August 5th – Spinning home through Shelfield I spotted this guy staring intently at something in the hedge. I’ve no idea what small, squeaky thing he spotted, but it kept him transfixed for a while.

Then he heard me, and gave me one of those evil, fixed stares that all the best cats master at an early age.

‘Who dares disturb my activities?’

I love cats.

August 5th – I was feeling OK, it was just after sunrise on a bright summer day and so I decided to head to work via Aldridge and the Chester Road at Stonnall, just to catch Grove Hill in the soft light. There seems to be a crop of potatoes growing around the iconic tree, but the lower field of wheat has been harvested.

In the early morning light the stubble looked golden and beautiful, and I was puzzled by the one remaining stack of square straw bales. You don’t see many square ones these days. Unusual.

I love this spot and haven’t photographed it for ages. But it changes little, and always retains it’s magic.

August 4th – If you;re around Walsall and have half an hour to kill, I can recommend a walk or ride down the cycle route that follows the Ford Brook in Goscote Valley from The Butts to Pelsall.

At the moment the meadows and heaths around it are alive with colour – rose bay willow herb, ragwort, daisies and other meadow flowers form a carpet, and the metallic tang and bright pink-white show of the invasive himalayan balsam is remarkable.

This isn’t commonly thought to be a picturesque part of Walsall – but there is so much to see, including a buzzard being mobbed by crows as I cycled my way home.

August 4th – No idea what’s happened in the last couple of days, but Victoria and Kings Hill parks in Darlaston are alive with fungi. I assume these are field mushrooms – I didn’t want to destroy them to check for sure. They’re a good 3-4 inches across and look healthy. So nice to see the fungi back, even if it does herald autumn…

August 2nd – Victoria Park, Darlaston, and a sign of the advancing seasons awakens me to the idea that summer is ebbing away: earthball fungus, looking pristine and fresh growing well in the grass.

Relatives of the better known puffball (indeed, some call the pigskin poison puffball), earthballs have no aperture to let the spores escape, they merely collapse when ripe and allow the wind to do the rest.

They are mildly toxic and can cause bad reactions, including a very bad stomach and allergy-like symptoms, such as rhinitis.

Fascinating fungus though.

August 2nd – Up on the Chase for the first time in ages, and I realised how much I’d been missing it. From Hazelslade to Rainbow Hill, Slitting Mill to Birches valley, up Penkridge Bank, Rifle Range Corner, Abraham’s Valley, Seven Springs, Stepping Stones then Milford. From Milford to Brockton, down into Sherbrooke Valley via Brockton Field, and back via the former RAF Hednesford. 

Once away from the crowds it was a treat, and the deer ar Brockton were an unexpected joy.

August 1st – It’s a while since I’ve been able to photograph a heron locally. This chap, on the canal at Aldridge behind RMD showed beautifully for me as I took a quick afternoon trip out to get some shopping in. I got within 20 metres as the bird strolled along the bank, watching the water for fish. He’s clearly a youngster and didn’t have much fear; he only flew away when someone came in the other direction.

I love herons. So nice to see them continuing to thrive on the local waterways.

July 31st – An hour or so later, in Telford, I spotted the flowerbed at the railway station was rather wonderful in the sunlight. The day was warming, and the bright colours of the bedding plants were lovely. I don’t know who tends this planter, but whatever time of year it always looks incredible.

Thanks to whoever maintains it.

July 31st – Early morning, just after dawn, Mill Green in Aldridge. By heavens, it was cold; very cold for a summer morning. But it was sunny, and over this ripening field of oilseed rape, the sun passed and rendered it golden.

Interestingly wide field-margin, too – that’s got to be good for wildlife.