March 12th – Half at work, half not. Just doing a few bits and pieces that matter, then going my own way for a few days. Today, I popped to Darlaston for an hour or two at lunchtime, then headed off on the canal to Birmingham. The sun came out, and Birmingham and the Black Country performed beautifully. Anyone who says this place is ugly hasn’t looked. This is a gorgeous place, and I want to shout it from the rooftops. Up yours, London…
March 11th – The encroaching spring doesn’t trouble the fallow deer at Penkridge Bank, Cannock Chase much. Here rain or shine, winter or summer, tis sizeable herd of deer loaf in this area as there’s ready food and ideal woodland close by. These animals are used to humans and merely wary of me and my camera, losing interest when they realise I’ve no carrots. What a joy it must be to live here and see them daily. The children of a nearby house are so used to them, they take no notice….
March 10th – Again, the barriers around the southern dam works were breached at the basin and to the north end of the compound. I see the dredging has started, but the drying lagoon on Chasewater shore has been razed, so no quite sure what’s happening there. The question, however, as to what you do when your dredger is shafted has been answered. Still out of the water at Ogley Basin, the original machine is clearly still crippled, so it would appear a mini-excavator is lifted onto a workboat, and work continues. Odd that a brand new, seemingly little used dredger amusingly called ‘Hamster’ – has been languishing in Ogley Junction for at least two years. If this is a symbol of the way the newly reorganised British Waterways charity works, we’re in for interesting times…
March 10th – Spring is certainly climbing onto her throne. Zipping up through Chasewater yesterday, I saw the first frogspawn of the season in the creek between Jeffrey’s Swag and the (still depleted) main lake. The creek is healthy, and flows again. There were one of two frogs around, but unlike the more laconic common toads, they scarper on seeing humans. This is a good sign: better days are on the way. Hello, frogs, welcome back!
March 10th – Oh dear. Humphries House and Severn House, the last two extant tower blocks in Brownhills have been extensively renovated, and have been reclad to provide better insulation and to prolong their life. It’s been a bit of a mystery what colour they were going to be – they were originally skinned in an off-white media. It seems our question has now been answered; Humphries House is to be a vivid blue and Severn House a glowing pink. Does that mean one will be for fellas and one for the girls?
Have to say, that’s bloody horrible. Yuck.
Mach 9th – Every time I visit Lichfield, the bike racks seem fuller and fuller. Granted, there aren’t many about the town, but these on the corner of Dam Street and Market Street are always fully populated. Cycling seems popular in the city these days. Sadly, this must make for an upsurge in cycle crime, as I noticed in Wade Street, within sight of the Police Station. The importance of locking both your wheels in these days of quick release cannot be overstated – otherwise, you’ll end up coming back to a bike like this. Beware, fellow cyclists.
March 9th – I know nothing about the history of this clearly very old Lichfield company, but I like the fact that they had all bases covered. F.M. & J Wait could clearly turn their hand to a chaise longue or a coffin, as the situation demanded. They certainly seemed to have all bases covered. I rather like that…
March 9th – A day off, and an afternoon pottering around Lichfield. I only noticed this one in recent months, it must be normally quite well hidden. Cresting Pipe Hill, over the old crossroads, but not quite at the new island, stands an empty, decaying house. I don’t know who owns it, or why it stands empty, but there’s a notice up pointing out that it’s not for sale or rent. Which, like the houses in Footherley, near Shenstone, is pretty sad. Houses should resonate to the sounds of life – there is nothing sadder than an empty house, particularly in a time when homelessness has increased 14% in one year. The owner should be ashamed.
March 8th – At the far end of the Tame Valley Canal, bisecting the M5/M6 interchange at Ray Hall, it meets the Birmingham and Rushall Canals and the somewhat inaccurately named Rushall Junction. This is a wonderful spot, even though it is surrounded by the roar of traffic… Maybe because it’s so tranquil. To the west, the twin spires of Wednesbury are clearly visible along the valley, and to the south east, the inviting cycleway to Birmingham, which soon diverges from the canal and cuts through the green lung of the Sandwell Valley nature reserve. To the north, the canal is arrow straight through the nine uphill locks to Longwood Junction, from where it winds it’s contour route through Aldridge and Walsall Wood to Brownhills. I love this stretch of canal, and just wish the towpaths were better. In places, they are in awful condition, and in damp conditions can be a real trial.
March 8th – It’s been a varied week; today I found myself visiting Great Bridge. I was in a hurry to get there, and went straight through Walsall and Wednesbury along the main roads. On my return, it seemed like a decent afternoon, so with time to spare I hopped on the canal at Brickhouse Lane and headed along the Tame Valley Canal. At Toll End, I passed the rear of the old MEB headquarters – now owned, I believe, by Central Networks. One of the many things they do here is train overhead linesmen, and to do that you need a forest of poles with an assortment of equipment. I’ve passed this spot when there have been ten or so trainee engineers working up in the air. An odd spectacle.
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