April 26th – Out late afternoon for a fast spin out to Hints via Canwell, Weeford and Shenstone. It was a gorgeous day with a grim north wind – but the sun and shade more than made up for it. I didn’t have much time to stop, but the oilseed rape was at full blast, and everything looked fresh and green.
I note with sadness that the magnolia at Hints Church -which is normally stunning – seems to have had a bad year, poor thing.
April 26th – Things that happen while you’re not looking. In the last week, my favourite tree on the edge of Home Farm, Sandhills has burst into life. I love that horse chestnut, and I judge the seasons by it. It’s a handsome tree that can be seen from the canal at Catshill, and I watch it’s progress carefully.
Reassuring to see it green for another year, in such lovely spring sunshine.
April 25th – The void in the canal embankment on the bend between Pier Street and Catshill Junction is worsening. It’s been growing for two years as the brickwork collapses, and the Canal & River Trust don’t seem to be in any hurry to fix it. They are undertaking repairs further down to sections of embankment that don’t seem as badly affected. Hopefully, they’re working up in this direction.
To me, this is a serious hazard that could trap a walkers foot or bicycle wheel. Like the cover to the sluice up at Clayhanger Bridge, it seems just like the kind of hazard they should be on top of.
The Canal & River Trust have been informed of both issues repeatedly.
April 25th – A recovery day, mainly resting and pottering around attending to mechanical issues with the bikes. Long-term readers will remember my bizarre crank failure last spring, and at the time I suggested I’d never see it again: well, I was wrong.
This is an identical Lasco crank from my other bike. There are clear cracks growing either side of the pedal mount bore. Thankfully, I had a spare so changed it over on discovery, hopefully forestalling an unexpected failure.
I‘m not sure if this is a poor design, manufacturing failure or a sign that I should lose some weight…
April 24th – First of the year for me, spotted on the riverbank in north Leicester, these goslings were very cute. Not at all nervous of me, mum and dad were quite content to let me get close. They clearly weren’t very old and had cute in shedloads.
The photos didn’t work out too well, but I think you get the idea!
Now there’s a sign of spring!
April 24th – A long ride today. I had an early meeting in Leicester, so I decided to take advantage and ride home – via Derby. I followed National Cycle Route 6 up through Leicester, Mountsorrel and Loughbourough, through Shepshed and Belton and from Worthington up the old rail line to Swakestone; from there, short hop on the canal, then up the old canal line that’s now a cycle trail right in to Derby.
I left Derby on route 68 through Mickleover and Mackworth, to Etwall; from there to Burton, then Barton and Lichfield. A bit shy of 100 miles, but the wind was punishing and I’m not yet back to peak condition.
I loved the whole thing. Route 6 is ace and I saw lots of places I need to go back to – not least Mountsorrel which looked gorgeous. Derby was as wonderful as ever.
The sun disappeared at lunchtime, but it was a nice enough day, and the ride reminded me of places I’d forgotten and needed back in my life.
Enjoyable, but tiring, I was glad to get home.
April 23rd – A waiting game. Still she patiently sits on her nest, secluded in the safety of the disused canal basin in Pleck, Walsall. Her mate patrols the canal on the mainline nearby, and today she had mallards for company.
It’ll be interesting to see if she has eggs, or if this is a dry run. Quite safe in there, the nest is surrounded by fences all round, inaccessible to the public.
I love watching the swans.
April 23rd – Stopped at the lights in Darlaston, I realised a happy face was watching me from the tailgate of the van in front.
I whipped out the camera and snatched a picture before the lights changed. I love found faces.
April 22nd – A spin around Stonnall on an errand on the way home, and it’s getting to late spring, early summer, or at least it feels that way: warm air, surrounded by flowers and greening hedgerows and trees. I seems a world away from the scene here a few short weeks ago.
It’s also hard to imagine that on April 5th, 2013, there was still snow on these fields.
One of the most charming and frustrating things about cycling in Britain is the weather. You never know quite what’s going to happen next…
April 22nd – I spotted this striking red and green shrub in a border just in the backstreets of Pleck. It’s rather stunning, and brightened my day. Anyone know what it is?
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