Tag: Aldridge

May 27th – The birdlife on the canals of Birmingham and the Black Country is wonderful at the moment – everywhere there are goslings, cygnets and ducklings, and the herons were performing well, too – I particularly liked this guy’s Eddie Cochran impression.

Iff these don’t make you go ‘ahhh’, you’ve no soul…

February 25th – Passing through Mill Green on the way to Sutton early. The sun was up, but there was an ethereal mist and a cold, frosty feel to the countryside.

A beautiful start to the day – I’m full of cold, and should really have stayed home today, but if I had, I’d have missed this. And that would have been a tragedy.

January 30th – Further up the canal on the Aldridge/Walsall Wood border, the canal was also looking good from Northwood Bridge, over the marina there, and in the other direction, up past the brickworks at Stubbers Green. 

The canal here looks so serene and peaceful, that only a vague chemical smell in the air and low background susurration would tell you that nearby there was a toxic waste handling facility, a large landfall, marl pits and two brickworks.

Impressions can be deceptive sometimes.

January 28th – After the recent warm, damp weather, a quiet wind, and cold and clear sunrise as I headed down through Mill Green, I’ve been very lucky with sunrises in the last few months, and it’s good to se them.

A beautiful sunrise holds wonderful promise for the day ahead; it makes you happy inside, and in these generally wet and grey days, a bit of beauty is so very welcome.

January 23rd – Nipped out to Aldridge to bag some shopping just before tea – and got caught by the rain. Sadly, this photo of the pub everyone knows as The Elms, on the central island in Aldridge, is the only one that came out usable.

The pub was known as The Elms for years and then in the 90s, a refurb renamed it ‘The Brasshouse’ much to the ire of locals; after a few unsuccessful years, it reverted back to The Elms – and now, following another turd polish, it’s The Crown.

It’s a mystery to me why big pub companies think taking a landmark pub and renaming it in opposition to the views and history of the local community is ever a good move – it’s a certain way to build hostility.

Bizarre.

November 18th – A tough journey to work in a gusty headwind the morning after severe gales blew through. My earlier than usual return home, however was again assisted, so much so that I forgot I had to call in to pick something up in Aldridge. As I trundled up a very wet canal towpath on my errand, it was a very atmospheric sunset. That horse weathervane at Bullings Heath fascinates me. 

Also interesting – and now becoming visible due to the leaf-fall – are the industrial yards and excavations near the canal at Stubbers Green, including the brickworks. I still find the scent of firing bricks peculiar. 

Getting used to a new camera, too. Quite impressed with this one. Let’s hope the weather settles for a bit now.

November 17th – This new Hope R2i light I’m testing is rather good. This is on a middle setting on the canal in total darkness near Aldridge (obviously, no camera flash was used). Battery life seems good, and the optics give a decent beam. I’d say this is better than the R4 I was using last season, but actually has two less led elements.

A real discovery. It’s no lightweight, but it’s a very good light.

November 14th – I’m playing around with a borrowed camera, which I think I like but I’m not sure yet. It certainly works well in low light, as these shots of the canal show.

I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that the best camera would be a compact with Nikon optics, Panasonic build quality and features, and a Sony user interface.