The Calennig!
Here in Cardiff we have a special New Years celebration known as The Calennig. Nothing major on a cultural scale, just another excuse for fairground rides and stage shows around the Civic Centre. There's also a Winter Wonderland for the children, which includes a special ice rink, and a giant ferris wheel.
This year Mel, Will, Mel's brother Chris and I took Rowan to the Calennig for the first time. We even managed to stay right the way to midnight, with the only tears from the rugrat being over rides and the fact he didn't want to have to say goodbye to his godparents.
Before the Calennig, there was a free Fire Show at the castle. I ended up taking Rowan alone, as Mel developed a migraine in the afternoon, but the music's baseline was so powerful it would not have been a good place for her to be. It was a tad disappointing, as it only lasted half an hour, but the entertainment from Cirque Bijou was pretty spectacular.
I spent the night experimenting with my new camera's night and fireworks settings, and mostly the results were disappointing due to camera shake. But some of the seventy-odd images I took came out okay! ;-)
Cirque Bijou!
A brief video of the fireworks:
And to prove that I was inside the Castle:
Rowan's Blog:
Thankfully Mel was feeling better later in the evening, so we were able to continue with our plans to all go to the Calennig together. It was kinda disappointing, in a way, as the fairground stalls only went half way up the one side of the University, instead of circling all the way around City Hall the way it used to. *sigh* And the ride prices were, unsurprisingly, jacked up in comparison to the Big Weekend, when the fairground's there in the summer.
Walking towards The Calennig
Rowan on a ride at the Winter Wonderland section
Rowan on the Helter Skelter, watched by his godparents:
At around eleven thirty, we were all pretty exhausted, so we went in search of somewhere to sit. We ended up on a bench in Gorsedd Gardens, outside the Museum (Restrains her inner-squee about the place's useage as a Who-location...) Much texting was done by the others while we sat and recharged *grins*
The Winter Wonderland as viewed from Gorsedd Gardens (with my office in the background, with the orange lights):
And finally, midnight came!
Fireworks! (Though I think this was taken with the camera in 'auto' *sigh*)
And because I think it's funny, here's Rowan and Will bopping to Nelly The Elephant as everyone celebrates! *grins*
These were taken, mostly by Rowan, while we killed some time in the Burger King where I used to work; Mel, Will and Christopher respectively.
Oh, and Rowan too! ;-)
This year Mel, Will, Mel's brother Chris and I took Rowan to the Calennig for the first time. We even managed to stay right the way to midnight, with the only tears from the rugrat being over rides and the fact he didn't want to have to say goodbye to his godparents.
Before the Calennig, there was a free Fire Show at the castle. I ended up taking Rowan alone, as Mel developed a migraine in the afternoon, but the music's baseline was so powerful it would not have been a good place for her to be. It was a tad disappointing, as it only lasted half an hour, but the entertainment from Cirque Bijou was pretty spectacular.
I spent the night experimenting with my new camera's night and fireworks settings, and mostly the results were disappointing due to camera shake. But some of the seventy-odd images I took came out okay! ;-)
Cirque Bijou!
A brief video of the fireworks:
And to prove that I was inside the Castle:
Rowan's Blog:
Thankfully Mel was feeling better later in the evening, so we were able to continue with our plans to all go to the Calennig together. It was kinda disappointing, in a way, as the fairground stalls only went half way up the one side of the University, instead of circling all the way around City Hall the way it used to. *sigh* And the ride prices were, unsurprisingly, jacked up in comparison to the Big Weekend, when the fairground's there in the summer.
Walking towards The Calennig
Rowan on a ride at the Winter Wonderland section
Rowan on the Helter Skelter, watched by his godparents:
At around eleven thirty, we were all pretty exhausted, so we went in search of somewhere to sit. We ended up on a bench in Gorsedd Gardens, outside the Museum (Restrains her inner-squee about the place's useage as a Who-location...) Much texting was done by the others while we sat and recharged *grins*
The Winter Wonderland as viewed from Gorsedd Gardens (with my office in the background, with the orange lights):
And finally, midnight came!
Fireworks! (Though I think this was taken with the camera in 'auto' *sigh*)
And because I think it's funny, here's Rowan and Will bopping to Nelly The Elephant as everyone celebrates! *grins*
These were taken, mostly by Rowan, while we killed some time in the Burger King where I used to work; Mel, Will and Christopher respectively.
Oh, and Rowan too! ;-)