October 14th – A day working from home, followed by a couple of hours of frantic errand-running. On the canal near Catshill, just by Lanes Farm at 5pm, the light was mellow, soft and golden. This is mad, it’s like August; in two weeks the clocks go back. What gives? Still, I’m not complaining one little bit… after a grey start to the week, the is just the ticket.
October 13th – Due to the unseasonably warm weather, some plants seem to be confused, and have started flowering again. I believe this antirrhinum shouldn’t be in bloom at this time of year, but there are several of these delightful yellow flowers on the canal bank between the Clayhanger and Black Cock bridges. I’m not sure even if the species is native, or an escapee from domestic gardens, where it’s more commonly known by the name snapdragon. In summer, it’s a favourite of gardeners as a bedding plant.
October 13th – A day of meetings. First in Darlaston, then a second in Telford. Leaving Darlaston mid-morning, I headed onto the canal to catch the train to Wolverhampton from Dudley Port. On such a sunny, hazy, bright day it’s easily to fall in love anew with the Black Country. I adore it’s backstreets, canals and unexpected vistas. The view of Rowley Regis and Turner’s Hill from the station was particularly fascinating. I love this place.
October 12th – Returning at the same time as the previously dark and dingy evenings this week, it was still fairly bright without the cloud that had overcast the previous two days. The low sun came out, and the sunset rendered many views golden. At Mill Green, it added a glowing sheen to the hedgerows and cottages, while it’s final recedence as I passed Lazy Hill made for a dramatic and beautiful sunset. This is more like it…
October 12th – This is Redditch. Not on the outskirts, or the countryside surrounding, but right in the middle. The Arrow Valley Lake is a favourite of boaters, watersports types and anglers. Situated in the Arrow Valley Park, which serves as a green ‘spine’ for the new town, it’s a stones throw from factories and busy roads – but you’d never know it. When I’m working in Redditch, I pass it every morning. A fine start to the day.
October 11th – I’ve been watching this tree change colour for a couple of weeks. It stands in the pasture near Little Aston Forge, on the bank of the Black Brook, and has gradually turned the most dramatic shade of yellow. I think it’s some species of ash, but haven’t got close enough to look. On this dark, dismal evening with dusk falling, it was a cheery sight as I cycled home against the wind.
October 11th – An early morning trip into Lichfield for a meeting resulted in getting the train from Lichfield City to Redditch. Whilst waiting for my train, I studied the bikes locked up on the platform – there are usually loads here. Amongst the stovepipe chainstore mountain bikes and a rather lovely battered old road bike, a huge – and I mean massive – Pashley stood tall. I can only assume that the Jolly Green Giant commutes from Lichfield. Note the odd angle of the saddle – that really would lift and separate. The double crossbar, flying bedstead design must make for a very heavy steed. Impressive, if not absolutely sensible.
October 10th – by the time I reached the top of Shire Oak Hill, dusk had fallen and the lights were coming on. This was dismal, I loathe and detest the enforced loss of light. Yet, even so, balancing the camera on the quarry gates and taking a timed shot of the view to Lichfield made for a wistful, evocative view of the Old Lady of the Vale. I will get used to it, but for a few days at least, I will mourn the coming darkness. Was it really summer a week ago?
October 10th – a bit of a grim landmark – this is my first normal-time homebound commute of the season on which I needed lights. A depressing milestone indeed. It seemed fitting, therefore, to feature this odd, unsettling landmark. I’ve been passing this derelict, abandoned and decaying house for several years. Situated in the plush, posh hamlet of Mill Green near Little Aston, it’s a huge house that would, at one time, have been worth at least £500,000. It’s rotting away, unloved and not evidently for sale. I have no idea how it came to be in this state – you surely can’t just forget or abandon a house of this value – yet someone has. This former home, between other, occupied houses of a similar value has lain like this for years. Does anyone know the story?
October 9th – On the other side of the road, on the village side of what would have been the old railway embankment – lies this pond. This is the last vestige of Clayhanger Common’s brownfield past. This pond – now used as a settlement pond for land drainage before it weirs into the Ford Brook – is marked on maps as easy as 1884, and used to lie at the foot of the railway embankment, now long since gone. This limpid, placid pond is testament to a successful land reclamation. The clear waters of today would once have been brackish, polluted and full of refuse.
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