September 16th – But of course, in time autumn brings it’s own colours, and in their way, they can be every bit as vivid as those of summer.
The canalside hedgerows near Walsall Wood are looking particularly attractive right now… so all is not lost.
All the seasons have beauty and positivity. Sometimes you just have to look harder to find it.
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February 14th – Unexpectedly encountered on a Telford cycleway, this hedgerow blossom. It’s lovely, crazy white, and almost insubstantially thin, like apple blossom.
I have no idea what it is. the tree is certainly flowering before its leaves have grown.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen this before, but the tree isn’t alone in its flowery beauty; so it’s not just an aberration.
Speckled with water droplets from the quite thick mist, this was a beautiful and unexpected delight.
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October 20th – And in the green heaven of Kings Hill Park, where clearly busy people tend the flowers unseen to me, a bright, colourful reminder that the beauty isn’t over yet.
Spotted with raindrops, battered by the wind, these planters are still absolutely gorgeous and remind me of why I love the outdoors and why I appreciate this town and it’s hidden, lovely spaces.
I’m BrownhillsBob, not DarloDave. But for a twist of fate, I could have been – and would have been proud to be so.
April 6th – More blossom, and there will be lots more to come as this seems like a good year. I think this is some kin of ornamental cherry, spotted by the canal in Darlaston Green.
The flowers are fascinating, and almost look like they’re made out of tissue paper. They are the most wonderful deep pink.
Travelling to work these last couple of weeks has been a much brighter experience when the route is line with beauty like this.
March 28th – On a grey, misty and cold morning running through Wednesbury on an errand, what better pick-me-up than this embankment of daffodils?
I was cold, and not feeling the love at all, but these reversed my gloom. Daffodils are such lovely flowers and I adore the way they transform even mundane industrial estates like this.
March 20th – One aspect of springtime in Walsall that’s always worth a mention are the fantastic displays of daffodils on public land – grass verges, open spaces and parks are full of cheery patches of which-growing gaffs, and are always a joy to behold.
Here at Shelfied, where the railway once ran, white blooms form a positive sea of colour. Planting them was clearly very hard work, and an inspired act of beauty and felicity.
Thanks to those who did so, and those who are careful not to mow the deadheads down afterwards, thus protecting the following spring’s showing.
September 17th – The sunset was gorgeous at Chasewater, the calm before the chaos. A lone lady practised her wake boarding to a small audience, birders checked out the gull roost, and those lucky enough to catch this spectacle – very few, sadly – basked in the light and beauty of the dying day.
Sometimes all you need for peace and beauty are a couple of cyclists, a couple of cameras and a beautiful evening.
March 1st – On a distinctly un-springlike day, I headed into Pelsall in the morning, and came back along the canal via Nest Common. The canal here is as stark and beautiful as it every is; a shimmering sky-coloured ribbon stretching off on three directions. However, the journey back – along muddy, churned towpath until I reached the better surfaced part at Ryders Hayes – was awful.
Walsall Council and the Canal & River Trust are said to be investing, like Birmingham, in canal routes that don’t need surfacing, while ignoring spots like this and the canal through Rushall. It doesn’t make sense to me.
January 10th – On the way out, I caught a golden sunset over a very choppy Chasewater. It was the sort of metallic, harsh light that’s beautiful and only happens on windy, cold deep winter days.
On the way back, it was cold, and as I crossed the footbridge over the Chasetown Bypass, I was reminded of how beautiful nightfall was here. The distant, windy sweep of cars beneath my feet; countless lights stretching into the distance; the lights of Sutton Coldfield transmitter on the horizon, a constant, stable, reassuring reminder of the endless continuity of day-to-day life.
A beautiful but cold day to be out.
October 19th- a busy, fraught and not terribly productive day, I spun out past teatime into a dark, deserted and somnambulant town. I had the little tripod, and I welcomed the darkness back into my life.
I spun up the High Street, over Anchor Bridge, and back down the canal, and didn’t see a soul; there was life on the narrowboats, as the chimneys were gently smoking, yet there were no other signs of life at all.
I love the new LED floodlights on Silver Court – and Anchor Bridge will always be a muse.
Time to embrace the blackness again…
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