July 6th – Spotted proudly sprouting from beneath the derelict coal chute at Anglesey Wharf, a bramble appears in rube health after somehow growing through the paper-tin gap between a bolt head and the base of the old chute.
It just went to show, considering my low mood, that nature – and goodness – always finds a way.
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February 16th – A miserable day spent fixing things and not feeling well. I finally went for a ride after dark, and soon felt a bit better: The bike was riding better than it had done all winter thanks to my afternoon’s work and I think I solved a niggling, recurring issue. As I sped along the canal, I decided to have a go at some long exposure photos at various places along the way and at Chasewater.
What you can’t tell here is that Chasewater was far from quiet: There seemed to be a very large gull roost making a huge amount of noise. It was fascinating.
These images didn’t turn out too badly.
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#365daysofbiking Reflections:
November 17th – I returned to Brownhills on the canal and that was much more rewarding. Although the sunset wasn’t anything significant, the reflections on the water and the light around bridges made for some lovely views.
You really can’t beat riding the canals at dusk.
August 19th – One of the more startling recolonisations of recent years has been the teasel. This dramatic, prehistoric looking plant grows a familiar, spiny seedhead beloved of small songbirds, particularly finches, but the name teasel comes from its industrial use as a comb for ‘teasing’ wool into thread.
When I was young these were a rarity around here, and I never saw one of these tall plants until adulthood. Now, thankfully, they are profuse and in lots of wayside hedges, scrubs, meadows and field-margins – which is helping the bird population.
January 16th – A shot I was keen to try with the TZ 100 has been the M6 Toll bridge at Anglesey wharf. I don’t think it was dark enough. It was certainly struggling with the balance between sky and the sodium-lit under bridge.
It’s not a bad image, but bizarrely, I think the TZ90 did it way better.
December 13th – I briefly caught the lantern parade at Chasewater, which was OK but didn’t seem to have the atmosphere or hubbub of the year before – perhaps it was the weather. Perhaps it was me.
On the way back though, the riding was fast and muddy, and Anglesey Wharf in the darkness was oddly ethereal.
Here’s to a better week, eh?
October 4th – The fly agaric are a bit thin on the ground this year, probably due to the dry autumn. I only found two in my favourite spot on the canal, and they had both been nibbled.
I love these toadstools. I hope that if we do have rains this week that the grow in profusion like previous years. There’s something magical about them.
may 28th – After a dreadful day of travelling – 7 hours of commuting just to get to Telford and back – I came home from a day unusually not on my bike. Hopping out as dusk fell, I shot up the Parade to Chasewater, then back along the canal. After a very wet, miserable day the air had begun to clear, and the rain ceased. The sunset wasn’t great, but after the murk, the crack in the clouds seemed heaven-scent. The Parade looked great with the fresh foliage, but I think we could do with some sun now. I need to feel more of the summer warmth.
August 4th – I pottered up the canal to Chasewater, the end destination being Morrisons to get some shopping in. On the way the weather was temperate, and pleasant, but generally dull. Passing through Anglesey Wharf, we stopped to admire the flowers, which all seem to be showing in late summer purples now. Willowherbs, buddleia, heathers, even some kind of sweat pea (I think) as Alice Walker said ’…just trying to get noticed..’. I reflected on what the old familiars of this place, the coal-loaders, miners and boatmen would make of this scene now; the peace and quiet, rabbits lazing on the heath and grasses and shrubs dotting the former wharf. Once this was a humming, filthy coal depot. Some things are decidedly changes for the better.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 