Tag: 365daysofbiking

#365daysofbiking How sweet thou art

June 28th – Riding out in the morning for a long ride with an old friend, we passed through Anglesey Wharf where coal from the Chasetown, Norton and Burntwood mines used to be loaded on narrowboats for transport south.

The wharf long ago fell silent, although the remains of the coal chutes and conveyors remain witness to a dark industrial past – but today, the spot is peaceful and teaming with wildlife.

Growing around a coal loading chute that used to be polished to a shine by the black gold are now the most delicate, beautifully scented wild sweetpeas, unthinkable in the wharf’s heyday.

It’s lovely to see and a great memorial to a lost industry, and a nod to a much cleaner future.

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#365daysofbiking Goo, now

June 27th – Clayhanger Common and lots of areas of grassland now are dotted with white frothy blobs of slime on leaves and grass stalks. As kids we called this somewhat unattractive phenomena ‘cuckoo spit’ although in reality it’s nothing to do with cuckoos.

The goo is actually the protective coating on the nymph of the froghopper bug, which is noted for its prodigious jumping ability. The  adults lay their eggs in late summer, which overwinter in plant stalks. As the nymphs hatch, they produce a bitter, foamy liquid as a byproduct of sucking plant sap, which then surrounds them and protects them from harm until they become fully grown.

The creatures do no harm to their host plants, but can carry a plant disease called  Xylella Fastidiosa which although not in the UK yet, is expected to make it here soon.

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#365daysofbiking Getting some greens

June 27th – The Watermead swan brood now are growing fast, and the chicks are getting quite a size, with them now in the lanky, scruffy stage of their development.

It’s more common now to see lone cygnets browsing and feeding away from the parent group and this busy forager was feeding on one side of Catshill Junction while his mum and 2 siblings were snoozing on the grass by the narrows on the Walsall Wood side.

With plenty of water greens to keep them healthy they’ll soon be adult-sized birds.

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#365daysofbiking Groovy, man


June 26th – Weeks of commuting in rain and grim weather are taking their toll on my brakes. Thinking I’d be in for a decent spell, I replaced the brake discs and pads on this bike in early spring.

Now it’s the end of June and they’re groovier than a 1970s Parisian jazz club.

The bikes are suffering: Corrosion, road grime, grit. This weather is eating my bikes.

A bit of sun and dryness isn’t too much to ask, is it?

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#365daysofbiking A passing brightness

June 26th – Sad to see the last of the orchids fading away now but it’s been a great year for them.

I think they like the rain, so the summer has been good for something, at least.

I love these gorgeous purple flowers – a real symbol of the cleanliness our canals now enjoy. Such a shame they’re so transient in nature.

Until next year, then…

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#365daysofbiking When the shit goes down

June 25th – I say, phantom poo flinger – you, yes you scummy git – stop it forthwith.

People are working hard to clear the rail line below the Anglesey Branch Canal aqueduct as a walking and cycling trail for all the public to use.

Volunteers are fed up with cleaning up after you.

More power to them, it’s a filthy habit and you should be ashamed.

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#365daysofbiking Float on

June 25th – Nice, but sad to see the white water lilies are out now on the canal between Brownhills and Chasewater.

Running an errant in the evening, I passed these near Freeth Bridge and although I love them, their appearance signals a summer passing.

Hopefully the weather will improve soon and I’ll be able to make the most of it.

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#365daysofbiking Chirrup, it’s Monday morning

June 24th – When I left for work on a decent but grey Monday, I took to the canal with a heavy heart.

It wasn’t long though before something cheered me up – the Walsall Wood swan family, chirruping to each other as they begged for treats in Walsall Wood.

Such a cheerful, delightful family, always under the watchful eye of mum and dad.

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#365daysofbiking Family values

June 23rd – Another cheering sight was the swan family resting up en masse in a canalside garden near Wharf Bridge. Sadly slightly depleted in number now due to predation, the six remaining birds were content and sleeping – along with a cheeky mallard that clearly decided to join them.

What a lovely thing to have in your garden!

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#365daysofbiking On grey days, I dream in colour

June 23rd – A tired, grumpy recovery day. I set out mid afternoon to find something to cheer me up – no easy task in the grey and drizzle that prevailed: Such a shock after the bright, warm summer of the day before.

At Norton Bog, I found what I was looking for: The brightness of summer flowers around the small pool by the bypass.

Several varieties of orchid, devils paintbrush and birdsfoot trefoil mingled and competed to be the most vivid.

A lovely display that did indeed perk me up no end.

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