November 17th – It felt a long way from Christmas on this sunny but chilly day, but I found something quite festive in Hortonwood: the holly and the ivy. The holly berries are bright red and plump, this year’s crop, and the holly leaves are so shiny and perfect the look at first glance like they might be made of plastic.
The ivy, creeping up the fence in front, is also rather beautiful.
An odd find on a gorgeous day.
November 17th – Passing through Telford near lunchtime, it was a lovely late autumn day. Taking a short cut through Priorslee, I crossed the motorway bridge and was pleased to note the trees were still showing beautiful colours, and the cycleway was still an autumnal Arcadia.
Over the years I’ve given new towns like Telford and Redditch a lot of stick but they can be really beautiful in really unexpected ways.
November 16th – Not sure what this large fungus actually is, but it was handsome and glistening with collected dew and rainwater as I passed through Victoria Park in Darlaston in the early morning.
To my sadness, the fungi haven’t been terribly prolific this year – some did explode into life late, like the fly agaric, but this year I’ve hardly seen any puffballs, very few shaggy ink caps and the brackets seem well down too.
I do hope the unusually dry autumn hasn’t scuppered chances of seeing rosy earthstars at Clayhanger again…
November 16th – A hazardous time of year, and not just just from the black ice on frosty mornings. Many hazards lurk in the damp autumn waiting to steal the wheels from beneath the incautious cyclist – one of the worst is leaf mulch. Fallen leaves, ground into a pulp by feet and wheels turn to a soapy, slippery grease that makes steering and braking a hazard.Combine this on busy roads with road grime, oil and spilled diesel and you have a real recipe for an accident.
The only answer is to be vigilant, beware of the front brake and take it easy.
November 16th – Also providing colour, and much later than normally expected, the leaves are stunning still.
It’s that time of year when if it rains, many tracks, backlanes and other cycle routes become slippery with leaf pulp, which is treacherous and hard to predict.
The colours were beautiful, even against a threatening sky.
November 15th – There seem to be some species of shrub and tree that are unique to commercial and trading estates, in that you only see them in the borders and copses there. These were in Tipton.
One such shrub is this one: laden with a huge quantity of bright red berries that the birds don’t seem to bother with much, I have no idea of it’s name.
Looks like another bumper crop this year, too.
November 14th – Nearer home, at Fighting Cocks, the moon made an appearance.
It was a beautiful as ever, but didn’t seem that much bigger than usual to me, but it was very bright.
An odd thing, really: Every moon these days is special in some way. I think I preferred it when we just had normal ones!
November 14th – I came through my beloved Shenstone station late, expecting to see the match vaunted ‘supermoon’ – sadly, when I alighted, it was too cloudy to see.
I consoled myself with the atmosphere of this lonely but beautiful place in the darkness. I love the white light on the steps, and the curious pool of light the car is bathed in.
November 13th – Another evening mooch around Lichfield with camera and tripod. I’m really enjoying night photography at the moment and am learning more about the camera with every attempt.
Mind, it’s easy in Lichfield – such an enigmatic, beautiful place at night.
November 13th – I slid out in the afternoon with the Remembrance air of sadness on my shoulders, and headed for restorative coffee and cake up at Fradley Junction. In the courtyard f the cafe there, song birds tamed and emboldened by a life of cheekily sneaking titbits and crumbs from customer’s tables flit busily among the leaves, hunting for morsels.
Also present for the the autumn bug cloud was this cheeky little pied wagtail.
He made for lovely, cheering entertainment as I relaxed.
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