June 8th – Green Lane, Shelfied; fly tipping in a field gateway, a spot sadly prone to this activity.
Yet again, fridges; people leave old appliances outside from scrap collectors, who strip the valuable metal and then dump the rest in lanes and quiet spots like this.
Please stop leaving stuff for these people – it may be out of sight, out of mind, but you’re complicit in flytipping and causing this problem.
I saw this friendly chap in the garden of a cottage I was renting, he often came to sit by my wife and I as we enjoyed tea and cakes in the sun. I have no interest in bird watching and I have no idea what kind of bird he is but I will admit I did enjoy photographing him and he I’m sure enjoyed our company. He was there every day and he gave me plenty of opportunity to get the hang of the zoom on my camera. He was rewarded with plenty of cake crumbs which he seemed fond of. Taken in Betws-y-Coed, Wales, United Kingdom.
June 7th – I also called at the Church of St John, MArchington Woodlands, at a place called Woodroffes. It’s a gorgeous church clinging to a hillside in the middle of nowhere. It overlooks the Dove Valley and is the most beautiful, peaceful spot.
The meadows were dappled yellow with buttercups, the church was bright in the sunlight, and a distant cricket pitch dozed in the warm afternoon.
It doesn’t get much more English than this.
June 7th – I went to the steam fair at Draycott, and came back through Marchington, over Marchington Cliff and back through the Needwood Valley.
I’ve never noticed Marchington Church before – it’s very curious. It looks old, with curious, almost Eastern European influences; maybe even a little bit industrial.
What really struck me was the unusual war memorial over the doorway.
June 6th – I see around the ICC and NIA we now have these stencils on the towpaths. A great idea. I’m all for sharing.
Shame the geese can’t read, though. It takes two…
June 6th – A pootle into Birmingham through Sutton Park, down past Witton Lakes and on the canal through Aston. I returned on the canal to Smetwick, then up through the Sandwell Valley and home.
The wind was fearsome and this was a wolf of a day again – but the canals looked fine and it cheered me up no end.
I loved the swan des res on WItton Lakes – a great idea for a safe nesting site!
The geese are really aggressive at the moment. The one that drew blood pecking my ankle really wasn’t messing about – so take care!
We haven’t been to Sandwell Valley for a long time. What a delight it was today to reacquaint ourselves with it’s beauty. It really was very peaceful down there today and full of beauty, be it wild flowers, views across Forge Mill Lake or the birds. I’ve said it before but I’m saying it again…this place lies right next to the M5. Next time you’re passing through, hop off and visit, you will not be disappointed and it will recharge your batteries before returning north or south.
June 5th – The track around Shire Oak Hill trough Home Farm and Lime Kilns is, sadly, a private road. It would make a great route around the hill for cyclists and the weary wanting to avoid serious hills getting back to Brownhills from Lichfield and the east.
Sadly, it’s not to be and this lovely avenue of trees must only be observed from the Lichfield Road at Sandhills.
In summer and autumn, it’s gorgeous.
June 5th – I saw what I assume are the Watermead swan family on the canal mid afternoon; sadly they seem to have lost a cygnet – most likely to a fox now they’re growing so large. It’s sad, but natural – the fox has to feed too, and it’s why swans have such large clutches.
The remainder look healthy and are feeding well, and are growing at an alarming rate.
Let’s hope mum and dad select safe roosting sites at night from now on.
June 4th – Here’s to the dull ones, this that blend in to the background, and perhaps even those that are hated.
Nettles are prolific and fascinating – from the dead, non-stinging variety to those that cause sudden anguish and itching are everywhere – and they’re actually fascinating if you stop and study them.
One of the most important things they do is support the beauty of peacock butterflies whose larvae feed on these lowly-regarded weeds.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 