#365daysofbiking The softness of the hour:
September 14th – Passing through Walsall in the late evening, in a rain-soaked golden hour. Just after a heavy downpour, the light was lush, soft and suffused with gold.
The merest hint of a rainbow over St Matthews reminded me why I love this town so much.
#365daysofbiking Spring has sprung:
September 13th – Spotted in a customer’s bike shed, and improvised, clever repair to a brake calliper with a broken return spring.
The return spring – present in some form in nearly every type of brake – forces the brake off once the lever is released.
Since the brake cable pulls the yoke awards the cable end stop to engage the disc brake fitted here, forcing the two apart will duplicate the effect of releasing the brake as performed normally by a return spring. The spring has clearly broken and instead of replacing the whole calliper, the owner has released the cable, threaded on a very stiff spring and re-assembled the cable. The cable retains the spring and the brake operates as normal.
Clever. I’m impressed.
#365daysofbiking That old imperative:
September 13th – First of the year for me, I would wager that conkers are irresistible to any British male of any age. We can’t simply walk past one of these beautiful shiny nuts lying on the ground.
In our childhoods, we hunted and sought these out, and today, they’re plentiful; but I still can’t resist collecting a few when I see horse chestnuts.
There lovely examples were in Lichfield Road near the Butts.
One of the nicer things about autumn.
#365daysofbiking The rise and gall:
September 12th – I’ve been watching the robin’s pincushion gall I found in Darlaston mature as the weeks pass by. I’m interested to see if it shows any sign of being vacated by the insects who grow inside it, and also observe how it decays, to find out what’s under the ‘fur’.
It’s grown redder, and the fur seems to be dying away, with a cavity open on the upper side. I wonder if the wasps have left?
These creations of parasites – unique to wild and dog roses – are absolutely fascinating and I’ll be keeping an eye on this one as autumn draws on.
#365daysofbiking The Crane life:
September 12th: My first trip to Telford in several weeks and the new station footbridge is making steady progress. The ring road is now closed under the bridge, and. a large crane is being assembled, presumably to lift the massive main deck into place from it’s construction point on an adjacent verge.
A queue of HGVs and machines lines up down the empty roadway. People discuss, Marshall and prepare. This is clearly to be one heck of an operation.
The rest of the project progresses: Brickwork is going up, lift machinery is taking form in the assembled bridge piers and lots of ancillary pathways and steelwork are moving into place or emerging.
This is going to be one to watch.
#365daysofbiking Great Scott:
September 11th – The former Scott Arms pub in Kings Hill, on the Darlaston-Wednesbury border has been derelict for many years now, but at the beginning of the year, I spotted signs of life here. I assumed it was to be converted into a house of multiple occupation – a building divided into tiny bedsits for the really down on their luck – but no, it’s actually being renovated and is becoming a Chinese restaurant.
It’ll be handy for when I’m stuck working late I guess….
Good to see this building saved from the usual derelict fate of these place. I wish the new business well.
#365daysofbiking It’s because I’m a fun guy:
September 11th – Riding down a post-rain Goscote cycleway, the edges of the trail were dotted with mushrooms and toadstools, I’m fairly but not absolutely sure of the identity of the large, spotted specimens: I think they’re blushers but could, at a pinch, be shaggy parasols. I welcome further views on that.
The field mushrooms were copious, and I got out my cotton bag and plugged about 2lb of them, which made a lovely accompaniment to my evening meal.
#365daysofbiking Up the junction:
September 10th – A quick hop up on to Catshill Junction Bridge which is always a good spot to note the passage of the seasons.
Forgetting the weather (which is decidedly grim right now) there’s a definite tinge of autumn in those trees, towpaths, banks and bushes. It’s still quite, quite green – but there is the kiss of gold at the extremities, and the green looks dark and weary.
And the season’s wheel grinds on.
#365daysofbiking Chips with that?
September 10th – I notice the Canal and River Trust have contractors out at the moment cutting back canalside tree and shrub overgrowth, which is a job that’s been ongoing locally most of the summer.
Here at Walsall Wood they’ve been quite ruthless in removing the lower beaches of trees and scrub over what is a very wide canal, so the growth would not have impeded the passage of boat traffic.
It has, however, removed cover for kingfishers, waterfowl and the mamals that live and hunt alone the bank. Periodically, piles of wood chips will be good for bugs I suppose.
Concerning, but I suppose it’s necessary.
#365daysofbiking I dream of wires:
September 10th – Two things I thought I’d never see in my lifetime are the Chase Line Electrification and the creation of the pedestrian bridge to cross the tracks at Moors Gorse instead of the level crossing, but here I am, taking pictures of one from the other.
Interesting to see how far advanced the electrification of this busy passenger railway from Walsall to Rugeley now is – the catenaries are in, strainers all fitted and it seems here very close to functional.
I note the blue earth bonds to prevent the overheads going live while being worked on, and the curious block communing point on the track not yet connected to anything, but with the coil of bonding cable nearby ready. Wonder what that’s actually for? It looks like there’s some kind of sensor built into it.
Never seen those before and I’m curious.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 