Author: BrownhillsBob

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

May 30th – So many new wild flowers every day. On a day that was wet, but whose rain I missed whilst in work, I noticed the clover along the Goscote Valley cycleway was looking beautiful in the wet grass.

If you actually study clover flowers, they are amazingly delicate and complex, yet so often overlooked.

A true staple of summer.

May 29th – Sam, the elderly king of Kings Hill is still out in his favourite patch of communal garden nearly everyday.

Following the rains of the day before, the grass was clearly still a bit damp, so this black and withe, toothless old lad was en repose on the garden wall, and watching me carefully.

But only with the one eye.

May 29th – The season is moving along so quickly now. All along the canals of Walsall the waterlilies are bursting into bloom. These large-leaved water plants spread from floating rhizomes in the spring, and have the most gorgeous yellow flowers that bugs seem to love.

There is a later strain that have white or pink, more ornate blooms. that won’t be far behind.

We never had this kind of beauty on the canals when I was a child. I still find it amazing.

May 28th – It was a lovely ride to Staunton Harold and Melbourne, but the North East wind, a feature of most of. the last two weeks, was insistent and wearing, but did blow me home down the Trent Valley. 

The reservoir itself is fascinating, and has much more character than nearby Forewmark, surrounded by denser woodland, and from the Calke end, where the old road disappears under the water, it feels magical and almost private.

Returning home through Repton along the Trent, I found a great bridleway near Ingleby, and the farmland just east of Battlestead Hillretains it’s magic, despite the impending quarrying there. Netherstowe and Lichfield by night are always a joy too.

Considering how poor the weather forecast for the bank holiday weekend was, and despite SUnday’s deadly storms, it din;t turn out too bad after all.

May 28th – A lovely day, far removed from he storms the day before, so I took time out to visit Staunton Harold Reservoir, a few miles east of Foremark where I went last week.

It was a great ride at 74 miles, and travelling out via Weeford, Hints, Syerscote, Donisthorpe, Moira and Boundary, I called in at the great teashop at Hints and had great iced coffee and cake.

This nonchalant puss was spotted hunting in Weeford, but quickly adopted the relaxed, sleepy pose when it saw us. Confident and relaxed, a lovely looking cat I think I’ve met before.

May 27th – A terrible day with some of the worst rainstorms I’ve ever seen. The day was muggy and uncomfortable until late afternoon, when the thunder started; rumbling, continual, low and then a rainstorm of such ferocity local homes were flooded, roads were blocked into the night by flash floods and an elderly gentleman lost his life in Walsall when his car entered deep floodwater.

The skies cleared in the early evening and I set out to explore, and found that the lower meadow at Clayhanger Common, designed as a flood containment bund to save the village was filling from the swamped Canal overflow faster than I’ve ever seen it.

Fearful storms and damage on a really, really bad day.

May 26th – A 116 mile ride into the Peak District and back – it was good to see some corners of the Ashbourne and Hopton areas I hadn’t seen in a good while, as well as ride the High Peak and Tissington trails.

More photos on my main blog later.

I took time out to ride Hognaston Winn, site of the curious and almost alien -looking Trent DVOR, an aircraft navigational aid, sat incongruously in a field just off the Ashbourne to Wirksworth road. It’s quite one of the oddest radio installations I’ve ever seen, but provides a vital service – see more here.

A great ride on a surprisingly good day.

May 25th – A dreadful commute, in both directions. It was the first rainy day for ages, so I can’t complain really by by heck it was wet. I got soaked in heavy rain in the morning, battling my way through standing water and on slippery roads; then on my return in fine, penetrating, all dampening drizzle.

The roses along the cycleway in Goscote looked beautiful on it though.

Hopefully a better day tomorrow.