July 30th – The weather was bright and fine on the way home, but a petulant headwind made life a little unpleasant. I knew the weather was due to break in less than twelve hours, and I wasn’t wrong. But there’s something about the Springhill barley field, blue sky, white clouds and old hamlet that are just too lovely to feel sad for long. A gorgeous view.
July 30th – One of the colours of a summer at it’s peak is the deep purple of rosebay willowherb, or old man’s beard. Familiar to many due to it’s floating, fluffy airborne seeds, it occupies hedgerows, thickets and waste ground where it grows in profusion in the poorest soils. Here, at Lynn Lane in Stonnall, it’s well in bloom now, and will soon be seeding. For now though, this delightful flower is alive with bees, wasps, butterflies and all manner of winged insects.
July 29th – Speeding back towards home down the canal towpath in darkness, I spotted a familar shape in the headlight. Screeching to a halt, I gently picked up this little fellow – a common toad – and placed him in the safety of the canalside grass. He was a small chap, probably about half to two thirds fully grown, and he had a delightfully speckled belly. I lifted him gently between thumb and fingers, it’s unwise to clasp these amphibians in the flat hand, as they spray acrid urine as a defence mechanism. They also squeal if you touch them on their lower back – it’s a sound that’s remarkably piercing, and is generated as a signal to other male toads that they’re attempting to mate with the wrong sex in mating frenzies.
Toads. Surprising things. Not a whole bunch of road sense, either…
July 29th – I followed my nose up the old railway, under the A5 and onto Chasewater as darkness fell. Despite feeling pretty rotten, I was fluid, and felt fast. I hadn’t photographed a sunset for ages – maybe because the recent ones had all been rubbish. This one, though, was good. I’d bee asked to take photos of Chasewater by follower Alex Wardle (@xswardy), so this seemed a fine opportunity. A lovely, soothing evening.
July 29th – I had loads of work to do all day, and wasn’t feeling too bright. I took a spin out late evening, as the light died; it cheered me up no end. Hopping on the canal at Pier Street, around the bend opposite the Watermead, a young fox was learning to hunt. Sadly, his intended target – a mallard – was far sharper than him and flapped away in a bad-tempered fug of splashing, honking and feathers. Meanwhile, the woodpigeons, realising that Reynard Jr. was no threat, looked on in interest. Sorry about the poor quality pics, but I had to share.
July 28th – After going to see some mates in Walsall, I returned down a somewhat breezy Goscote Valley on a sunny afternoon. Joining the cycle route at the Butts, though Mill Lane Nature Reserve, I was immediately struct by the range and beauty of the plants and flowers, which were alive with awakening insects. The elegant, almost Francophile church spire of Rushall was visible above the trees across the valley, and this old railway line just screamed for attention. A wonderful place. Get your arses down there before summer passes.
July 27th – Scenes from a Black Country life. This is a sunny, summery and somewhat industrial Station Street in Darlaston. I passed this way on my way to work, and noted a tradition here that’s been going on for decades. Those men stood at the window are buying breakfast sandwiches from the Caparo Atlas canteen, which supplants its income by selling to anybody bold enough to stand on the upturned crate and stick their head in through the open window, and shout their requirements. The food is good, if the reputation is to be believed, and Darlaston working folk have been doing this for years, as far back as Wartime when this whole estate was part of GKN.
Bacon, egg, black pudding and shrooms, and a tea, thanks me love.
July 27th – This is the old Walkways youth centre in Littleton Street, Walsall. Standing near the access to the new Tesco superstore in Walsall, it’s now so out of place that one might think it had been beamed down from a spaceship. I have no idea what this building was originally, but it’s clearly old, and if studied closely, is actually rather handsome. Now on the market after abandonment by its last owners, Walsall Council, it’s being pitched as a ‘Development Opportunity’. In the local arson sweepstakes (this week seeing the loss of the BOAK building in Station Street). I reckon this sad, apparently doomed old building is probably on even odds with the former Workhouse Guardian’s Office in a similarly marooned position over at the Manor Hospital.
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July 26th – Only three days ago, I mused on the coming harvest. I noticed this evening, whilst cycling back through Lynn, near Stonnall, that it had begun. This is a real seasonal marker for me; I know now that we’re advancing from the flowering to the fruiting, and sadly onwards to autumn. This field had been harvested and partially baled, the giany matted rolls of straw awaiting bagging. one on the other side ofLynn Lane had already been finished. The first of this year’s wheat crop has now left for milling.
Meanwhile, at Sandhills, a view Mike ‘VWCampervan’ said he’d like to see in the sun (the last time I featured this, it was green, wet wheat on a dull day. Now, it was a classic golden field on a glorious sunny high summer evening. Wonderful.
July 26th – I’m really liking this summer malarkey. I think it might catch on. Commuting in just a teeshirt and jeans is so liberating. This morning it was dull, but warm. Whilst changing trains at Nuneaton, I leant my bike up against the glass of the waiting room. As I did so, I noticed this little indicator of the advancing seasons: a moth. I’ve no idea what species it is, but the way it was resting caught my eye. With the warm sun and still conditions, there will be a lot of Lepidoptera emerge over the next few days. There’s been a marked shortage this year.
Hello, little fella. Welcome to summer!
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