BrownhillsBob

January 28th – I’ve not mentioned much about the bike technology on this blog, which is a bit odd, really, because without it, I wouldn’t be able to ride like I do. One of my favourite innovations of the last ten years or so is the road disc brake. This model – the Avid BB7 – is designed to work with road, rather than mountain bike setups and levers. It is cable operated and stops you on a sixpence, wet or dry. There’s no rim wear, no rubbing, and the pads last for ages. Maybe not quite as good as a top-end set of hydraulic discs, but not far off in my opinion. All my bikes have disc brakes, fantastic things.

January 27th – It was my turn to leave early. Relishing the chance to get a commute home in the light, I left work at 4:15pm, not realising it was raining. Again stupidly finding myself without waterproof trousers, I made my sodden way home. The roads were mad, as they usually are when it rains, so I dived onto the canal in Pleck and flipped over to National Cycle Route 5 in Goscote. The rain cleared up by the time I got to Reedswood, but I was wet and chilly. Ah, the best laid plans…

January 27th – Today was the exact opposite of yesterday, well, sort of. A beautiful but chilly ride into work, on a very spring-like sunny morning. Then it howled it down on me on the way back home. Since it was such a nice morning, I cut through Cartbridge Lane and hopped on the cycle track at the back of Ryecroft cemetery, then down into The Butts via Mill Lane nature reserve. The sun was gorgeous, going from hazy to bright blue skies. I stopped in Victoria Park to reflect on how fine the view of Darlaston was, and just what a huge amount of culture was encapsulated in one shot. All apart from that bloody metal tree…

January 26th – Returning mid-evening through Walsall Wood for a change, I stopped on the canal bridge. Even at 8pm, the High Street looks busy. Considering all it’s been through over the years, The Wood has stood up remarkably well in the face of change, and retains it’s pleasant, villagey atmosphere, despite the traffic.

January 26th – Awful commute. Chilly, headwind. Then the rain started – the kind of rain that’s so cold onto your forehead that it physically causes pain. Luckily, I was close to the canal in Walsall, and took refuge under the Bridgeman STreet canal bridge until it passed. As I got to work, the sun came out, just to take the mickey. Great.

January 25th – returning late from work, I headed for a change, up through Pleck and over Church Hill. I stopped on the railway bridge on the Wednesbury Road. Although the metal footbridge was shaking well in the wind, I managed to get this pretty decent picture by standing the camera on the top of the guard rail. I love railway views at night. Luckily the wind was behind me, and I was soon home.

January 25th – I’d like to claim credit for noticing this, but I didn’t, so can’t. Great pal [Howmuch?] spotted this and told me a few weeks ago. Today, as I rolled down Hatherton Street in the Butts, near Walsall Town Centre, I recorded a fascinating little relic of the past. These buildings are due to be demolished to make way for a new factory, being moved in from elsewhere in the borough. Formerly offices and workshops, they’ve lain derelict for some years. As I took these pictures, construction workers were erecting hoardings around the site prior to its clearance commencing. Before they did, I had to photograph the above small sign, situated next to one of the boarded-up doors.

I know nothing about the Umbrella Manufacturing and Repairing Company, or what happened to them. But the thought crosses my mind: how long has it been since such a business could be economically viable in Walsall? A curious, odd little piece of history. Glad I caught it before it was lost forever.

January 24th – Sadly, there’s another derelict building in Kings Hill, Darlaston that I’ve as yet not recorded. The Scott Arms has been empty and boarded up for a long tome now, and like the other lost pubs in the locality, I doubt it will see life as an inn again. I don’t know what it was like as a pub, this isn’t my patch, but it’s clear to see that the decline of local industry and a change in social habits have sealed the fate of many a backstreet, blue collar boozer like this. A tragedy.

January 24th – I’m fascinated by some of the curious things people do to make mobile homes. From van conversions to trailers to… aberrations like this, really. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on with this. Parked near the old Charles Richards factory in Darlaston Green, I’ve never seen it move. It appears to consist of an ex-military Landrover special vehicle with a truncated caravan mounted on the back. Seemingly keeping the ensemble together in a frame of tubular, square-section steel. Quite what the deal is with the outriggers is unknown. I don’t know who owns and built this, but I salute your inventiveness…

January 23rd – Returning to Walsall Wood at sunset for a meeting, I hauled my bike up the steps at Walsall Wood Bridge and was immediately awestruck by the colour of the sky. Without my gorillapod handy, I stood the camera gingerly on the handrail. Not to bad for a junk shot. It seemed chilly tonight, and a proper winter sunset to boot. This is more like it.