August 12th – Computer bother kept me busy all day. I’m a mac user,and one of the really great things about Apple macs is that they don’t often let you down, but when they do, it’s a major pain. I spent the day recovering from backups and generally being stressed. At sunset, I ventured out for a ride to let off steam. I took a look around Clayhanger Common and the pond at Clayhanger in a gorgeous, misty golden hour. There was a partial temperature inversion, and a peculiarly concentrated mist hung over the meadow near the old railway embankment. A very ethereal evening indeed.

August 11th – Oh my, the Autumnal signals are coming thick and fast now. Just as Home Farm are harvesting their wheat crop at Sandhills, I notice the hedgerow laden with brambles, both blackberry and dewberry. The dewberries, like those above, tend to come first – their fruit is slightly larger, less firm and has less globes than the smaller, sweeter blackberry. Soon this hedgerow will be laden with black fruit, a feast for birds, foxes and me, too. I do like a blackberry and apple pie…

August 11th – An afternoon recovery ride around Chasewater and Lichfield to keep my legs moving. At the canal by Catshill, there appears to be a film on the water. It always concerns me when I see this, as folk tend to think it’s pollution: it is, and it isn’t. It’s perfectly natural, and not man-made. The film is fibrous seed matter from thistles, willowherbs and other wind-seeding plants. 

An odd phenomena that soon passes.

August 10th – The Weaver Hills are one of my favourite bits of Staffordshire. From the floor of the Manifold Valley at Steeplehouse, to the ruins of Throwley Hall; from the picturesque, weathered beauty of Calton Village to the solitude and fine views of The Walk, they are a fine, pagan place. Hell to climb up from either side, but a heavenly descent. This is Staffordshire, the county I adore, at it’s finest. 

August 10th – I did a century, up to Cromford. Starting early, I cycled up the incline and onto the High Peak Trail, and on to Parsley Hay. Back down the Tissington, tea in the village, then off to Dovedale, climbing up to Throwley and on to Calton in the Weaver Hills. I love the Peak District, and as is often said, some of the best bits of Derbyshire are in Staffordshire; the Weavers are, and so is Ilam. It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day. I had power in my legs, and the sun on my back. It doesn’t get much better than this.

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August 9th – Teasels are a relatively new addition to the flora of Brownhills, I never used to see them as a kid. I think when Clayhanger Common was seeded after landscaping, teasels – in this case common or Fuller’s – spread from there to the immediate commons. Here at the old cement works bridge, over the Wyrley & Essington canal at The Slough, they’re growing on the trail edges of the former railway line in abundance. They derive their name from their use – as a comb in fabric processing, used to tease or raise the nap or fluffiness of materials like felt and wool.

They’re a lovely, fascinating wildflower. It’s good to see them spread.

August 9th – Today, I had time to myself. I spent it servicing my bikes, as tomorrow, I’m heading off for a long ride. Going for a late afternoon test run, I found my way to the canal at Brownhills. Standing on the Pier Street Bridge, I noticed how the locals were out in the sun – strolling, boating, sitting by the water. This spot could be so much nicer if the marina was maintained properly, but just to stand here, sun on my back and gaze for a while, was fine enough. Hello summer, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced…