December 16th – A grim return. I’d been in Birmingham on a late run, and as I left the train at Shenstone the rain was getting quite heavy. Without waterproof trousers, I got soaked. It wasn’t a fun ride, to be honest, but I did realise upon cresting Shire Oak Hill that I hadn’t noticed cycling up it. That’s the sign of familiarity, I think.

Come on Christmas, I’m knackered…

December 16th – This huge house in Mill Green has been empty for years, and had piqued my interest ever since I first noticed it on the corner of Mill and Forge Lanes. It’s huge, and must, when in good condition, have been worth a lot of money.

I’ve always wondered how such a property – in quite an exclusive area – comes to be derelict. There’s a story there, but I’m not even sure I want to know it, and attempts to find out have never been successful.

The gardens and hedges – long since overgrown – have now been cleared,  I noticed as I cycled past. There has been outstanding planning permission to demolish the place and build another house for a while. I suppose work will soon start.

A mystery. 

December 15th – Brownhills High Street. Darkness, rain and lights. Time to grab a takeaway, get home, dry off and have a mug or two of tea. 

It felt like Christmas there today. Something about the lights, night and rain; every year, I always feel there are obstacles between me and Christmas – need to get x job finished, attend y event, buy z etc. and they steadily tick down until the holiday.

This year, I seem to have cleared most of the hurdles early, and I have a decided air of smugness about me. This can’t really end well.

December 15th – A spin around the canal up to Pelsall on the way home, just to try and get a good angle on the sunset that was developing, and while pinning it down, it rained. 

An odd, cold evening that felt oddly airless and dank. But it was so beautiful, just the light, and water. I was glad to catch it, even if I did get wet.

December 14th – This evening, there was the annual Burntwood lantern parade and Christmas Fayre at Chasewater. This was the first time the parade had been held here, and last year, the Christmas Fayre was awful, so I was a bit unsure what to expect when I attended. 

What I actually found was wonderful.

The lantern parade – in the darkness of Chasewater – was beautiful and buzzing. The Christmas Fayre, much bigger than the year before, was packed and popular. This was a success at every level, and a joy to attend. Please excuse the awful photographs – conditions were very challenging for a rank amateur like me.

I hope this is the first of many such events.

I loved the way Santa turned up in a van lit for the occasion. The kids really seemed to enjoy it, and it was very Christmassy.

My thanks and compliments to the organisers – a brilliant job.

December 14th – Sadly, it seems myxomatosis has found the rabbit warren by the canal, just off Chase Road in Brownhills. This elderly rabbit can’t see and wasn’t aware of my presence, only moving when a couple of dogs came close. 

This awful disease sweeps through rabbit populations in waves; the last cases I saw were in Chorley, near Burntwood in 2011. The rabbit populations up there seem healthy and normal again.

It’s sad, but outbreaks like this are causing a gradual immunity to be selected in the rabbit population. In the meantime, I recommend anyone keeping pet rabbits in the locality makes sure they cannot come into contact with their wild brethren.

Let’s hope it passes soon.

December 13th – An excellent sunset. I needed to pop to Chasewater on an errand, and had intended to call to the supermarket in Burntwood, but left without a lock, which was fortuitous really. I noticed the beginnings of a good sundown while at the dam, and it improved steadily as I cycled back to Brownhills. From Ogley Junction it was gorgeous; strong, really strong pink and purple, yet by the time I got to Anchor Bridge it had dissipated into a light orange, and then darkness. It was fleeting, but gorgeous and had I gone to the supermarket as intended, I’d have missed it.

A fine evening to be out, and a very lucky strike with the sunset.

December 13th – The kind of cold, crisp morning that grabs your throat and seizes the air from within. The canal had frozen a little, and as I headed to the town Christmas market, I thought how beautiful the canal looked at Pier Street in it’s winter jacket.

In recent winters, we haven’t had nearly enough days like this. This year, I hope there are more. It’s the beauty of winter.

December 12th – Tesco, the retail giant, are in trouble. Beset by falling sales, a very competitive market and seemingly mired in financial scandal, they abandoned plans to redevelop Brownhills which left us with a rotting, decaying, derelict shopping centre and no regeneration plan.

Yet still their store operates, raking the money in…

Never mind, it’s Christmas and they’ve put a green paper hat on the sign.

Dear god, why? What an utter, utter waste by a company that can ill afford it. Are we all supposed to cheer? Perhaps Tesco could organise community carolling in Ravens Court.

One things for sure: the directors of Tesco came from the west, because wise men come from the east.