Tag: arm

#365daysofbiking Canal dreams:

December 7th –  After a long day at work carrying out boring tasks, I left collecting a pal on the way. We popped in passing to Walsall’s Town Wharf, as the Arboretum I was aiming for actually had an event ongoing.

Town Wharf and the waterside here are gorgeous at night. Finally reaching potential after near enough two decades, this place has taken a long, long time for regeneration to happen, but it looks wonderful in the shadow of Walsall’s remarkable New Art Gallery.

Sadly, the state of retail being what it is, the centre of Walsall only 100 or so yards away, remains depressed.

But here at leat, developer dreams seem to be coming to fruition.

October 30th – Not a bad day for a Monday. I had to nip to a hospital appointment at lunchtime, so left work and cycled along a sun-dappled, peaceful canal to the centre of Walsall. Turning to leave the canal and ride on to Bridgman Street, I looked at the Town Arm Junction.

This place has changed beyond recognition in my lifetime. When I was a nipper it was grimy, surrounded by blackened, semi derelict factories; there was little wildlife and the waters were nothing more than a polluted stew.

Not all change is for the worse.

June 15th – Here’s something that’s got me wondering: the Pleck swan family are back to their nest. These are the group I saw, who after hatching their eggs in the disused canal arm found themselves being intimidated by the heron. Next day, they’d gone. I never saw them again, but heard they’d scooted off to Moxley, a few miles up the canal.

Well, this morning, they were back: I was alerted by the dad patrolling the open water outside the arm, while mum was nest rebuilding with at least two little ones. When I last saw them, I counted four cygnets; if they’ve lost two, that’s sad, but no so bad.

I have no idea what they’re doing back at the nest and invite comments. Good to see them getting on, though.

July 18th – Heading to work through the backlanes of Little Aston, I spotted these to lovely carpets of colour in the same field. They’re beautiful – one purple, one white. I had thought at first from a distance that they might be flax, but as soon as i got close I realised they were spuds.

There are a good few chips in that there field…