August 6th – Heading into Brownhills past Oak Park the temptation to take another photo overcame me. It seemed odd taking pictures at this time of the morning, and I felt nervous and expected to be challenged. I wasn’t, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable taking pictures in public. At 1am that translates into abject fear.
August 6th – an afternoon visit to a good friend in Walsall turned into an early hours night ride home. It seems ages since I last did this. Flowing liquid through the streets at 1am was a delight and very, very exhilerating. Walsall Wood was eerily quiet, with only the waiting taxis showing any sign of life. I love this time of day. Must do it more often.
August 5th – Ragwort, the bright yellow heathland plant that’s turning every bit of wasteland and field yellow at the moment seems to be having a ver good year. Hear at Engine Lane, the fields are full of the stuff. This must be of some concern to the people who keep horses here, as it’s dangerous to equines. The colour of the bloom, however, is a joy to behold. It’s always a good year for something.
August 5th – The Swan still remains closed, in apparent contradiction to the desire of prospective purchasers to reopen this lost community local. One of several closed pubs in Brownhills, it lies dormant, a symptom of a trade and tradition sadly in decline.
Find out about the unfortunate fate of another lost local on my main blog.
August 4th – Cresting Greenhill in Lichfield, heading down the Birmingham Road on my way home, traffic was very heavy. I love riding the traffic in Lichfield – challenging, exhilarating and smugness-inducing. A fine ride.
Sadly, I had a better audio track for this ride, but yootoob’s audio fingerprint thing spots it and removes it, which is a great shame. That technology is bloody impressive, though…
August 4th – Heading back home, having avoided the promised rain all day, I stopped at Moat Bank, on the A461 near Muckley Corner, to look at the old canal bridge. This was one of the three bridges over the now disused Lichfield and Hatherton Canal between Shire Oak and Lichfield. One was at the Boat Inn, near Summerhill, and gave that pub it’s name. This was the second, and the third was a double bridge with the railway at Pipe Hill. This particular canal arm – now subject to a lengthy and sustained campaign for reopening – linked Ogley Junction, at Brownhills, with the mainline at Huddlesford, Near Whittington. It was a tortuous journey with many locks, the remnants of one can be seen here in the undergrowth.
I wish the enthusiasts working to restore the line well. It’s a huge task.
August 4th – Nuneaton Station is a lovely interchange. I really don’t mind being there at all – good lifts, decent coffee shop, clean and tidy. Certainly one of my preferred stations, and when visiting Leicester, I change trains here. Have to say though, that’s one of the most horrific public murals I’ve ever seen. It’s vicious. Careful now, it’ll have your eye out…
August 3rd – Pushing my bike across the Bridge pedestrianised zone in Walsall, at about 5pm on a Wednesday. A cycle cop is dawdling here, clearly riding their bicycle in a pedestrian zone. How ca we seriously expect the police to enforce the cycle prohibition here if they ignore it themselves? Yobs cycling down Park Street is a serious problem, which, as a responsible cyclist, I expect them to deal with.
This really annoys me. I expect them to set an example. I’m ready for the rash of excuses you normally get for complaining about such things… considering I was once threatened with a fixed penalty ticket for sitting astride my bike whilst using a cashpoint in Cannock, bring it on.
August 3rd – Walsall Council seem surprised that the new Tesco hypermarket on Wisemore isn’t leading a regeneration of the town, and instead, seems to be sucking the life out of it. It’s obvious really. As this view from in front of the bus station shows, Tesco couldn’t give a toss about the town. The entire store has been built to face the new ring road, helpfully constructed by the council to deliver shoppers to the retail behemoth and take them away again without ever having to interact with the rest of the town. They haven’t even been bothered enough to put a sign on the rear of the building. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a development where contempt for the host community has ever been so wilfully incorporated in the design.
Presumably, the planning committee looked at the design and thought ‘Yeah, that looks OK.’. Bewildering.
August 3rd – The twin churches of Wednesbury are a landmark for miles around. This view is iconic to me, and one I always remember when thinking of the Black Country. It’s a surprisingly hilly area, are there are many such spots throughout the conurbation, but none with such an old-world, English feel to them. I keep saying it, but man, I love this place.
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