November 1st – Also in Kings Hill, a character I see a fair bit, this elderly black and white puss with no teeth. Gummy and grumpy, he’s actually a charming chap when you catch him in a good mood. Today, he was startled by workmen on the Chapel renovation and their grinder, so he wasn’t feeling accommodating, and yowled at me to stop it.
It’s totally unacceptable when your daytime activities are disturbed by workmen.
November 1st – My gosh, November already? Where has the year gone?
Continuing a recurring yearly theme of discarded pumpkins I noted this sad, post-Halloween sight as I passed through King’s Hill mid day: a beautifully carved, huge pumpkin left out for rubbish by the Black Horse pub.
Someone worked hard on that, it’s very well done. Big pumpkin, too.
Bet that made a lot of soup…
October 31st – A beautiful day in Darlaston and on the canals of Walsall, with sun shining through a light mist, suffusing all with a soft golden light.
As I’ve noted, Darlaston wears autumn well, and Victoria Park, the mystic bridge and canals were all lovely today.
A welcome pick me up after yesterdays dull greyness.
October 31st – The mornings have been damp over the weekend, and we’ve had a little rain in what has generally been a very dry autumn indeed. This has led to the fungus taking a surge, and I noted in the canal cutting through Pleck this morning there was lots of fly agaric growing, some of which were astoundingly large. Contrary to my earlier fears, it actually seems to have been their year after all.
Meanwhile, the toadstools I found on the log at the back of Queen Street Cemetery have turned a gorgeous orange brown colour as they mature and die off.
Lets hope with a little damper weather, more fungus will appear. I love to see it.
October 30th – In Wall, I noticed these pumpkins for Halloween which cheered me up no end on a dull afternoon ride.
I love to see carved pumpkins – or swedes, like we did when I was a kid as we never saw anything as exotic as a pumpkin – and these brought a splash of colour to the quiet village.
Nice to see kids doing something creative. I hope they had pumpkin soup with the contents!
October 30th – The Parade, Brownhills, on a grey, overcast and misty Sunday afternoon.
Go on, tell me again that this place is ugly and has nothing to commend it. Just try.
October 29th – Talking about things that make you jump in the dark, I met this lad, statue still, stood beside the path on the North Heath at Chasewater on my return.
The rest of the herd were lounging behind, and he just stood, fixated by my light.
Probably best take care if you’re riding over there at night, make sure you have a good light. Hitting a cow in the dark wouldn’t be fun and there’s not much give in your average bullock.
October 29th – Passing through Chasewater to Morrisons on an errand of mercy just after darkness fell, I passed the Chasewater Railway’s Halloween Ghost Train at Chasewater Heaths station.
The train, full of families and excited kids, was in darkness and I bet it was great fun onboard. I’m always a bit sceptical of ‘scary’ events, but this looked very atmospheric, and a great idea – Chasewater is, after all, one of the darkest places around here at night.
The pumpkin was a nice touch too.
October 28th – An irritating day where I forgot my camera and everything happened at top speed, so little time to take photos. I’d been over to Telford in the afternoon and came back from Shenstone as dusk fell.
These lanes, I know them so well; they run though my veins like blood. I must have ridden this route thousands of times, and certainly many with the impending feeling of autumn I had today.
I know I will again ride this way on a springtime, sunny day and the wheel will continue it’s inexorable rotation, but tonight, in the gathering dark, it felt a very long way off.
I hate the dark months.
October 27th – Again passing through Telford, I came past a row of trees on Stafford Park whose neat, straight planting always fascinated me.
Just beginning to turn, they’re a welcome dash of colour in a grey urban landscape on a dull day.
Every year, I note these trees come into leaf, blossom, and shed their leaves. Seeing another cycle complete makes me feel old…
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