September 30th – hot and bothered from a day in the crowds of Birmingham, I escaped in the early evening and took a spin over Castlehill. Ducking through a hedge at the summit into a field of carrots, the view of South Staffordshire was hazy, autumnal and gorgeous. You can knock our area in all manner of ways, but be honest, this is a cracking view over a rolling, historic, beautifully rural landscape. What’s not to love? Open your eyes, folks…
September 29th – A gorgeous indian summer day. I escaped to the Chase for the third time in a week, and explored again the area around Brocton and into the Sherbrook Valley. I made a half-hearted attempt to find Freda’s Grave, which is near there, but I didn’t have it marked on my map and was ultimately unsuccessful, but I’ll return another day. Freda was an army mascot for a regiment stationed on the chase, and a commemorative stone was laid in her honour.
What I did find, however, was an astounding array of fungi sprouting up. Blumels, puffballs, chicken of the woods. This most peculiar autumn is well into it’s stride, but I think the sun has yet to get the message, thankfully.
September 26th – The indian summer continues in all it’s glorious warmth. Out in Redditch today, I noticed commuters once again in summer clothes and everything seemed a might more relaxed than in the previous couple of weeks. This is surely the last gasp of summer for this year, and the quality of light at eveningtide as I passed through Little Aston was incredible. Here at the entrance to the private hospital, the low sun made for a haunting, golden scene.
September 25th – We seem to be being blessed with a gorgeous spell of beautiful weather – this warm, sunny and dry indian summer is really accelerating the leaves turning. I noticed on my way home from work that even mundane places – like this normally ordinary spot in Shelfield where the old railway used to run – is rendered gorgeous in it’s seasonal hues of gold, green and brown. Long may it continue!
September 21st – The next morning, all was right with the world again. The sun was kind, if not terribly warm, and the rain had stopped. The Arrow Valley looked misty and green again – but I wondered how long it would last with the winters drawing in and the autumnal equinox due soon. These really are the end-days of the summer warmth. This time of year is so bittersweet.
September 19th – Hopping off the train at Shenstone, I took a flyer down St. John’s Hill. This is a remarkable place in autumn, and the trees were just beginning to put on their autumn cloaks. Even in high summer, this place is shady and cool. As a kid, I sheltered from many a summer storm here, against all common sense. This is a gorgeous little corner of Staffordshire.
September 18th – Autumn means a return to Cannock Chase. I prefer the forest in it’s autumnal state; it’s far quieter, with few venturing into the corners of the chase where I go. The pines and spruces turn a gorgeous, fluorescent yellow and everywhere smells of musty beauty. The wind was behind me as I sped through Hednesford and doubled back from Seven Springs via Colwich. A great afternoon ride.
September 11th – there was a very strong wind as I cycled around South Staffordshire late in the afternoon. The horse chestnut trees in the centre of Hammerwich village had been subject to attack by the leaf miner parasite, and the leaves were turning colour early and being stripped by the stiff wind. Everywhere I went there were reminders of the season – the scent of coal smoke, the scent of fresh ploughed earth, the crunch of beech mast under my wheels. Despite the expansion of recent years, Hammerwich still retains a lovely village atmosphere.
September 2nd – another harbinger of autumn is the change in landscape colour; gone now are the vivid, glowing, bright greens of high summer, receding are the golden shades of harvest. Appearing now is the dun-coloured freshly ploughed field, smelling earthy and shocking in it’s uniform brown hue. The first is at Lower Stonnal, the second a view over Stonnall from the Chester Road.
August 27th – A slightly windblown day of showers and patchy sun. The harvest now mostly complete, the fields have got their autumnal cloak on; bare earth, stubble and huge straw bales are the order of the day. Even the potatoes, formerly lush and verdant, are dying off and yellowing. Here at Home Farm, Sandhills, summer’s cauldron seems to be distinctly off the boil now.
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