Swansea, these services were operated by First Cymru for several years, and are now operated by NAT Group.
For more information please visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

 

 Peace Will Come Alive
Poem and Photograph by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Such a delicate!!!
A soft light pink flower stands alone
Contrasting with surrounding dark green leaves
To accent the beauty of nature

Please stop a minute
Relax your mind
From all human problems

Look at me and smile
Think pretty!
With soft wind
That cools your mind

Think pretty
With sunshine on your face
Let the world go by
A minute relax with me
Peace will come alive!

 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 4:24 am

Pink flower from our backyard garden

Go to the top

Trail showcases Glasgow Murals and Street Art Around the world

Trail showcases Glasgow Murals and Street Art Around the world

Life goes on no matter what happens in the world or in the political arena.  After listening to Hillary Clinton gives her acknowledgement of defeat speech, I drove into doing the things I love most, artwork.  I visited the BBC News site yesterday and found, “In pictures: Trail showcases Glasgow murals”, I enjoyed and loved their artworks which I would like to share with others.  Please enjoy the artwork in which the artists convey their feeling, philosophy and their talent to the world.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Wednesday, November 09, 2016

In pictures: Trail showcases Glasgow murals

  • A new Mural Trail has been devised aimed at showcasing artwork which has been appearing on walls around Glasgow.
  • Art Pistol, which creates public art, street art, murals and artistic window graphics, are behind many of the installations.
  • A spokesman said the group was “delighted with how the city and visitors have embraced the murals”.

For more information please visit the following links:

US election result: Clinton says Trump must have chance to lead:

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37929562

In pictures: Trail showcases Glasgow murals:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37859621

The following mural photos are from Mr. Christian Peter site.

Thanks to Mr. Christian Peter from Google+ site showing our community with fantastic murals, around the world.  Please visit his site for more street artwork at Google+. The link is: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChristianPeters69

Go to the top