Tag: 365daysofbiking

April 27th – I keep noticing this Giant bike at Telford; I don’t know who it belongs to, but it annoys me irrationally every time I study it. Giant are an American brand whose bikes I’m not a huge fan of; like fellow US companies Cannonade and GT they often have a non-standard, peculiar approach to design resulting in bikes with odd features or incompatibilities, usually only noticed after purchase when something goes wrong.

This one annoys me for two reasons: one is design, the other is just happenstance. The rear seat-stay seems to be 2 parts, a U formed tube for the stays and a curious, welded linkage interpenetrating between the U form and seat tube. The weld, being aluminium, is rough, not square and looks absolutely awful. What on earth was the designer thinking?

The other thing is that rear quick release. Who would leave it closed facing backwards in such a vulnerable position? I want to sort it but would never touch another’s steed.

A mystery are the two M6 tapped holes on the non-drive side dropout; they aren’t present on the opposite side, and serve no apparent function, but designing them, machining them and fabricating the form they’re in was clearly serious effort. What are they for, does anyone know?

An odd bike. Never been fond of US designs.

April 27th – When I left home just after dawn there was a heavy frost; I left Darlaston later in the morning for Telford in bright sunshine, which really highlighted the blossom on roadside trees. Mainly cherry, but some apple and plum, too. Absolutely beautiful.

Sadly though, this doesn’t bode well for a bumper fruit crop like last year; a frost on the blossom now will damage it and reduce the fruit yield.

With such beautiful blooms, hope the weather and sunshine pick up soon.

April 26th – Poor long-range photos, but these are for @thestymaster, a fellow cat fan. As the spring really gets into gear, those minders of the summer street – domestic cats – emerge from their winter torpor and start patrolling, loafing, lazing and generally keeping a eye on their outdoor kingdoms.

I spotted this delightful partial tabby checking out the neighbourhood for compliance in Pleck, and he was most put out to discover I’d spotted him. Do look at that tail – the one terminal white ring.

I love to see the cats outdoors. A sure sign of an improving climate.

April 26th – It’s nice to see Scarborough Road in the Walsall suburb of Pleck currently being resurfaced – the road is an occasional bypass for the Pleck Road for me, and may now be mores with rideable tarmac. My thanks to the workers involved – we’ve not got an upper layer of blacktop yet, but it’s already a whole world better.

Whilst stopped to record the art of asphalt, I noticed the handwritten warning on the stubbornly derelict School Street Cottage. I’ve noticed a few times left here empty steel cooking oil drums, presumably someone is running their vehicle on either virgin or waste cooking oil and dumping the evidence. 

Nice bit of direct action there.

April 25th – Despite the very poor weather, on Clayhanger Common, my favourite flowers are having a good year. I absolutely adore cowslips – gorgeous, delicate small yellow primroses, and there are lots growing there now, at lease two or three patches from seed I scattered here a few years ago.

Guerrilla planting is wonderful. Do some today.

April 25th – Awful commuting weather. On the way to work in the morning, I faced a grim wind and sharp, heavy shows. It was cold and I was missing waterproof trousers, so arrived at work damp and miserable. Similarly, on the way home I was caught in heavy rain, but this time there was a severe headwind. And between the squalls? Flashes of bright sunshine and dark, threatening skies.

April has proven a real challenge this year.

April 25th – A 45 miler over to Walton on Trent and back through Lullington on what started as quite a bright afternoon but soon turned to rain. I got soaked, several times. It was cold. But the riding was quite fast, and nature really is trying to call on the warmer days – the oilseed rape is out, I found an isolated bluebell wood, birds and animals are busy, and even a few daffodils are hanging on. 

I was really interested to note at Wetleyhay north of Whittington that there are many, many solar panels being erected in the fields there to form solar farms. Great to see, and can only be a good thing for the environment and our energy security.

April 23rd – I popped out late afternoon – it was very cold with a lazy, biting wind that instead of going around you, just went straight through. It was periodically sunny, but with remarkably dark, threatening skies. I headed for Chasewater and noted that the willows were coming into leaf – always a good sign – and that the valve from Chasewater had now been opened and the water level had started to drop. This seems to be coinciding with the reintroduction of cattle onto the spillway heath, so I guess the authorities want that area to dry out in readiness.

I interrupted a small drama as I crossed Catshill Junction on my  way back to Brownhills – the puss clearly fancied a little duck for supper, but was clearly out of luck – but if looks could kill… 

April 22nd – A rare break in the clouds saw the sun shine as I came up from the canal at Bentley Bridge on my way back from an errand at lunchtime. To left and right here, out of shot are massive scrapyards, yet running like a green vein through the centre, the canal; peaceful, tranquil, verdant.

I love the Black Country and this scene typifies the way it’s canals exist as magical green natural corridors through great sprawls of urban life.

Wonderful.