May 26th – On a windblown canal near Catshill Junction, I noticed the swans had two very young cygnets. These cute balls of grey fluff were relaxed and happy to be fed by their parents, who didn’t show any of the usual signs of swan aggression towards me. Not sure if this is the pair from by the Watermead Estate or the former mill at Catshill, but it’s nice to see. I do find myself wondering why we’re no longer seeing the broods of 8 and above as we did a few years ago, though.
May 25th – returning with the wind behind me, I came through King’s Hill Park, to call in at PC World on my way back home. King’s Hill Park was lovely, hilly and surprisingly secluded.
PC World, as usual, was dismal, overpriced and annoying. ‘Twas ever thus.
May 25th – Back to Walsall. On my way into Bilston, I travel, as I often do, down Scarborough Road, Pleck. The surface of this road has been terrible for ages, and following complaints most of it has now been patched up, even though I was recently told by a Walsall Highway engineer that surveyors ’…Didn’t consider it dangerous’. I thank the council for sorting it.
Oddly, the last hundred yards or so – containing the most hazardous potholes – remains untouched, though clearly marked for repair. This loose gravel is a danger to all traffic, but to anyone on two wheels – motorised or otherwise – it’s deadly. Motorcyclists christen this loose detritus ‘marbles’ due to it’s slippery, destabilising effect, and it’s a real pain. This needs fixing. It’s time all road engineers woke up to this hazard.
Perhaps the permanently parked vehicles have been in the way, but I wish it could be sorted.
May 24th – This is the evening commute film from the same trip. Changing trains at New Street, Birmingham, this time for a Walsall bound train, at about 5pm. The crowds, the dreadful lifts, the bustle – not a single part of this interchange will improve with the revamp of New Street, which is primarily about providing a ‘retail opportunity’. Note that the bike is being pushed and not ridden throughout.
The soundtract is from Mainframe, unofficially called ‘I make my way back home’, officially just ‘Track 4’. Check them out at http://mainframe-music.info/– a great blast of eighties synth-goodness, mostly made on an Apple II computer in 1983.
May 24th – How not to lock your bike. An everyday workplace cycle rack. A brand spanking new Ridgeback Storm bike, bought on the excellent cycle to work scheme, secured with a £35, good quality lock. What can possibly go wrong?
The bike is only locked to the rack by a £40 rear wheel, held in by a quick release. Time taken to liberate the rest of the bike? Seconds. In these racks, a cable round the rack is essential, or lock the wheel to the bicycle frame. See Sheldon Brown for tips on locking.
I hope the owner doesn’t work in engineering. Top marks to the cycle chic lady with the single speed Africa Bike, though…
May 24th – Change trains at Birmingham New Street at 8:55am for a 9:05 departure to Telford. This is the reality of using trains with a bike. Bear in mind that for all the millions spent, nothing seen in this film will change with the revamp of the station. The unreliable lifts, the dingy, menacing subway, the cramped, overcrowded platforms. The revamp will just give a ‘retail opportunity’ for big business.
I love travelling by bike and train, but this tries my patience. Life shouldn’t be this hard. Part 2 to follow.
The soundtrack is Artie Shaw’s ‘Special Delivery Stomp’, the music that plays in your head whenever you’re late for anything…
May 24th – Waiting for a train. I like Shenstone Station, and for long commutes, it’s a nice place to pick up the train to Birmingham, often overlooked by those in Brownhills and the surrounding area. Trains stop here every half hour, generally, and although the facilities aren’t great, it’s a lovely spot, and only 15 minutes away by bike, with a 30 minute journey to Brum.
May 23rd – An awful day to cycle – blustery, then rainstorms in the afternoon. I left work early for a meeting in Rushall, and dropped on to the canal at Pleck, south Walsall. I prefer the canal in this weather as traffic tends to be a bit mad in heavy rain. Cycling in the rain can be a lovely, sensual experience, and this was no exception, climbing the locks and bridges through Birchills and acing the traffic queue at Rushall was a joy…
The soundtrack is ‘Nice Weather for Ducks’ by the wonderful Lemon Jelly.
May 23rd – I left work early afternoon in a rain storm. I don’t mind cycling in the rain, and the wind was behind me. Periodically very heavy, the downpour lasted 45 minutes or so. I did what I usually do when it rains on the commute – headed for the canal. It’s safer than the roads, and the sights and sounds are wonderful. Here at Pleck, the rain rattled off the canal like gravel in a tin can.
May 23rd – I don’t know how long the railings have been alongside this walkway through the centre of Darlaston, but certainly long enough to be subsumed by the adjacent tree. I only noticed this today – it doesn’t matter where and how, nature will always find a way to remind us it’s in charge.
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