Author: BrownhillsBob

I told the truth - but told it bent. Wandering around bemused and ranty since 2007.

July 1st – Half the year gone already. Where on earth did that go?

I was unwell after eating something I shouldn’t (Life with IBS often means interrogating people who cook for you about what ingredients they use, but sometimes, you feel embarrassed and eat anyway). The pumpkin seeds in a casserole from a friend the night before were really causing me hell, and I didn’t get out until early evening.

I met family at a country pub in Longdon for a lazy, louche, sunny Sunday evening social, riding there and back. The countryside is showing well at the moment with ripening crops and the greens going dark and maturing.

I particularly liked the lithe, stripy puss I saw in Hammerwich. – he was definitely the neighbourhood watch!

June 30th – At Hints Ford, the water was cool and the air shady and still, and I spent a good 30 minutes just enjoying the relaxed, verdant scene and listening to water.

Sometimes, after a long ride, that’s all you really need.

I’ve been coming here since I was 12. It’s not really changed much, thankfully. This place is in my heart.

June 30th – A recovery day, with a surprisingly tough, enervating recovery ride which saw my energy levels very low indeed.

Whilst I’d been careful to look after my fluids and nutrition on the big ride of the previous day, I hadn’t had anything much to eat today, and it caused me real problems I think.

Even still, it was a decent ride out to Hopwas and Hints on a sunny, warm afternoon, and this puss at Stockfields was so comfy he wasn’t going to be disturbed by anyone….

June 29th – Ever wondered what that hill was on the horizon? Find dioramas a bit hit and miss? There’s a great piece of software for your smartphone called Viewranger.

It’s actually a quite good 2d/3d mapping application, but has this great augmented reality feature where you hold it to a view with the camera and it labels what you can see.It’s quite remarkable, and that functionality is free, too!

It was great for the view from Morridge over the Roaches.

Find out more at the developer’s website here. 

June 29th – A dayride from Macclesfield back home, via the Trentabank, the Roaches, Royal Cottage, Morridge, Longnor, Hurdlow, the High Peak Trail, Carsington, Holland, Hatton, ALrewas, Whitemoor Haye, Weeford and Shenstone, totalling 121 miles. 

I really am back in the saddle this season, thanks to the excellent weather, and a bit of determination.

Find out more at this post on my main blog.

June 28th – One thing that is absolutely beautiful this year and I haven’t mentioned to my shame is the vetch. This beautiful, delicate purple flower is absolutely everywhere and very beautiful.

It’s one of my favourite summer flowers and lasts for ages, whilst growing in some of the most inhospitable edge lands.

A real summer treasure.

June 28th – I had an early meeting in Droitwich, so cycled back home. I’ve always loved the stretch of canal up through Browmsgrove and Alvechurch to Birmingham, so many sights, although now, north of Kings Norton it’ a bike-commuter trunk route and one has to concentrate hard on other users, which prevents you taking in the best of it.

The way over the Wast Hills Tunnel is arduous but interesting, and I still love the Birmingham University Clock; such an elegant edifice.

In between, peaceful rural and urban waterway.

I’m curious about the growing fashion for jokey, not that funny, punny names for narrowboats. They seem to be allowed the same artistic license as hair salons and some of the worst city centre bars. Bewildering.

A great ride on a day much hotter than expected.

June 27th – Since we’re in high, hot summer we’re now in a phase of darker flowers – purples, reds, dark blues. And that means the thistles are coming out.

Spotted flowering on industrial wasteland in Pleck, this gorgeous thistle was alive with tiny back bugs.

I immediately felt sorry for the plant. But who knows? They may have been doing it good…

Fascinating, all the same.

June 26th – Another hot and sunny day, and on the way to work, it was clear that fish has been breeding successfully in the canal at Pleck: Looking into the green water under Scarborough Road bridge, tends of thousands of tiny fry had had hatched. Further up the canal, larger fish were heading in that direction, one presumes fo lunch.

Who’d ever have thought these canals would be so green, beautiful and full of life?