December 31st – A bit of a bug and a mountain of admin and accounts paperwork for work kept me home, but the weather wasn’t great. I slipped out at teatime, and sped along the darkened canal through Brownhills to Chasewater. 

There was no moonlight, and for once, Chasewater in the dark was uninspiring but not so the M6 Toll. For once quite busy, I waited for a gap in the traffic which bunches strangely.

I’m not keen on new year, to be honest; I dislike the forced jollity and felt quite down; but as ever, a ride on my cyclic antidepressant did the trick.

December 30th – Middleton Hall for tea and cake on a very grey, damp afternoon was unexpectedly rewarding: the tea and cake were as excellent as ever, but I also discovered that RSPB Middleton has a feeding station with an excellent viewing platform.

A constant stream of birds visit for food. I can’t wait to get there in decent light – these were taken just before sunset. I loved the thoughtful-looking woodpecker.

December 29th – I took a ride up to Park Lime Pits where I hadn’t been for ages as I thought the frozen towpaths might be easier to ride than the usual winter quagmire.

Sadly, the profusion of wildlife evident the day before was largely in hiding, although I did fleetingly see a large male fox patrolling his manor. The robins, however, were performing well.

This is a lovely spot that desperately needs the canal towpaths improving. Perhaps some of the money spent upgrading the ones in east Walsall unnecessarily could be directed here instead?

December 28th – Where the cycle route NCN 5 leaves the canal at Yew Tree, just north of Rushall Junction, the path is dark and unlit – so a solution has been found.

There are little white LED solar cats eyes marking the centre of the trail in the darkness. They’re really effective.

What a clever idea…

December 28th – It was one of those so cold, but so beautiful sunlight winter days when there was thin ice on the canal and the usual winter towpath quagmire had frozen solid, so I headed to Birmingham on the canal. From Aldridge, via Rushall Junction, Tower Hill, Aston and Brindley Place. After a call at the German Market I went up to Soho, over Sandwell Valley Park and home on NCN 5 via Yewtree and Walsall.

The kingfisher was the best that could be done – the birds are very active at the moment, but they don’t stay still for long! In the sunset photo, that’s St Augustine’s at Edgbaston, as viewed from the canal mainline at Rotton Park. the sky really was that colour.

A beautiful day, and a lovely ride.

December 27th – I needed to get out, and a silly challenge on social media led me to the Trent Valley, to prove Rugeley Power Station still exists. You’re probably best not asking, to be honest…

I ended up do a tough ride up to Hanch, then into Armintage, back along the canal to Rugeley, they over Stile Cop and back home via Prospect Village and Chasetown. 

The sunset – I caught it as I travelled back up the Trent Valley – was gorgeous, golden and cold. I mashed up Stile Cop from Rugeley, and didn’t stop until Chasetown. A great ride.

And guess what? The power station is still there. Out of use, but still lording it over the valley.

December 27th – Passing through Leomansley in Lichfield, in a hurry, I did a double take, and had to stop to record the Lichfeldian cervine genetic engineering project’s latest results.

I also learned from the ever informative, cardigan bedraped LichfieldLore that this is the home of the wonderful and witty A-Snalian thing. If you look closely, I’m being watched over the wall.

I’m told this is the second set of deer and penguins, the first being lost in the storm on Friday. That must mean there are others now roaming free.

Be afraid, kids, be very afraid.

December 26th – No time to take photos on the Chase as darkness fell, but an exhilarating blast off Brocton Field down into the valley was just what the doctor ordered. Remarkably, there were very few people around, and a fast loop up Sherbrook Valley and back over Wolseley Plain was wonderful.

Not so wonderful was the driving on the way back. Considering this is the season of goodwill, there’s an awful lot of aggression on the roads…