Tag: 365daysofbiking

December 14th – That evening, I had to pop up to Shire Oak on an errand. The weather was foul – driving rain and a strong sidewind. I took to the canal on the way, and let it blow me back as far as I could. I love the lights of Silver Street and the canal side at night, but what really impressed me was Ogley Court. Not long built, lots of residents have clearly got well into the Christmas spirit in their new homes. 

I really do like that complex. The roofline fascinates me.

December 14th – Cycling along the canal near Clayhanger Common, there’s a spot well-worn as a regular site for anglers. I often pass them here. It must be a good spot to fish from.

It’s clearly utter coincidence that the area around it is peppered with litter.

To whoever is leaving this shit here, I’d just like to ask one thing: you brought this crap with you, can you please have the class and common decency to take it back? Thanks.

December 13th – Nice to see The Old Swan at Stonnall back open again and under new management. On a very grey Friday, mid afternoon, the car park was quite full, and the place looked homely and warm. Were it not for the encroaching downpour and lack of a bike lock I’d have nipped in for a swift one.

It’s great to see a well-loved house get another chance, and I wish the new hosts well in their endeavour.

December 13th – I got away early today, and raced the rain home. Having come from Birmingham, I took the first train in my general direction available, in light of recent hassles, and ended up alighting at Shenstone. Riding down Footherley Lane, I noticed the mud was quite thick on the ground.

This is to be expected – after all the ploughing, seeding and the like, mud is carried out of fields onto roads that are never cleaned except by the rains, and we haven’t had heavy prolonged rain for a while.

This mud can be evil on road bike tyres, or after a light frost, when it partially freezes and turns into wheel-stealing slush. The best advice is take it slow, steady, don’t brake unless you have to and no sudden movements.

All part of the fun of winter…

December 12th – Coming home late, it was raining quite hard. It was warm, though, and well wrapped in my waterproofs I enjoyed the sights, sounds and sensory onslaught of the traffic on the rain. At Rushall, I stopped to photograph the Christmas tree. It looks better in the photo than it looks in reality – this one seems a little tatty, if I’m honest. 

In the late hour, the junction at Rushall Square was quiet, and glistening in the rain. Sadly, I couldn’t keep the lens clear and just had to go for it.

Hopefully, the weather will clear for the weekend. 

December 12th – I spotted him on the canal towpath in Pleck, Walsall. This large, curiously vocal calico cat. He saw me coming, and scrambled up the embankment, and stood, yowling and mewling at me from high in the scrub. I stopped. I spoke to him,. He replied. I spoke again. He replied. We had quite a long conversation. Then he got bored, and wandered off.

I suppose that was me told, then.

I will continue to talk to cats, dogs and passing wildlife until someone convinces me that the animals are not listening to what I’m saying.

December 11th – Taking a short cut through the Butts (no sniggering at the back), I noticed that Eastbourne Street has had it’s street lighting changed to LED technology. These lights are cool white rather than the customary yellow, and run much more efficiently and at lower power than sodium discharge types. Birmingham has being undertaking a rolling program of installing this type of lighting for a year or two now.

They’re a shock at first, but I prefer them. Although they look dimmer, their illumination is actually great, and I find they don’t cause the glare that the older types do.

The eerie effect on the urban scene is also rather wonderful.

December 11th – In the midst of an industrial Darlaston winter day, flowers. Outside the derelict, doomed Kings Hill Methodist Church, a beautiful rose grows from the scrub, bringing welcome colour on a grey day. The building is thought to have been sold to a developer, and may be under threat of demolition, which would be a shame.

Not 10 metres away, flowers of more permanence – metal poppies complete the detail on beautiful new railings, erected as part of the refurbishment of Kings Hill Park. They are gorgeous. The designer should be very proud.

Brightness can be found even on the dullest days.

December 11th – The waste fridge problem continues. Spotted in Shelfield this morning on the way to work, this could have been waiting for a bulky waste collection by the council, or more likely, left out for tatters (scrap men) by a householder. With scrapyards now unable to take fridges and freezers due to them being classed as hazardous waste, the tatters have just stripped the valuable electrical parts – the motor, condenser and wiring – and left the rest. Such discarded whitegoods are flytipped in lay-bys, country lanes and industrial estates. 

If this was left for an arranged bulky collation, great. If not, it could stay where it is for weeks. This is a reflection of what happens if waste laws are tinkered with without consideration.

Please, please, please – dispose of this stuff properly. Travelling tatters will not. By leaving stuff out for them, you’re exacerbating illegal dumping and metal theft.