BrownhillsBob

October 28th – A busy day, and I returned at dusk through Chasewater – where the deer were still loafing on the Rugby pitch and seem to have taken up permanent residence. This is remarkable, and not 20 yards away, the clubhouse was as active and noisy ars a busy social club can be, and the deer clearly weren’t bothered at all. The ability of red deer to integrate seamlessly into urbanity is astonishing.

The sunset on the canal, returning to Brownhills, was also beautiful, but dramatic, and the wind was biting. It was good to be near home.

October 27th – Yet the day had it’s best in store for me. Labouring up past Aldershaw feeling tired, I returned via Chesterfield, Wall Butts, Hilton and Stonnall in a truly glorious, remarkable golden hour of beautiful orange light and glowing autumn colour.

It’s amazing how one afternoon can completely transform your mood and lift you from the gloom you’ve been in.

October 27th – I managed to finish work in the early afternoon and got myself and my bike to Lichfield for a lovely autumn sunny afternoon.

The old city and the sisters of the Vale looked gorgeous with the low sun and long shadows, as did Festival Gardens, the war memorial and Minster Pool.

Lichfield can be awfully up itself sometimes, but it’s a very beautiful place and it would be impossible not to love it – and a content afternoon mooching for gifts in the junk shops and charity emporia was a great way to unwind.

Some great weather at last!

October 26th – Another horrible, snatched image, but it shows a place I don’t go so much these days because it’s undergoing change which makes it hostile to cycling.

The Shire Oak Crossroads is an important junction in south Brownhills, with a landmark pub and atop a large hill. Carring to major routes, the traffic lights here have always been busy and daunting, and the junction is currently being remodelled, and is replete with barriers, closed footpaths and added, surprise potholes.

While it’s so unpredictable, it’s best avoided on a bike, particularly at night, as many drivers take wide corners or get confused with positioning.

Hopefully it’ll all work out better in the end.

October 26th – A snatched picture from a darkness errand to Stonnall on my way home – what smashing halloween pumpkins!

Sadly, one seems to have been split by the heat from the nightlight inside, but they were clearly well made – the large one is particularly excellent.

I’m not huge on halloween, to be honest, but I do love the inventiveness of it, particularly the carved gourds.

I spotted these near Sandhills and they genuinely made me smile!

October 25th – Pleasingly, I escaped work in daylight, so took the chance to spin along the canal home. On the embankment at Pleck, the fly agaric are dying off now, after yet another spectacular display – but one or two good examples remain, like this huge one.

I have no idea what’s so favourable for these most traditional of toadstools, but there’s a huge quantity grow here. Right in the urban heart of Walsall.

You never can tell.

October 25th – I popped into Darlaston on an errand from work at noon, on a lovely sunny late autumn day, and took time to appreciate the architecture of this lovely town. Across the hedges and careful topiary of the gardens of Rectory Avenue, the twin historic fascinations of the Columbarium and St Lawrence’s Church; just around the corner Pardoes Cottage, a curiosity in it’s own, handsome right.

My inly frustration is the inability ti get a good angle on that lovely church, although it’s one positive aspect of autumn – in summer one can barely see the church at all!

October 24th – I popped to Telford late morning on a quite errand and noted this row of trees near the cycleway, whose uniformity has always fascinated me.

All ornamental cherries, the branch at the same height, are about equall in height, blossom and shed at the same time, and never seem to need management at all.

And in autumn they make for great photos!

October 24th – With the immediate rush easing off a little, I took a diversion on the way to work to check out the earthstar fungi a little further up the industrial estate I discovered accidentally a few weeks ago.

They’re doing wonderfully and there were some perfect specimens.

I love how they look like they’ve been made out of clay or plasticine. Their shapes almost look inorganic.

fungi are fascinating. I wonder if we’ll get any in the usual spot on Clayhanger Common this year? They normally come later, around December…

October 23rd – Specially for a lady in Brownhills who commented over the weekend that I didn’t photograph frogs and toads anymore – well, the truth of the matter is… I do if I see them!

No the damp, dark evenings are here I’m more likely to see the amphibian community taking the air, just as I spotted this lovely frog near a garden fence in Sheffield this evening on my way home.

I love the patterns frogs have; they seem unique in colour and variety from frog to frog.