May 22nd – I’d been planning a long ride the following day for a good couple of weeks. Up until today, the weather forecast had been excellent. As I returned from Lichfield, I was having doubts. It was warm enough, but the sky was threatening all sorts, and the wind seemed quite bullish.
At the optimistically named Summerhill, found myself praying for a break in the clouds.
May 22nd – A quick trip to Lichfield after lunch on a very dull afternoon which seemed to be constantly threatening rain, yet still I noticed how immaculate Friary Gardens were looking in their springtime colours. The trees and blossom looked wonderful, and I was particularly struck by the ceanothus, the blue flowering shrub.
Lichfield has every reason to be proud of it’s parks and open spaces; Friary Gardens are little-noticed but beautifully kept and a credit to the city.
May19th – I set off in reasonable weather. The coos of Jockey Meadows knew best, and were lying down.
Always pay attention to the coos. They know what they’re doing.
(Thanks to Susan Marie Ward who got that ‘coos’ is the correct regional pronunciation for these dribbly, nosey, sagacious and truly meteorologically insightful bovines).
May 14th – Bittersweet. Also in the rain, the Brownhills Watermead swan family, I first took pictures of at the weekend – doing well, but down from seven cygnets to six. One will have been snatched by a predator, or may have been weak and died; but the rest look fine and are already growing. Out with mum and dad who were keeping a watchful eye, they were a lovely family.
Such joy and sadness in nature.
May 9th – A ride up to Chasewater, and back to Brownhills along the canal. It was a dull, overcast day that seemed to permanently threaten rain. However, the sheer beauty of the newly green landscape was a joy to the heart.
At Newtown, a rabbit in the pasture near the mobile home park; the warren by Newtown Bridge seems to have been wiped out by myxie, and only this burrow remains. The bunny looked healthy enough, though.
The sallow is coming into bloom, and the weeping willows over the canal look majestic, as do some of the canalside gardens.
Even when the sun is elusive, this time of year is beautiful.
May 8th – Coming along the canal past Grange Farm in Walsall Wood (just between Black Cock Bridge and Clayhanger Bridge) I noticed the small group of deer in the coppice belt between the towpath and fields. Sheltering from the rain, they hung around and although skittish, allowed me to take photos.
One of the deer (not pictured) appeared to have a nasty sore on her snout, which was sad. They appeared to be healthy otherwise, though.
May 8th – On the canal at Walsall Wood in steady rain, an interesting group of mallard crossbreed ducks, which I think are fed and loosely tended by a household near the water. I notice there’s mallard in there, of course, but also white ducks and the one with the grey/blue bill suggests a ruddy duck is somewhere in that one’s genes.
That’s the thing about ducks, they’ll freely interbreed…
May 7th – I nipped out on an errand from work at lunchtime, and fate had it that I’d get caught in heavy rain. I saw it gather over Wednesbury, but the relentless wind of late had gone, and it felt warm. Once I was soaked, it wasn’t unpleasant, and it felt like a warm, spring storm.
By the time of my return, the sky had cleared, the sun was out and St Lawrence Church in DArlaston looked beautiful through the greening trees of Victoria Park.
If you don’t like the May weather, just wait a few minutes.
May 5th – On a morning commute from hell, against a headwind that wanted me dead, I winched myself through Walsall and onto the canal, as I was scared the wind would blow me into the path of traffic. The only consolation was that coming home had to be better than this. Fortunately, it was.
Welcome serenity came in the form of the swans, still sitting the nest at the disused canal basin in Pleck. With no Catshill pairing this year, I have high hopes for this pair and have been keeping a weather eye on them for a few weeks now.
The male is a bit of a lad, and last week was begging chips off a canalside diner. Today he still patrolled patiently on the canal nearby. He had to content himself with the few grains of corn in my pocket…
May 2nd – How can grey days be so beautiful? It was awful weather, cold, miserable, wet. But returning to Brownhills near Clayhanger on the canal, the hedgerows were emerald green, blossom was around and forget-me-nots dappled the embankments. Such a delight after so long grey.
Sun would be most welcome, and a bit of warmth; but this ain’t so bad.
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