Tag: 365daysofbiking

April 29th – Bentley Bridge near Darlaston is the scene of a huge roads project at the moment. For a week or so, huge and fascinating plant has been involved in erecting deep and sturdy H section piles along the roadside.

It’s an impressive bit of engineering with some fascinating machinery. The webs on those girders are about 50mm thick.

April 28th – I returned gingerly, saddlebag laden with Dhansak, poppadoms and naan, up the Lichfield Road from Sandhills. That view across the fields of home Farm at sunset always makes me catch my breath; Ogley Hay, at it’s centre the 1850 parish Church of St James, in a view that’s changed little in a century.

Beautiful.

April 27th – he was leaping after bugs in a field gateway in Green Lane, Shelfield. He was a bit peeved I spotted him, as he’s clearly a cat of some gravitas who doesn’t do that sort of thing. 

He glared at me just long enough for me to take this quick picture, then shot off over the fields. He looks like an adorable chap.

April 27th – A short run of Black Country canal – from Pleck to Bentley Bridge, Darlaston, on the way to work in bright, but chilly sunshine. Mr. Swan was still drifting aimlessly, waiting for his partner to hatch their clutch; it’s nice to see he’s been ringed. Further up, the coots had already got chicks. Coot chicks are probably the most ugly-cute young birds this side of baby owls. Sadly, they were being stalked by a heron, so I don’t give much for their chances. 

Off Bentley Bridge itself, a great sky, mirror flat water and the feeling that spring is really on her throne.

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!