Andrew Burford

Sixty years ago, 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives in the Aberfan disaster. Today, we remember those who died, their loved ones, and a community forever changed by this tragedy. The stars in the night sky symbolise those whose memory lives on. Cofiwch Aberfan.

One of the top stile and Neolithic locations in the UK; zoom in on the base of the boulder to see the rock art.

Two of the Lewis Chessmen currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Discovered in 1831 on a beach at Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, the chessmen date to the late 12th or early 13th century. 📸 My own. #FindsFriday #LewisChessmen

Another day draws to a close in the Usk valley. Still, the shepherds should be pleased!

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🧘 Insight from Epictetus: “We must not believe the many who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free.”

I attended the famous Savoy theatre in Monmouth last night for an evening of poetry with Rowan Williams and Pele Cox, what a treat! The readings were simply sumptuous!

From Writing In The Sand by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, a celebration of the life of beaches in north-east England, 1973-98.

Just after his release from the asylum, and a few weeks before he died, van Gogh painted this vibrant scene of flowering chestnut trees in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise. Not seen in public for many decades, it’s hoped to fetch $180m at auction (Châtaigniers en Fleurs, May 1890)

Llangors lake in South Wales today. Beautiful spot!

Time passes. Could it be that I never believed it? Did I believe the blue nights could last forever? — Joan Didion, Blue Nights John Dowd (American Artist, born 1960)

250th Birthday Celebration in ‘A Promised Land’…. Being a man of a certain age, I can recall 1976 and the bi-centennial celebrations to mark the 200th ‘birthday’ of the USA. Gerald Ford was president and as part of the celebrations, more than 10,000 people were naturalised as citizens in mass…

Moonrise over the Usk valley…

Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 1977. Arguably, one of the greatest pop rock albums of all time …

I decided to kill off a few characters in the book I'm writing. It would definitely spice up my autobiography a little.

Pen y Fan, highest peak in south Wales, from Usk Valley (Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons National Park), painting by Emma Cownie.

Keir Hardie was born on this day 1856 in Legbrannock, Lanarkshire.

Lucca Italy 🇮🇹 Lucca is a historic city in the Tuscany region of central Italy, famous for its intact 16th-century Renaissance walls, medieval towers, and Roman ruins. Located about 20 kilometers (13 miles) from Pisa and 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Florence,

Remembering poet Philip Larkin, born on this day 1922. Here he is on St Hilda's Street, Hull, by Observer photographer Jane Bown.

Tom Jones and Sting.

Little girl holding a cat, Manchester or Salford, 1960s, by Shirley Baker.

'The Entrance to the Portal' St Michael's tower on Glastonbury Tor at sunrise.

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I picked this up from Rossiter Books in Monmouth and four chapters in, I’m hooked. Good sign!

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales, photo by Alison Fairley.

Nun on a lawnmower, Ty Mawr Convent, Monmouth, south Wales, 1979, photo by Kevin O'Farrell, Irish photographer.

Just starting a delve into this short book from Penguin, but the observation from George Orwell cited on the cover is a marvellous opening gambit!!

Really tranquil on the Mon&Brec canal this morning. The ‘Abergavenny Nordic Walkers’ will be assembling shortly.

I love sunflowers in the garden….and bees of course!

"Remember, when you leave this Earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received—only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

#booksky

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Having my tea on this tray….hopefully not tempting fate tonight!

Octopuses have been wandering in the oceans for 296 million years. They have three hearts and blue blood and they can even be elegant in their magical underwater dance. Original post

I, a human, wrote and drew this cartoon with my human body and sent it to human art printers who printed it with their human hands and you a human (?) can now buy a ltd edition print of it in my shop! Link in bio

My last video of Norway, at the south end of the Naeroyfjord. #nature #mountains #photographersofbluesky #landscapephotography

I may write a book about things I should be doing with my life. It would be my Oughtabiography. 🐢💨

Born into poverty during peak Jim Crow, Ray Charles stood against the system that sought to keep him destitute. He famously fought against segregation until the state that banned him apologized & made his song their state anthem. Brother Ray loved America & made her better as a result.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us” (E.M.Forster) Seems both pessimistic and stoic. I don’t presume to plan, but to accept, willingly that’s a challenge….have it!

My current read is a fascinating social commentary on the South Wales valleys during the early days of the Industrial Revolution… “Beer and politics have something in common, I found. Men get drunk on both…” It’s an interesting observation, given recent attempts to organise contemporary labour.