December 21st – Further down the village, the Old Swan always looks busy and welcoming in Main Street, Stonnall. Tonight, the village was quiet, apart from the inevitable queue from the chippy, but the pub looked busy. It always does.
For the benefit of @thestymaster, those christmas lights are green, OK? I checked.
December 21st – A day without rain, at last. I headed to Birmingham (without my bike) to do Christmas shopping, then returned home exhausted. After a restorative strong coffee, I headed down into Stonnall to bag fish and chips for tea from the Stonnall chippy – the best chip shop in the area. On the way, I noticed that Wordsley House looks lived in again. Lights were on around the back, and work seems to be starting. This is a handsome house, with a long history. Lets hope it has owners who respect it.
Oh, thank you, that’s really sweet. Cheers! And merry Christmas!
December 20th – It was still peeing it down when I arrived at Lichfield – soggy, muddy but exhilarated. The rain was a fun challenge to cycle in, but the traffic was murder. I haven’t been here for a while, and noted, as ever, the excellent Christmas lights. The quiet city gave me chance to get shopping done, and admire the new, Debenhams-sponsored Christmas tree, which, I have to say, is probably one of the best public trees I think I’ve ever seen.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. But wetter…
December 20th – Sorry to keep banging on about Chasewater, but it’s fascinating me, I’ve never seen anything like this. It rained all day, and going stir-crazy, I donned the waterproofs and went out, first up to Chasewater, then on to Lichfield to do some shopping. The going was fast and windless, but the rain was heavy and persistent. Chasewater was deserted, and the levels continue to rise at a truly astonishing rate. Last Sunday, 16th of December, the level on the pier was at the 58cm mark on the scale on the pier. On Thursday 20th – today – it had risen to the 44cm mark. That’s a whole 14cm increase – about 5 and a half inches – In four days. Considering the huge increase in surface area as the level rises, this is remarkable. I think the lake may be full by New Year. The sandy beach has now returned at the north end of the dam, and the water is now coming up to the balcony boardwalk. It laps along the toe of the dam, and the new culvert between the Swag and main pool flows healthily. If you can, get up there when the weather breaks. I am captivated by the transition.
December 19th – I wasn’t out long. It was just too unpleasant. But one place that does look nicer and nicer – particularly on a chilly, dark night – is The Swan, on the Pelsall Road. Saved from almost certain loss, the pub survives – and thrives, by all accounts – as a traditional, no-nonsense family and community boozer. No frills, just good beer and good company.
And that’s all you need, really…
December 19th – I was hoping for a cold, dry Christmas. It seems it’s going to be another warm, damp one like last year. Today was pretty grim, and I left it until after dark to take in a grim loop of Brownhills.
You guys over in Chasewater Wildlife Group… you doing the rain dance. You can stop now, it’s OK. Honest…
December 18th – The weather has become warm, drizzly and misty once more. On my return from Chasetown, I noticed the streetlights on the road below were highlighting the thin mist. I’m fascinated by the view from this bridge. This is the new road system constructed a decade ago to support the M6 Toll. The roads are wide, open and fast, and without the expected traffic level, seem impressively large at night. In the background glow the red lights of Sutton Coldfield’s transmitters. There’s something almost inhuman about the design of these roads – no footpaths, a world prohibited to pedestrians, yet they have a very human beauty. I find them fascinating.
December 18th – Crossing the Chasetown Bypass from Anglesey Wharf to Paviours Road at night, I was struct by the parabolic nature of the footbridge, and the light and shade. Some of these structures – in daylight mundane, unremarkable – come to life at night. Sometimes, you just stop, and savour the magic of it.
December 17th – Small Heath is great. I love the crowded, busy streets, and I love the air of frantic commerce. Where once the asians were the newcomers here – there’s a considerable muslim community – the newcomers now are largely Eastern European and African, and they seem to be bringing their own shops, cultures and languages. I love the feeling of worlds melding together. Streets of crowded terraces, factory units and the odd remarkable building. This one – displaying tragically the malaise of the stopped public clock – was clearly a pub, but I know nothing about it. Sat proudly on the corner of Anderton Road and Montgomery Street, it’s a landmark from the train. I hope it has a secure future.
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