September 20th – It was so beautiful on the way home that I decided to take a spin around Stonnall and Shenstone, just to catch the golden hour.
Although Autumn’s feet are well under the table now, there’s still plenty of green with freshly planted crops in the fields and leaves not yet turning.
But oh, it gets dark so early now…
September 19th – Yet another abundance this year of bright orange-red cotoneasters, so beloved of blackbirds, who upon finding a bush, will fight off challengers, usually while another steals the sugary berries.
These bright fruits – another clear sign of autumn – line hedgerows, cycleways and towpaths, and seem a very popular bush to plant on industrial estate verges, which is good for birds and bees alike.
September 18th – Ah, the season of the conker.
Every year, I point out the same truism: that few men can pass a conker lying on the ground and not pop it into their pocket. It’s a primal instinct from childhood, when they were seemingly so rare, and highly prized.
Despite the leaf-miners and cankers, the horse chestnuts have had a fruitful year and the beautifully shiny, leathery nuts lie in their split spiky husks on the ground beneath many a rural tree. This one, spotted near Burntwood, ended up in my pocket too.
It’s be rude not to.
September 17th – The sunset was gorgeous at Chasewater, the calm before the chaos. A lone lady practised her wake boarding to a small audience, birders checked out the gull roost, and those lucky enough to catch this spectacle – very few, sadly – basked in the light and beauty of the dying day.
Sometimes all you need for peace and beauty are a couple of cyclists, a couple of cameras and a beautiful evening.
September 17th – A bad day in lots of ways, but a sunset ride to sort the head out worked wonders. Heading up the canal to Chasewater the scenery was beautiful and the light golden. My favourite tree at Home Farm, Sandhills is laden with conkers and just showing signs of autumn, and the view to Hammerwich was gorgeous.
On the canal at Newtown, the Newtown one minded her own business, unconcerned by the stalking black cat, who seemed a bit peeved at my appearance.
If autumn promises more of this, it can stay around…
September 15th – With some damper weather, the fungus is coming on well, and few better places to spot it than the relatively undisturbed verges of industrial estates.`This venerable specimen was spotted in Wednesbury, and seems quite old, although it does appear to be growing. About the size of a small plate, it’s fascinating, and also a home for lots of bugs.
It looks like some kind of lactarius and was part of a fair-sized group.
September 15th – I had to visit Tipton of a hot, humid and hazy afternoon. The traffic was intense and the atmosphere oppressive and thick, but glancing over the canal bridge near Owen Street, the canal looked beautiful in the soft sunshine, and near a disused arm bridge, two young lads were fishing in a scene that couldn’t have changed much for decades.
The Black Country has a knack of showing its beauty when you least expect.
September 14th – I had to call in Birmingham after working late, and returned as dusk fell to Shenstone – and I was reminded one more how lovely this station is at night.
The last Cross City Line station to retain it’s original charm, it wouldn’t look out of place any time in the last century. At this time of the evening, with the lights coming on and mist and autumn in the air, the sight of this wonderful station is welcoming, attractive and a genuine pleasure.
A great place to start or finish any rail journey.
September 12th – The Autumn fruits are starting to come with abundance now, and few are more welcome than the bright reds and oranges of the rosehips. Where there were beautiful wayside flowers a few months ago, there are now gorgeous, shiny berries providing a feast for wildlife and a splash of welcome colour in the hedgerow.
The diversity of shapes and colours of these little-appreciated fruits is interesting, too.
Always a nice compensation for the ending of summer.
September 10th – A grey, wet and miserable day saw me slipping out late on errands. Having left my camera behind, I had to rely on my phone – but it wasn’t a particularly photogenic day. Crossing the Pier Street Bridge I noticed boats moored at the canal side, the smell of woodsmoke, and the stillness of the water.
It really does feel like autumn’s in now.
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