November 1st – I was working from home and had to pop to Chasetown. On my return I came back across Anglesey Wharf Heath from Paviours Road to the M6 Toll canal bridge.
Although the day was murky and damp, the scenery along the way was beautifully coloured in all the shades of autumn.
I’m. not happy summer ended but I might as well enjoy autumn while it lasts I guess…
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October 27th – Of course, at 2am the winter started for me: The clocks went back an hour for another winter, and soon, my commutes to and from work will be mostly in darkness.
I hate the awful ritual of condemning ourself to the negative and depressing early evening darkness, but as a nation we seem hidebound to it.
However, it hadn’t been a bad day and I headed out to see if the sunset would be as spectacular as the day before – it was, in it’s own way.
Autumn has come to The Parade which is now looking gorgeous, and Chasewater was serene and gorgeous as night fell indecently soon. My return along the canal with a good companion was more fun in the dark than I expected, and low light photography was experimented with.
Mostly, the darkness can be bearable if you stop fighting it.
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September 7th – I headed over to a silent, deserted Chasewater not optimistic that I could get decent results out of the new camera.
However, having been in this position before, I thought I might sort it out and get used to the foibles of the new device.
The G5X is actually great, and I think it was mastered. Apart from the toad shots, where a bike light was used for illumination, all of the images were taken in almost total darkness by a variety of means and mode settings.
I think I’m getting used to it.
Riding back along the canal after being scared senseless by a stag crashing through the scrub at Anglesey Wharf, I nearly squished poor toad, but it obliged as a model before I popped him into the hedgerow for safety.
I love the night, it’s a lot more beautiful than people would tend to think. Nosey, unsubtle deer excepted.
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March 31st – Up to Chasewater on an evening ride. I’d been resting and didn’t feel like going far – particularly as it was bitterly cold, even in the sporadic sun patches.
I noticed this small heard of 5 deer on the opposite side of the canal from Anglesey Wharf, where they’d been recorded swimming a few days previously. These deer love water, or so it would seem.
They were quite tolerant of my company, unusually enough, and even walked towards me, the better I guess to check me out for maybe a treat or two (Sorry ladies I had nothing).
Catching them jumping forward and back over the fence was a real treat. For such large animals they are so very graceful.
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July 30th – A warm afternoon run to Chasewater on the canal: even though its getting on to high summer, there are still plenty of wildflowers looking beautiful, and the wild sweetpeas are still showing well around the derelict coal-chutes of Anglesey Basin.
At Chasewater itself, wake boarding was still in full swing despite the suspected bloom of blue-green algae the week before. I’m not into that kind of thing much but that does look like the most wonderful fun…
November 29th – An early afternoon loop up to Chasewater of a warm but blowy day caught me in the rain once more. The canal was deserted and everything looked grey; Chasewater was little better.
The wind was such that it drove groups of swans into the shallows over by the dam for shelter, and they didn’t look very happy about it; even the gulls loafed idly in the shallows.
I’m fed up of this weather. There has to be better spell on the horizon. This is grinding me down and making photography very hard!
July 12th – A much better day. I got on top of, if not actually beat my technical issues. My stomach was improving, and I didn’t feel quite so bleak.
I spun out to Chasewater late afternoon, and rode the full circuit, which I haven’t done for ages. The sun was bright and strong, and the heaths and meadows rewarded me with bee buzz, grasshoppers ratting away, damselflies, birds and deer, as well as a wealth of flowers and fine views.
Just the tonic I needed.
April 11th – A short trip to Chasewater on an unpleasantly windy day was rewarded with the realisation that I’d had a guerrilla-planting success: last autumn, I scattered a load of wild cowslip seeds at Anglesey Basin: this year, a pleasant patch of my favourite flowers.
If we enjoy these things, help them out by spreading the love. I collect seed heads in little bags and spread them on wasteland and verges, then enjoy the results.
Wild flower power!
February 22nd – The weather was vile. Windy, with rain and snow that moved horizontally, and the bike was acting up too. It wasn’t a great ride, to be honest, and Chasewater was deserted.
I noticed the valves were closed again after being opened last week, without too much effect on the overall water level, which is around 300mm from full.
If we get much more of this weather, the reservoir will be full in no time at all…
November 2nd – A good day to find fungi too. After a patchy couple of weeks, there were loads around – shaggy ink caps, earthballs, puffballs, fly agaric and several sorts of russula. Bothe the west shore and Anglesey Basin were good spots.
I particularly liked the age progression of the shaggy ink caps, showing how their curious name is derived.
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