April 2nd – A better ride on the first warm, shirtsleeve day of the year, with thankfully little wind. I rode out into Staffordshire, up through Chorley and Hanch to Blithbury, then a call at Cobwebs for tea and cake. From there, through Abbots Bromley past Bogot Wood, then over along Marchington Cliff to the church of St. John in Marchington Woodlans, at Woodroffes. This church is beautiful, and absolutely in the middle of nowhere.

A run through Marchington, Coton in the Clay, Hanbury, Needwood, Dunstall and Barton then back on NCN 54 to Lichfield and home was a lovely ride in excess of 60 miles.

I had a good average at near 13mph and felt fluid and full of energy – remarkable considering my recent issues.

Spring is here, so is the sun and I’m totally ready for this.

Thanks for all the best wishes on the 6th anniversary – still can’t quite believe I’m still doing this. I never thought I’d still be here today.

madoldbaggage:

Saturday 25 March 2017

Shugborough reopened this week. Hooray! Last November Staffordshire County Council handed back the lease to the National Trust and since then the NT have been starting what will be a 10 year renovation programme. As such it has a half empty feel to it all at present.
The house, servants quarters and farm are all open but alas all the old farm machinery has gone from the farm, all the old Staffs CC information displays and exhibitions have gone and the walled garden looks very neglected. Also many rooms in the house are empty pending displays. There’s a lot to do and being honest, charging full price for what is available is a bit cheeky in my opinion. At £33 for a family ticket it isn’t cheap!
Despite all of this we had a pleasant afternoon following our picnic from a proper hamper I hope you know (!) near to the Triumphal Arch and we shall return in a few months to see how it’s all going and to see the Lichfield apartments that are not open at present.

April 1st – While I’ve been obsessing over leaves and flowers, the canals have, as ever, been doing their own thing, and the birdlife is following it’s spring imperative.

Herons, scarcer during winter, are out and about again, and birds are nesting, from coots to the Watermead swan couple.

Everywhere, life if kicking off again for the coming summer, and I love every single sign of it.

April 1st – It’s the sixth anniversary of this journal today, and what better way to celebrate that than a canalside drama in photos?

Very lucky to catch this, so excuse the awful focus in the action shots. I just saw a small ginger face behind the geese and assumed it was a fox, not a particularly ambitious, small ginger cat!

I don’t know who this dashing young blade is, but it had big dreams, ad was hunting near the new builds between Catshill Junction and silver Street in Brownhills.

A lovely cat, and no geese were harmed in the making of this post!

March 31st – Also seeming to prosper at the moment is the Shire Oak, a pub that up until the last change of stewardship last year was experiencing difficult times. After a period of closure, the lights are back on and welcoming in the dark of the night.

The place always seems busy and I’ve not heard anyone with anything bad to say about the place.

Must take a trip up the hill sometime and try it out.

March 31st – It was a fairly decent day, but an appointment in Birmingham meant riding my bike was impractical, so the only bike action I saw was an errand into Stonnall just after nightfall.

Stonnall, amazingly, still manages to support two pubs within very close proximity – the Old Swan and the Royal Oak. Both are decent houses and popular, and it’s remarkable they get the business they do in what is, effectively, a small village.

Long may they continue.

March 30th – I spotted this grumpy looking cove behind the railings of the church on Scarborough Road in Pleck on my way home – I think the people of the church feed him. He’s actually a lovely, friendly boy but for some reason he really didn’t like the camera much at all.

Lovely to see the urban cat population waking up after winter and taking the air – especially older cats I’m familiar with, like this lad. There’s something delightful about an old cat, warming their bones in the spring sun, feeling the stirring of the season, dozing and surely dreaming of past triumphs.

So glad to see an old cat feel the warmth of another spring sun once more.

March 30th – The wolfish, windy days continue, but at least it was warm and sunny. After battling the wind from work into Tipton, I returned with it thankfully behind me. Crossing the Black Country Route near Moxley, I noticed the hint of spring in this favourite view of the church.

Just a hint of green. Soft sunlight, A blue sky. This’ll do.