BrownhillsBob

#365daysofbiking Fifty shads of bloody grim

January 26th – The weather didn’t improve at all, and considerably worsened. It was windy, grey and grim. I slipped out briefly for a circuit around a wet, muddy canal at the fall of dusk and got wet and felt miserable.

The weather at the moment is warm, but not pleasant. I hope this isn’t a portent of a bad summer, but I guess we might be due one.

The only brightness was my favourite tree, the majestic horse chestnut at Home Farm, Sandhills, still looks wonderful and will soon, hopefully, be in leaf.

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#365daysofbiking On the run

January 25th – I noticed not long after I left work that on this wet evening it was a balmy 12 degrees or so, and that sunset now didn’t arrive until 4:40pm – that means it’s pretty much light now until 5pm.

It was a horrid journey home but the improving conditions made me feel better.

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#365daysofbiking Floof!

January 25th – Passing through the Butts in Walsall mid morning, I was able to photograph this delightful character, whom I’ve met before. She’s a tiny, gorgeous little cat I’ve since found out is called Belle.

A very friendly, affectionate puss, I often see her on the bins here but usually can’t take pictures due to the nearby school.

Today, she shared head boops, nose and back tickles and purred appreciatetively, without taking her eye off the neighbourhood.

Nice to be meeting cats again…

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#365daysofbiking An end to Police brutalism in Walsall

January 24th – There is a madness afoot in the country, and possibly the broader western world in the last 10 years or so, and I can see no solution in sight.

Governments come to power on the promise of austerity and cutting spending, yet close used and needed public facilities that took decades to be obtained – in a flash. And so we lost the police station in Walsall on Green Lane, built in the Brutalist period of the 60s, which was closed in response to spending cuts in 2016. Police now have to take suspects to Oldbury when arrested, which is impacting officer availability and causing great inefficiency.

The building itself – an unremarkable modernist structure – was sold to developers and is currently being demolished.

We will need a police station again. The situation as it is is not working.

And it will cost us far more than closing this one saved to sort the mess out.

And when some politician grasps the nettle and does it, they will be derided for financial profligacy.

But the real crime is cutting things communities need, in the interests of short term political gain.

It takes years to build communities, and days to destroy them with cuts. The recklessness seems in the axe-hand to me.

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#365daysofbiking A bit chewy

January 24th – I again had to call into Pelsall on the way to working this time took the cycleway from Station Road up the old railway line to The Butts. The route through the Goscote Valley is lovely and well surfaced, mostly, but up at Ryecroft near the cemetery the surface has broken up and going was heavy and muddy.

I’m not sure who’s responsible for this section, but if its the council I shan’t hold my breath for any resurfacing at the moment.

Best avoided in the wet, I think, from now on.

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#365daysofbiking Just ice

January 23rd – The journey home was not so enjoyable. The snow had thawed, but it had gone cold again, and there was a lot of ice. I made an awful decision to try the canal between the Black Cock Bridge and Brownhills, and the towpath was barely ridable: The thawing snow had frozen hard and the problem was not the ice, but the ruts in it which were numerous when they took your wheel.

Almost worth it though for my regular muse Clayhanger Bridge at night, with a very different appearance for a change.

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#365daysofbiking Ice kingdom

January 23rd – The snow quickly petered out, and it went very cold overnight, with a small, further flurry in the early hours. I had stuff to do near home early in the morning, so left for work when the sun was well up and the sky a precious, azure blue.

Jockey Meadows in Walsall Wood and the Mystic Bridge in Darlaston were nothing short of stunning.

It’s not often we get sun and snow together like this. It was absolutely captivating, and a joy to be cycling in it.

For a while, my commute was like the kingdom of Narnia, and it ma=de me happy.

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#365daysofbiking A shock to the system

January 22nd – A further shock to my sensibilities was the snowfall. I left Telford in relatively dry, clear conditions, but noticed the icing-sugar dusting of snow becoming more evident as the train neared the Black Country.

Leaving the train at Shenstone, there was more snow, but it was very wet. Whilst there was a little snow falling, I thought I’d missed the worst.

Within ten minutes I was cycling in persistent, large flakes of snow, making visibility difficult and soaking me to the skin.

I was glad of the studded tyres once more, and when I finally got there, glad to be home, too.

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#365daysofbiking Rime and reason

January 22nd – This winter has been so mild that I’ve not got used the cold yet, and neither have I yet regained my confidence in my winter tyres.

A morning journey to Telford was chilly and felt precarious, with lots of black ice. I stayed upright, though, and honed my skills for another season – but I must say, I felt sorry for the blackbird on the cycleway at Telford looking for scraps of food. He clearly didn’t want to move!

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#365daysofbiking Beautifully forged

January 21st – Heading out for a meeting in Birmingham, I had a little extra time in the morning, so I rode to the station via the backlanes – taking me past Little Aston Forge.

The precarious hairpin bend and hump bridge here are a remarkable feature of the lane, and I’m surprised there are not more accidents.

The cottage and countryside here are beautiful though, I must say.

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