June 9th – I have no idea about Lepidoptera, but spotted this lovely moth (I think) in the flowers near the new pond in Clayhanger. It was beautiful and very active – and along with the bees and a whole host of other bugs, shows why margins and scrubs left to run wild are so very important for biodiversity.
June 9th – Such a profusion of flowers at the moment, for which pink and purple seem to be the current fashion. Roses, orchids and one I’m not sure of all brightened my commute.
The orchids are particularly welcome growing along the towpath near Clayhanger, and on the slope to the new pond. I just adore them.
June 8th – On a brighter note, the honeysuckle is in flower again – and it smells beautiful. It may be me, but it seems very early this year. I’m noticing it in hedgerows, embankments and scrubs – and it’s divine.
A real sign of summer.
June 8th – I hopped off the canal at Bentley Mill Way to check out the work on the aqueduct from ground level; as the road is still closed, I was curious; it seems there’s work on the north side that can’t be seen from the canal.
I’m sure whole canals were dug by hand faster than this project has limped to completion.
One of the first things I noted was the new towpath surface ends at the top of the steps here, so I guess the intention is you get here using the shared-use path, then hop on the canal for Walsall.
Only a non-cyclist could have thought this was a good idea. The steps, even for a fairly strong bloke like me, were a nightmare with a bike. There’s no handrail. No wheeling channel. The steps are at an awkward pitch, and overgrown. This is lousy, and I strongly advise cyclists not to use it.
Off the bridge, the roadway has been lowered considerably to accommodate taller vehicles, but I’m not sure that’ll help much as the width is very restricted.
As I said before, I hope the pumps hoovering the water from those drains are reliable.
I don’t want to dislike this – but this has cost millions, for no real improvement and it stinks of being someone’s pet project.
Dire.
June 7th – I spotted this proud fellow in central Walsall, watching the world go by. He regarded me distastefully, then posed helpfully for a photo before sauntering off. I love how in summer, the cat population awakens, stretches, and takes the air on summer days.
Oh, to be a cat.
June 7th – Yellow is the colour of the canals at the moment, as the flag irises and water lilies are out and forming a beautiful accompaniment to the greenery around the banks and towpaths.
Even after these last few years I still can’t get used to seeing such flowers on canals – the ones I grew up with were so filthy and dirty.
Not all change is for the worst…
June 6th – On the canal near Clayhanger, it’s good to see the lupins out. A sign of summer, they spread welcome colour to towpaths, embankments and wastelands across the country.
The flowers are so beautifully constructed, and the bees seem to love them too.
June 6th – Well, we had the large cocks last week, and now I found a pair of balls.
There I was, cycling up the Mellish Road (some way from the golf club and driving range) in the early morning, having picked up some components from Aldridge, when I spy an egg in the road.
It wasn’t an egg, it was a golf ball. A little further on, uphill, I found another.
A curious find.
June 5th – Over to Middleton Hall for cake, and a weary return through Tamworth up the canal. Although it was a gloriously hot day, I just wasn’t feeling it and my energy was low, but the scenery really perked me up.
Everything is so green at the moment – from the barley in the fields to the gorgeous limpid canals – and that view of Middleton over the fields never gets old.
A lovely ride, even if I was knackered!
June 4th _ I came back past the Dunstall and Catton Estates. At Dunstall, they’re farming deer, and it’s odd to see these graceful creatures enclosed in such high fences, but they do have a huge amount of space and seem happy.
Near Catton, the coos were fascinating, and a reminder of how dangerous they can be. I first spotted them wading into the Trent to cool off, but on seeing me, the entire heard made for the hedge where I was standing. Gently insistent, they crowded round, presumably to see if I had food. They are gorgeous animals, but I’m glad the hedge was there!
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