May 18th – Riding home along a damp canal on a grey evening commute, I noticed the apple blossom is really, really profuse this year. This crab apple tree near the Black Cock Bridge in Walsall Wood is absolutely beautiful – and the scent is wonderful.

With decent weather in the last few days, hopefully pollination will be good. Certainly plenty of bees about, even on their grey, chilly evening.

May 18th – On the way home, I checked out the Watermead swan family, still with 9 healthy cygnets, enjoying the sun near the canal overflow opposite Silver Street.

They all seem in good health, and the parents are very attentive. I think they’re too large now to be of interest to the local herons, but I hope mum and dad are vigilant for brer fox. 

We usually lose one or two – let’s hope we don’t this year. Such a fine family.

May 17th – I see the canals are looking pretty messy again – not to worry though, as this pollution is entirely natural and harmless.

Lots of reed detritus and airborne blossom debris is combining, as it does at various times of the year, to form a heavy scum in wind traps on the surface of the water.

It’s harmless and will decay within a week or so, it’s perfectly natural.

May 16th – I had to visit Telford briefly, but I noticed how much greener the cycleways were than the last time I visited. Sadly, I’d just caught the end of the blossom on that wonderful line of trees, but the tunnel effect and verdant hedgerows were a joy all the same.

People knock Telford (me included) but it’s surprisingly beautiful in places.

May 15th – The ride to and from Fazeley was nice, too. I sped there, running late after some bike maintenance prompted by the previous day’s tribulations, but cutting over Little Hay was lovely. I left the market heading south to Middleton and the conveyor Bridge, and came out to the rear of Middleton Hall, so I came through Drayton Basset for a change, forgetting the grinding uphill run past the vineyards to Caraway Head. 

Drayton Basset is, of course, the resting place of Sir Robert Peel, creator of the British Police Force, and who died surprisingly young, at 62.

The scenery was beautiful, there was a bit of an insistent headwind on the way back, but a pleasing 30 miles.

My 15th – A pleasant recovery ride down to Faxeley Junction in Tamworth to see an old friend – there was a ‘floating market’ there which I caught the tail end of; it was a lovely, gentle event.

As at any canal gathering, the dogs were the stars of the sow; the two retrievers on the doggie boat were gorgeous, even tempered things. Others snoozed, loafed or begged treats from passers by.

There was plenty to see and do and it was a lovely afternoon in the sun to soothe my aches after the long ride of the day before.

May 14th – A long ride from Congleton to home, a distance of 108 miles. I took in The Cloud, Roaches, Flash (the highest village in England), Morridge, Weaver Hills and Tutbury. It was a gorgeous day, and a good ride despite having mechanical trouble. 

To see a large gallery of this journey, see this post on my main blog.

May 14th – The first century day ride of the year saw me travel to Congleton in Cheshire first thing. It was a nice journey with a single change at Stoke, which is a very underrated station.

I love the wide open, light and airy feel it has, and a decent buffet, too. Stations like this are a pleasure to wait in, and I’ve always loved this one.

Let’s hope it isn’t ruined in a drive to ‘modernise it, just as Rugby was.