June 27th – Another grim, overcast day threatening rain but there is always brightness in a midsummer gloom – and here, it’s ragwort.
Another yellow weed that’s usually overlooked and indeed hated by horse owners, to whose animals it’s poisonous, this is actually a beautiful wayside flower that feeds bugs aplenty and keeps pollinators busy.
Many of what we would ordinarily class as weeds are very, very beautiful if we stop and look closely.
June 25th – I wasn’t expecting much when I headed to Chasewater; battling a strong wind and drizzle, the place was all but deserted and my circuit of the lake looked set to be dismal.
However, I was to be proven wrong; first of all I spotted a group of three red deer browsing the north heath contentedly, and they were happy for me to take pictures, even seeming to pose. But the real treat was waiting on the brow of the hill.
There was an adult female plucking greens from the trees, and after stopping to photograph her too, I noted she had another adult and two fawns with her. They progressed down to the marsh and loosely joined with the earlier three.
The antics of the fawns – never still for a moment – were lovely and the deer weren’t a bit shy or skittish. I watched them for a long time, even thought the rain was pretty steady.
However used to these gentle, beautiful beasts I become, I still can’t remove myself from the shock that we have them here, living on our green spaces. A wonderful, beautiful spectacle.
June 25th – better day, but not for the weather. I was looking forward to a longish ride out, but the ongoing local issues and squally weather meant the ride I’d hoped for wasn’t going to happen. I contented myself with a loop around Brownhills, Chasewater and Walsall Wood.
At Anglesey Wharf, despite the poor day, the wild sweetpeas have clearly survived the scrub clearance last Autumn and are blooming beautifully around the old coal-loading chutes.
They cheered me up immensely, and I still find it remarkable that such lovely flowers sprout from what was once a dirty, grimy place. fantastic to see.
June 10th – I took a ride out on a dreadfully windy afternoon intent on visiting the Clifton Campville Country Fair. I’d been before a decade ago, when it was just a few stalls in a large garden, but I do love a country fete with cakes and all the usual things, and I’ve been determined to attend more this year. It was also a good way to force myself into a 40 mile plus ride in weather I’d normally swerve one for.
What I found was stunning; a large country event with big arena, loads of great stalls, a real ale bus, more cake than you could ever eat and lots of people. I wished I’d arrived earlier with more cash in my pocket!
It was a lovely, offbeat affair with a peculiarly eccentric atmosphere; a little disjointed but great fun.
All in the shadow of one of England’s finest churches.
The day was only darkened by the rain setting in on my way home; it started at Whitemoor Haye and didn’t stop. Combined with a 20mph headwind, it wasn’t a fun ride back.
But the event was well worth the battle.
June 6th – I had a remarkable journey home, assisted by a big west wind, that blew me back in 45 minutes at an astonishing average of 16mph. I was also remarkable dry, catching only the briefest edge of a squall at Shelfield.
The remarkably local rainfall was illustrated well as I came down Green Lane, where everything was sodden, but the sky was clearing.
A remarkably luck commute – in total contrast to the morning.
You win some, you lose some…
June 6th – A truly awful morning commute with 30mph headwinds and driving rain made for a squally, wolfish day; but in the afternoon the constant rain broke to showers, and I went about getting some stuff done in the Black Country. Returning home from Tipton, I headed for Wednesbury from Ocker Hill and caught my favourite twin sisters – the churches that crown Church Hill in Wednesbury – is sunlight but with threatening skies.
I love this place. Even in bad weather. It’s where my heart is.
June 5th – The rain caught me on the way home, but at least the awful wind was well behind me.
Everything is green now and it was quite warm, so in that manner summer rain has, it wasn’t so bad, but I was very wet.
Listening to the music of the rain on the canal at Clayhanger was sad, but reassuring…
June 5th – An awful day that found me running around the Black Country on errands. A strong wind, threatening rain and late for a meeting caused me to hop on a train at Wolverhampton.
Wolverhampton station is functional, but I dislike it – it always feels harsh, inhuman and exposed. With threatening skies today it was almost dystopian.
June 2nd – I just beat the rain on my way home, and speeding along the canal near Clayhanger, I stopped briefly to chat to this lone bandit, for no other reason than he came to say hello.
The lone swans without partners and clutches are often overlooked at this time of year, in favour of the antics of the many families that have sprung up along the canals – but the lone swans are still as wonderfully curious and nosey as ever.
Such truculent, difficult birds – but I do love them so.
May 29th – A dreadful day, and an awful ride.
Being bank holiday, I wanted to get out, and checking the forecast, convinced myself that the heavy showers predicted wouldn’t come to much. I needed some bits for the bike, so decided to ride into Birmingham along the Stockland Green/Brookvale route and on to the canal, then ride back.
The rain started as I left home and didn’t stop. I spent 45 minutes waiting for a break in the rain in a subway under the m6 at Witton. I was soaked to the skin, my feet were wet and I was miserable.
Arriving in Birmingham the rain eased off a little, I got what I came for and had a coffee and something to eat. I decided to get the train back to Shenstone as the rain was coming on again.
It’s a long time since I’ve seen such a bank holiday washout. I really felt for anyone who’d organised an event. A wet, soaking and sodden afternoon.
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