July 11th – I finished the working day with a meeting in Lichfield, and before facing an evil headwind on the way home, I took a look around the parks and open spaces of the city, which always look so good in summer.
From the Cathedral looming over the Memorial Gardens and Minster Pool, to the stunning lavender border in Festival Gardens, the gardeners are a credit to the city, they really are.
Take a bow folks, you should be very proud.
July 11th – Today I noticed an odd little curiosity I’d not spotted before. On the canal at Clayhanger Bridge, the rope guards that were installed on the original bridge were transferred to it’s replacement in 1994.
These rusting metal posts were originally at the vertices of the brickwork on the towpath side of the underbridge. Back when narrowboats were horse drawn, the guards were fitted so that the horse towropes would not groove the brickwork, but the metal instead. The years of boats passing wore deep grooves in the metal, which are a sort of historical witness to the traffic that once passed under here.
There are very few horse-drawn boats now, and the posts are merely there as an artefact. I note they were fitted slightly incorrectly in that they no longer protect the corners, and their positions have been exchanged (the wear would be on the right hand side of the post in the picture) – but well done to those who rebuilt this bridge two decades ago for preserving a little bit of industrial canal history.
How have I not spotted this before?
July 10th – Thanks to a reader for alerting me to this, as it’s quite hazardous. Due to the heavy rains we’ve had of late, the footpath has eroded on the northern side of the Ogley Junction footbridge over the canal at Brownhills, near Lichfield Road. Just where the asphalt ends, there’s a growing cavity about 3 inches deep, ready to swallow bike wheels or trip up walkers. Coming from the other direction it’s nasty, too.
I shall get on to the Canal and River Trust tomorrow and see if they’ll come and fill it.
July 10th – The wind was still dreadful, and the skies were dark as I left the house mid afternoon. I again had stuff to do in Burntwood, so cut through Chasewater, which is still, despite the valves being open, only an inch or so off full.
The water level of the lake directly impacts Fly Pool and the creek that runs through it, and the boardwalk constructed over the creek itself shows a slight design fault at times of high water level.
Oh dear – but it does look wonderfully dramatic.
July 9th – Finally for today, and for TheStymaster, Denis Jones and others, the Newtown One lives, and is still clearly a bit eccentric.
With the Abbey Road white ducks sadly down to two like the bachelor boys in Walsall Wood (the mallard cross group), it was feared the foxes had claimed Mrs. Muscovy, but no, she’s just getting better at hiding.
She’s not a number, she’s a free duck!
July 9th – A bumper day for photos, although the weather was still wolfish and punitively gusty. At the north heath at Chasewater, the deer were browsing. Just the pair at first, then another six joined them to peer inquisitively at me. Now in their summer coats, they’ve lost the scruffiness of the moult and look healthy and well.
Still can’t believe these wonderful animals live on our doorsteps.
July 9th – Also being reclaimed by nature and teeming with flowers is the Victorian brick lined spillway at Chasewater, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. The flowers and plants – including heathers, mustards, spotted orchids and others – are gradually overcoming the masonry and are beautiful. But this is also industrial history.
Should it be cleared, even though it’s unused, to preserve it? Or just left to decay, beautifully? I can’t decide.
July 9th – On the canal near Ogley Junction, one of my favourite mad fishermen was stalking the bank, looking as eccentric and slightly dishevelled as ever.
I adore herons. This one seems unusually dark in colour, and was very bold, not moving on until I got very close. Is it possible a juvenile?
Wonderful birds, but probably not if you keep a fishpond…
July 8th – At the old Anglesey Wharf, near Chasewater, the wildflowers are currently gorgeous – feral poppies, cornflower and wild sweet peas bring welcome reds and purples to a riot of colours.
Those sweat peas grow every year around the former coal chute. That sole reclamation of industry and pollution by something so beautiful always makes me happy.
July 8th – Short morning at work on a very windy, wolf of a day – beautiful to look at, but a the very devil to ride on. A short run over to Lichfield in the late afternoon via Chasewater was rewarded with beautiful views of ripening oilseed rape and wheat in fields around hHome Farm at Sandhills.
A lovely afternoon but hard work on the bike!
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