Tag: autumn

October 18th – I also liked how beautiful Walsall Wood was on this greyest of grey Sundays. The trees around the Brookland Road junction look superb – and the church of St. John, this evening with lights on for a service -looked great with the turning leaves in the background.

I felt much better today. I got stuff actually done. Once the black dog settles in it can be the very devil to shift, and at this time of year I’m always susceptible. But in truth, the light nights will return, a new year and new spring will dawn, and I’ll feel the warmth again.

In the meantime, I’ll learn to love the darkness. Sometimes it’s your friend. But it’s like doing a deal with the devil.

There’s a lot of cold, a lot of rough weather and a lot of darkness to come before the next spring.

October 17th – I wasn’t feeling much better today, and resolved to get out to try and lift the black dog from my back. And as usual, it worked.

The day was as dull as autumn makes them; overcast and threatening, but my journey to Lichfield was illuminated by the remarkable colours on display. From my favourite horse chestnut tree at Home Farm to the line of maples at Darwin Park, it all looked beautiful.

Sometimes all you need is fresh air, bustle and the beauty of nature just doing her thing.

October 16th – It had been a very long final day in a very long week. I was tired, my energy reserves were low and to to put it bluntly, I felt lower than the sea’s knees. I called in to Stonnall on the way home, and as I winched myself up Shire Oak Hill at Sandhills, I looked back at the Friday rush hour traffic rolling up the hill.

Dusk was falling, it was cold and beauty was hard to find.

Some journeys are harder than others, even when homeward bound. I felt every inch of this one.

October 14th – The twin sisters of Wednesbury are a bit of a muse for me at the moment. I took a photo of this view last week, but on a dull day. This evening as I trundled through Kings Hill, the spires were caught in golden, low sun that also caught the turning trees.

I love this view, the colours, the clock and the rooftops. Hope I see it in snow this year. Wonder if it makes a good night shot?

October 11th – The fly agaric are fairly profuse in the usual places around Chasewater. I nipped out late morning, still a bit rough, so kept it short. I mentioned a few days ago that the white spots dropped off the fairytale fungus as they aged – and so they do. The top picture shows an eight-inch monster that’s aged and split under it’s own weight; it’s almost completely free of spots and is starting to fade. Interestingly, the other two examples are younger, and still fairly free of spots.

I love fungi. I could study it all day.

October 10th – A spin around Brownhills on a grey afternoon on errands and to get some air. I wasn’t feeling too well and the grey autumn day wasn’t helping my mood.

By my cyclic antidepressant worked, and a ride cheered me up. Nice views of the Common, and still, this late, flowers and colour.

Can I really face another winter? I guess so, but I really don’t fancy it this year.

October 9th – Out of work at lunchtime, and off to Brum on an errand. Occasionally sunny, but mostly grey and chilly, a real autumn run into the city down the cycleway from Straitly through Stockland Green and Witton Lakes. 

The lakes were beautiful, and the swans as charmingly truculent as ever. I’d still like to know who Georgina is and why she has a way. There is clearly a story there.

Returning on the canals and through the Sandwell Valley in a blue grey dusk, seeing the mist rise over the meadow at Ray Hall was a real ‘wow!’ moment.

A great ride, proving that the seasonal change is inevitable now.