October 25th – I’d been to Droitwich to see a customer and get some other bits and pieces done, and noted that the Autumn there too was very special, with the wide main roads lined with a variety of trees in excellent seasonal hues.
On my return from the station, I slipped through Little Aston Forge and Bosses, where I spotted the crimson ivy gable wall, and the driveway bed of beautiful flowers.
The last few days really have been beautiful out there.
October 24th – All of a sudden, Autumn has exploded into vibrant colour, and the Black Country, from Darlaston’s quiet majesty to the postwar estate roads of Tipton wear the season’s overcoat beautifully.
There was little wind, and in the stillness, leaves tumbled freely and carpeted footpaths, towpaths and roads. I hate the darkness autumn brings, but it is beautiful out there right now.
Get out and enjoy it if you can.
October 23rd – For the final light Sunday evening of 2016, I went up to Packington Moor and up the greenway called Knox’s Grave Lane, across Common Barn, then through the deciduous woodland of Hopwas Hays. It was chilly, but the sun was bright, mellow and warming and autumn was beautiful The leaves are really turning now, and the the recently relaid tracks of the woodland were nice to ride.
The sunset, too, was excellent, although sad that it came little after six, with this the first sunset before 6pm of the autumn. Sadly, with the end of BST, next week it will be before five…
A great ride, with the best of Autumn on show. If you can get to Hopwas in the next week or so, do so. Its beautiful.
October 21st – Riding to work along the canal in Walsall in the early morning, I noticed how green parts of the towpath margins still were – the bracken hasn’t yet turned at Bentley Bridge and the dead nettles are full in flower for the second burst this year.
This has been a peculiar autumn, with many things coming into bloom a second time before dying off. The weather really has been kind to us this year, but I can’t help feeling winter is going to be a shock to the system.
October 20th – Spotted from the canal towpath as I zipped past, a forest of toadstools growing on a fallen log in the scrub at the back of Queen Street Cemetery in Walsall.
I think they might be honey fungus, but I’m not sure. There were hundreds of caps, all growing in clumps, feeding on the decaying wood. Ranging in colour from a dull weigh to a dark burnt umber, they were beautiful and fascinating.
Best crop of toadstools I’ve seen for a while.
October 19th – Darlaston is at it’s best in autumn, and with the leaves turning, this is a great time to visit this humming little town and take in it’s unexpectedly great architecture and scenery.
Some of the best of Darlaston can be seen in it’s two parks – Victoria and King’s Hill, from which the glorious twin sisters of Wednesbury can be appreciated in all their glory.
It would be hard not to love this place.
October 18th – Another lovely golden hour, this time as I came through Walsall Wood and the Black Cock Bridge. The sun reflected off the golden leaves beautifully and rendered the farmhouse precious.
As the sun receded further, the skies were dramatic over Clayhanger, too.
The sunsets at this time of year are fantastic.
October 16th – Still, one can’t deny the beauty of the season. A far more positive ride out over the Chase, into that open, cinematic landscape where it’s hard not to feel utterly connected to the surroundings. The leaves and bracken are turning and it really is beautiful out there.
The chilliness of the day also kept a lot of folk at home and it was a lot more peaceful than during the summer. That’s the first time I’ve seen Stepping Stones deserted for ages.
I came back over the Shugborough Estate and noted that while it’s changing custodians from Staffordshire County Council to the National Trust, there’s an awful end-of-days, deserted, unloved feel to the place. Sad, really, as autumn is the best time of year to see it.
The heron, fishing in the river by the Packhorse Bridge seemed oblivious, though…
October 15th – Further on, I hopped on the Spot Path back to Pier Street, and autumn is clearly well afoot now; leaves are turning and falling, and there’s that unmistakable nip to the air. It’s also getting dark now only a little past six pm – and in a week or so, the clocks will be going back and it’s the time of darkness once more.
Although autumn is lovely, I hate what it leads to.
October 14th – I’ve noticed in the last three days or so that autumn has finally arrived, painting her beautiful colours on the trees, hedgerows and landscape. I guess it’s the fact that the temperature has suddenly dropped, but now there can be no doubt we’re careering toward the shorter days, darker nights and colder weather – even though some late summer flowers are still remarkably holding on.
Holding on like I do.
Every year, I get to this point and wonder if I can face another season of darkness – the absence of light and growth and leaves I hate so much. But every year, as if jumping into a cold lake, once I stop struggling and fighting it, the dreaded experience becomes quite enjoyable.
There’s no stopping it now, in any case.
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