Octyober 31st – I tried to get a shot tonight of the spectacularly beautiful Four Oaks Church, which is stunningly lit at night, but my photos were horrid. The Four Oaks Pub itself, however, fared better. Night photography is a very black art and I still haven’t got to the bottom of it. Use of flat surfaces and self timer is a must, although a Gorillapod is handy. This shot was taken with the Gorillapod wrapped round the bike crossbar whilst leaning against a tree.
October 31st – The Arrow Valley route in Redditch was looking excellent today – the leaves have really turned now, and the recent rains seemed to have cleansed things and sharpened them up. For what I would personally consider the first day of Winter – the first day of non-British Summer Time, when it was dark when I left home, and dark when I left work. The autumn colour certainly improved my dismal Monday mood – shame the newly burnt out car abandoned on the trail pulled it back down again. There’s some arseholes about.
October 30th – It’s good to see the site of the long-gone Superalloys factory being redeveloped. Derelict for thirty years or more, it’s stood for decades as a testament to Brownhills’ lost industrial past. Once a chemical works and known to locals as ‘The Chemical’, the land was contaminated and hard to pitch to developers. Finally, one of the last major manufacturers in the area, Castings PLC, have decided to expand onto the wasteland and the new building is positively flying up. Although it towers over Ogley Junction, I welcome the jobs and business this new factory will bring. Good news in a bleak economic landscape.
October 30th – I found myself crossing Chasewater for the third time in as many days. Today, I came along the canal as far as Wharf Lane; hopping off and across the footpath that traverses the north side of the old trotting track. This is a heavily used route by local cyclists since the closure of the canal basin access to Chasewater. The stile at the Chasewater end of the path is a pain to negotiate, and achieves nothing in terms of security (the site is open to vehicles at numerous, more southerly points). I noted with some amusement today as I hefted my steed over the bottom rail, the imprint of oily chainrings on it and the wear they’ve caused. Surprised it’s still in one piece.
October 29th – Highfield House Farm is still decaying silently. Robbed of anything of value (including it’s roof tiles), the derelict farm is a haunt of bored teenagers, explorers and the curious. When I was a kid this was a functioning farm, with a dog that used to bark and snarl violently as you walked past the yard, now it’s quiet, a ghost of a past that seems very distant now. Planning applications to replace this grim welcome to Chasewater come and go, yet this haunting building seems determined to cling on until it collapses into it’s own cellar. A sad landmark.
October 29th – Today found me at Chasewater again, and once more I was here at the dying of the day. Coming over the motorway bridge at twilight, against what was a rather evil wind, it threatened rain; rain which was clearly already falling elsewhere. This peculiar little rainbow was visible for 20 minutes or so due east. A lovely splash of colour on a rather dull day.
October 28th – In contrast, doubling back over Springhill and Shire Oak down into Walsall Wood, I stopped to admire the lights southwest towards Walsall. Somehow, I didn’t quite capture what I wanted here, but this view is iconic to me, and maybe a camera can’t do it justice. I’ve admired the lights stretching out before me here on many an occasion, and find it engaging and captivating, yet I think it’s a view not many ever notice.
October 28th – Out early evening, a quick spin around the local area. I found myself at a darkened Chasewater, and taking a quick look round for a decent photo, could find nothing better than the Innovation Centre. No one was around at 6:30pm, just a few workmen in the dam compound and the sounds of activity from the brewery… I sat on a bench, listening to the geese chattering softly tin the dark. And then I heard an owl call.
This is Brownhills. I heard an owl hoot in the darkness. I still find that incredible – unthinkable when I was a kid.
October 27th – It was still throwing it down at 8pm when I reached Brownhills. Been meaning to take this shot for a while – Knave’s Court, the new sheltered housing development at Anchor Bridge is architecturally interesting, and beautifully lit at night. It didn’t scrub up too bad, considering the awful weather.
October 27th – Zipping home late from work in heavy rain, I was suffering a migraine, so headed for the quiet back lanes of Little Aston and Stonnall, the better not to contend with too much traffic. Near Little Aston forge, I spotted this fellow sat bolt upright in the road, enjoying the precipitation. This common toad – I’m surprised he wasn’t already hibernating – must have had a hard, dry summer, and he really seemed to be enjoying the rain. He was alert, and nervous. I moved him carefully to the grass verge and cycled on. Hopefully, he’ll stay out of the way of passing vehicles.
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