Author: BrownhillsBob

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

February 1st – High above the shop-fronts in Stafford Street, Walsall, on the shop next to The Prince Blucher pub, there’s a blue plaque. I first noticed it about 4 years ago and it has intrigued me to this day. The text is so small and placement so obscure that I never managed to read it properly, which is a shame. I see from my photo that it commemorates Joseph Deakin, a name I’d not heard before. It seems this one time anarchist, political activist and would-be terrorist of sorts has a tale to tell all of his own. And I never realised. What guide to the town breathes the name? Who mentions this clearly very principled, yet misguided man? Who’d have thought so much history could be found in such an obscure place?

January 31st – Since mass manufacture upped sticks and left town, one of Darlaston’s largest employers – in terms of ground space, if not number of employees, has to be the scrap metal recycling trade. There are several large yards operating in the area to the east of Darlaston Green. These are huge, well run commercial concerns operated by big companies. At the top of the scrap food chain, there are constant deliveries and collections of scrap metal coming into and out of this yard. 
On the far side of the Canal at Bentley Bridge, I notice a pile of the kind of white goods collected by tatters. It will have undoubtedly been delivered from a smaller scrapyard. Items off the pile have toppled down the canal bank and lie in the water. Anyone labouring under the impression that the scrap trade can be made fully traceable should look at this and consider how – and this is a good yard. Imagine the state of the bad ones…

January 31st – Today returned to grey. Travelling to work, I was struck by the grimness of the day. Not quite as bad as Sunday, but it was still jolly depressing; overcast, constantly threatening snow but never delivering. I noted that Jockey Meadows on the Walsall Wood/Shelfield border, irritatingly referred to as Jockey Fields in the recently erected Natural England signage, looked impressively cinematic. I’d quite like some snow for a change. Maybe I’ll be lucky this week.

January 30th – Darlaston was similarly beautiful again. I love Victoria Park and this partof town – it’s so quiet and peaceful. I love the soft contours of the old railway cutting and the oddly delicate wooden footbridge. The green turf contrasts beautifully with the Victorian, four-square red brick townhouses. Once, steam trains thundered through here, now just walkers, a little local traffic and the odd, awestruck cyclist.

Just a minor point, though. Does anyone else get a slight Teletubby vibe from this landscape?

January 30th – This was the cold, clear, bright day I was hoping for on Sunday. Sadly, I had to go to work. On the whole, I’d rather have been throwing my bike around Cannock Chase, but then, you can’t have everything.

Today, for some reason, I chose not to take my usual route through The Butts and headed down to the Arboretum Junction. As I cycled past, I noticed the sunlight and haze over the Arboretum lake and decided to take a few pictures. Sadly, they all suffered from lens flare, but the view was gorgeous. Good to see the refurbishment coming on so well. The bandstand seems to be wonderfully restored.

January 29th – On the kissing gate at the entrance to the new pond at Clayhanger, I spotted this notice. Thought I’d feature it here, as anyone making such an effort to get the community together in any activity deserves a little support. I wish Garry and Jackie all the best in their venture.

I noticed also that the kissing gate had recently been expertly rebuilt by (I assume) the countryside and estates guys at Walsall Council. I also observed that the common itself was again spotless, and it appears that some coppicing is in progress. People have been working hard on the greenspace locally for a while now – there are refurbished boardwalks over on Brownhills Common and some brush cutting and thinning there, too. 

Thanks, folks, your work is much appreciated.

January 29th – I went to bed last night wholly expecting to wake up to a frosty, crisp, bright day. I was to head to Cannock Chase, maybe over Shugborough. Sadly, I hadn’t bothered to check the weather. What I woke up to was a miserable, dank, dark and dismal day. I busied myself with other things and headed out for a spin late afternoon, just before the light began to die. I went up around the new pond at Clayhanger, then back into Brownhills and up the old Railway Line to Ryders Mere. Not a soul about, only the old fox I normally see here at sundown, looking bedraggled and fed up. We both stood stock still for a few seconds, and then he turned tail and trotted off. That fox always fascinates me – I think that to him, humans are just unpredictable, odd looking foxes, tolerable company if we keep still and mind our own business.

He looked grey today. The landscape was grey. Everything looked the same. I hate days like this.

January 28th – Lichfield was as beautiful as ever, although the level of empty shops – and the decline in numbers of patrons – was very noticeable. The sunset was gorgeous, and to my delight, it wasn’t truly dark until after 5:00pm. It’s a bit previous, I know, but it really feels like darkness is coming to an end for another year. We certainly seem to have it on the run…

January 28th – It was a beautiful afternoon with a fantastic golden hour. Pottering around Brownhills, then into Lichfield, it was the longest leisure ride I’d had since visiting the Chase three weeks ago. It seemed very cold, but I guess this is just normal January, I’ve been softened by the unseasonably warm spell. Recovering well, I felt great, and I felt like I had some power in my legs. Cruising down Pipe Hill into Lichfield, I noticed that the only significant cloud in the sky was the plume of steam coming from Rugeley power station. Wonder if many folk noticed it and realised what it was?