Tag: beautiful

#365daysofbiking Passengers

May 4th – Another marker of the advancing spring is they waterfowl chicks on local canals. On a gorgeous evening near Middleton Bridge, Brownhills, my first cygnets of the year.

This clutch of what appeared to be at least six – several of whom were riding on momma’s back – are a bit of a mystery: The pair at Barrow Close Walsall Wood are still sitting and at the Watermead, she’s apparently hatched three this year.

So where this lady has been nesting I have no idea. But lovely to see.

Sorry for poor image and video quality: The light was fading.

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#365daysofbiking Queen of the May

May 3rd – Although it’s still not the warm May weather I’d hope for, it’s good to see and smell the may blossom along the hedgerows and waysides.

Although often overlooked, it’s a beautiful blossom with a love-hate scent that is particularly unmistakable.

I guess to the ancients, this lovely flower marked the height of spring and a move in to summer.

I welcome that if the temperatures increase a bit!

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#365daysofbiking Green, not blue

April 30th – Green alkinet is a misleadingly named plant – it has pretty, tiny blue flowers and is a member of the forget-me-not family. It’s largely a garden escapee and grows like wildfire if not challenged.

At the moment, it’s spreading a subtle blue haze to match the bluebells at roadsides, hedgerows and edge lands, like here on Shire Oak Hill at Sandhills.

There are so many lovely flowers to share at the moment. A fantastic time of year.

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#365daysofbiking Saved by the bell

April 30th – It’s nice to see a good showing of bluebells this year. The slightly earlier, brassier Spanish varies are copious, as are the more delicate, darker native variety here.

Right now, hedgerows, woodlands, verges and ditches are alive with shades of purple and blue and it’s rather gorgeous.

L adore spring, and I love bluebells particularly.

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#365daysofbiking Something of the night

April 29th – At the end of the Kings Hill Park avenue, watching from a private driveway just in the terrace off Old Park Road behind the pub, this wonderful, watchful dark brown floof.

I don’t think I’ve met this distinguished and undaunted puss before, but it’s a beautiful cat with something of the night about them.

I she keep an eye out for this one in future…

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#365daysofbiking Cowing beautiful

April 26th – The cowslips on Clayhanger Common are beautiful too, and being my favourite flowers of all, it’s great to see them so healthy and profuse.

That one particular flowerhead is a stunner.

This spot is where I spread cowslip seed from my pockets in 2014. Nice to see it took hold.

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#365daysofbiking Not dead, but flowering

April 26th – Following my note on finding some lovely yellow archangel flowers in Footherley a few days ago, I need that it was a member of the nettle family – and to prove the similarity, the dead nettles are looking gorgeous on Clayhanger Common at the moment.

The flowers and leaves are similar – the colour is the big difference though.

These nettles – which have no sting, hence the name ‘dead nettle’ – have very sweet, tasty nectar which can be sucked from a plucked flower, but probably best to find some above dog pee height before trying it out…

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#365daysofbiking Angel of the evening

April 23rd – Also yellow in Footherley, but less dramatically so, was the yellow archangel.

A gorgeous member of the nettle family, this fascinating plant is beloved by bees and looks stunning. I only became aware of what it actually was last year and it’s captivated me ever since.

A lovely wild tower.

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#365daysofbiking Dog daze

April 22nd – The floating market, despite it’s diminutive size was lovely. Ice creams were had, and I browsed canal ephemera and craft products for an hour or two.

But what made the event – and what always does with these things – were the dogs.

Boater dogs are the best dogs.

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#365daysofbiking Hurry on sundown

April 21st – Of course, the sunset was yet to come and it was a sign of my slothiness that I caught it on the canal at Newtown, Brownhills.

The colours of the day were beautiful, the colours of the sunset were stunning.

Sometimes, recovery is not in what you do, but what you see.

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