Tag: beautiful

January 29th – for the first time in some years, I paid a visit to the railway museum at Chasewater, which was as pleasingly eccentric as ever. This free attraction, run by award-winning volunteers is a little gem, and contains much to enthralling and entertain even if you aren’t a railway buff.

Some of the most interesting stuff though, isn’t in the museum but outside it. That’s certainly nearly a case of the cart before the horse, and that odd little railcar.

That panda looks a bit delinquent to me.

January 28th – A day with curious light and dark. It was alternately fairly bright then rained heavily. I set out mid-afternoon on an errand in Lichfield and got caught by the rain, and also a hail-squall which was interesting if somewhat unpleasant.

Avoiding the traffic, I headed through Hammerwich, and looked back to Brownhills. The roads were muddy goop, and the riding could have been better but the skies were wonderfully dramatic.

January 25th – On the way to work at dawn on a cold morning. There was patchy ice on the canal, but not enough to impede the swans as they scudded toward Silver Street, presumably for food from fellow dawn commuters and walkers. Dawn had wrapped a gentle pink shroud over proceedings, which was lovely.

The light is creeping back into life, tentatively, slowly. 

It’s most welcome.

January 24th – Also stunning was Walsall Arboretum. It’s not a place I go much, if I’m honest, but seeing the mist-shrouded lake as I passed on Lichfield Road, I decided I could spare some time to pop through the gates and have a mooch.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Walsall’s premier park wore the frost and golden morning light beautifully, and I resolved that this is a place I really should go more often.

A great ride into work that really restored my faith.

January 24th – An errand in Brownhills meant that I actually ended up travelling to work in the light for once, which was novel and welcome after so much darkness. 

I hadn’t expected the quite hard frost that was a feature of the morning, and travelling through Jockey Meadows and High Heath the frozen fields, sun and lack of breeze combined to generate wonderfully soft mist.

A great start to the day and a lovely journey. So nice to be in the light again.

January 19th – Spotted near thee canal in Darlaston on yet another wet morning, this fascinating ball of moss. I can’t actually get close to it, so can’t tell if it’s some kind of parasite on the host bush, or as I suspect, it’s the remnants of a birds nest whose lining of moss took root.

On a grey, grim morning, the brightness of the green was beautiful in the gloom.

Sometimes you have to take the beauty where you can find it…

January 14th – We’ve had some foreign visitors in Brownhills. They’ve come before, in other winters when it’s been cold on the continent, and they’re here again. It’s good to seem these somewhat rare, colourful fellows.

Waxwings have come to strip the trees by Silver Court of berries before – working their way west from Eastern Europe, when their traditional feeding grounds aren’t bountiful they venture further afield. 

I don’t know if they remember Brownhills somehow, or it’s just chance, but the businesses in Brownhills are getting added trade from twitchers and it’s giving the town something to talk about.

I just adore these birds. Such pretty things.

January 12th – Passing throughGreat Bridge in the last of the light, the weather was grim and the traffic horrid – the promised snow had also passed through and the only trace of it was overlooking the Black Country from Turner’s Hill.

For a moment, snow on the hill – no more than an icing-sugar dusting – was beautiful.

I hope we get some more.

January 12th – The renovation and conversion of Kings Hill Methodist Chapel, and sometime St. Thomas’ Church in Kings Hill, Darlaston has been protracted, but very impressive. This is no bodge job and has literally taken years.

When I passed today, the boards were off the windows, the brickwork at the rear had been finished, as had the doors and paving to the front. The stained glass front windows also seem to have been repaired.

I don’t know who’s paid for and planned this job, but it truly is very impressive and I’d be happy to live in such a beautifully converted building.

December 27th – I needed to get out, and a silly challenge on social media led me to the Trent Valley, to prove Rugeley Power Station still exists. You’re probably best not asking, to be honest…

I ended up do a tough ride up to Hanch, then into Armintage, back along the canal to Rugeley, they over Stile Cop and back home via Prospect Village and Chasetown. 

The sunset – I caught it as I travelled back up the Trent Valley – was gorgeous, golden and cold. I mashed up Stile Cop from Rugeley, and didn’t stop until Chasetown. A great ride.

And guess what? The power station is still there. Out of use, but still lording it over the valley.