September 6th – The breath of autumn on my shoulder, as the song says. Cycling along the canal in Place on a beautiful, sunny day, it’s hard not to notice the subtly changing colours, the slight chill in the air, and the first few fallen leaves.
Technically we’re still in summer, but Autumn is now limbering up. I find this time of year so hard.
Ah well, nothing to do but ride on…
September 5th – Always worth noting that Redditch, despite the stick it gets (often from me), has some surprisingly beautiful corners and is actually very interesting.
Running the north-south length of central Redditch is the Arrow Valley park, a green vein with cycleways, horse trails, a large Watersport lake and other attractions. About two thirds of the way south is the tiny, preserved hamlet of Ipsley.
This is a sign of what was here before the new town grew; but it’s a peaceful, beautiful and bucolic island, not more than a few hundred yards from factories, housing estates and highways.
It’s a remarkable thing and worth a visit.
September 1st – Another evening working late, I managed to pass through Walsall Wood just as the sun was setting behind the pithead sculpture. It’s not a thing I’ve ever been fond of, as many people know, but it does make for an interesting view over the old rail line.
It was a beautiful sky and a lovely evening, but I was far too tired to appreciate it.
August 30th – Something in the climate of this day was perfect for the cats of North Walsall. They lazed in the shade of cars and lamp-posts, relaxed, just watching their world go by, making sure all was in order and nothing was untoward.
It’s nice to know they were on guard, these sunshine sentries of suburbia.
August 30th – Today was a great day to be zipping about the Black Country on my bike, seeing people I needed to see, The streets, the urban architecture, the market at Tipton.
It all glistened like a jewel in the sun.
I said there would still be fine days to come and I wasn’t wrong. Yet again, my beloved Black Country lifted my spirits and filled me with a sense of belonging.
These are the places I love.
August 26th – it’s been 7 years since I last rode this way. A fast run through Whittington, Harlaston, Clifton and Overseal, over to Moira where, looking for a cafe, I found Moira Furnace, which looks worthy of a more extended visit. Up through the ex-mining villages, through Blackfordby to Foremark Reservoir, as peaceful as ever it was. Back via Repton, Willington, Burton and Lichfield, a 72 mile ride at a fast pace, finishing under a gorgeous sunset.
It’s the little things you notice, the owl on a gatepost, the view up the Trent of the disused towers that will soon be gone, and the lovingly cared for Ford Escort that seems to look better now than it did when it was a current design.
A great ride.
August 16th – No wildlife today, sadly; I had hoped to carry the seven days of wildlife challenge on further than the week, but I saw nothing of interest in that department today – at least, nothing that stayed around long enough to give good camera face. So I made do with the moon.
It was full and beautiful this evening, and what a night to look up at it and ponder the wonderful feat of travelling there, given the technology of the day.
The moon will never lose it’s romance.
August 16th – A consolation of leaving work late was a very beautiful, deep sunset. With the cooling temperatures, earlier nightfall and climatic change of Autumn, we’ll soon be in the season of the great sunset again, one of the greatest consolations for the end of summer.
It was lovely tonight but I’d rather summer fought off the autumn a little longer yet…
August 9th – Bind weed is everywhere at this time of year. With the almost pure white flowers and large leaves, this climbing plant is prodigious and often regarded as a nuisance.
That’s a shame really, as it’s another one of those plants that if it was rarer, it would be cherished. It attracts and feeds lots of bugs and bees, and is particularly beautiful.
I was fascinated in the way the one flower had been so selectively nibbled.
July 27th – And on my return, the weather was so lovely, I decided to take a detour around Stonnall for a bit of thinking time.
Grandma use to say ‘mackerel sky? 24 hours dry.’ – this was certainly a remarkable, beautiful sky.
I do hope she’s right.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 