BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

On a bike, riding somewhere. Every day, rain or shine.

Posts tagged ‘blue’

#365daysofbiking Shades of grey, shades of blue

Sunday 16th January 2022 – I was planning on a longer ride, but I got bogged down in changing my tyres. I’m still experimenting with studless winter specific ones, but wasn’t happy with the current set and had been given some Pirelli to try. By the time I’d changed them, and sorted other maintenance matters arising, there was little left of daylight; but it didn’t matter much because rather than being bright and pleasant as forecast, the weather was cold and grey.

I slid out for a tentative test ride in the twilight, heavy hearted – I’d been looking forward to a decent ride all week and it just hadn’t happened. The tyres, thankfully, felt much better: Even after this short 13 miler I felt I had more trust in them.

I did a speedy loop of Stonnall, Footherley, Shenstone, Wall, Pipehill and Hammerwich. The weather was very cold and closing in, and the atmosphere felt hostile. Riding was hard work, and my hands were cold.

I stopped at the top of Pipe Hill; to record a darkening Lichfield, the sprawl of which has slowly edged towards Pipe Hill in the four decades I’ve cycled here. Where there is now a large Waitrose supermarket, there was once fields, a small hospital and a cricket ground. The new houses are now spreading up Deans Slade towards Aldershawe and Harehurst Hill.

It’s sad, but that’s progress and I don’t lament these things: Such is wasted energy, as they can’t be changed or retained, and time will continue to march on. The spires I marvelled at as a boy are still there, and the impact of that view on me is just as great as it always was, I could study it for hours, even in this bitter chill.

I felt a little blue in this grey landscape. There was little sign this evening of the premature spring we found at New Year, and longer days and warmth seemed impossibly far away from me in the here and now. Whilst the view and the lanes were lovely, today they didn’t soothe me, they just made me long for better days.

They will, of course, arrive: And not a moment too soon.

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/3nLjqdy
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking A beautiful mystery

Wednesday March 24th 2021 – I have no idea what the two species of flower in this photo are, but they’re thriving in the spring flower patch planted a few years ago in the grass beside the entry to Kings Hill Park near the old chapel.

Gorgeously violet and china blue, the crocus and miniature daffodils are passing now and handing the baton to these delicate wonders.

I don’t know who planted that patch of  flowers there but they did a beautiful thing.

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/3rAxtln
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Into white

April 8th – And as I predicted, within twenty four hours that same cherry was absolutely perfect.  The clumps of flowers were huge, and stunning against a spring azure sky.

This blossom will be short lived and soon fall like snow, but oh my heart sings for that one sunny morning when I could just stand beneath and drift off, into white.

Things might be OK, after all.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/3cu975I
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking The blue period

December 28th – A stretch up to Walsall Wood on my way to Aldridge in one of those remarkable but fairly rare blue dusks we sometimes get at this time of year.

There must be a meteorological or astronomical reason for them, but I have no idea other than the fact that they are really, really beautiful. The view from Hollanders Bridge glowed in the cold night.

Reall,  really gorgeous.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/358e1RS
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Cold comfort

November 19th – Next morning, back to Telford in the early morning on a hard frost, as expected. Mill Green was as beautiful as it always is on such a morning: Icy, pale but mistily serene and peaceful.

It was a good morning for once and that looked like continuing. With the winter tyres on, I’m ready.

Come on then, let’s have it…

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/2qEIWXX
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Into the blue

July 23rd – I was in Birmingham for work and was planning on catching the train home. But there was trouble with the signals and all trains I could have caught were messed up.

I decided to ride home – it was a nice evening, after all. I decided to hit the canal near Lancaster Circus, but heading out of the centre I found the new segregated cycleway up the A3 to Perry Barr. It’s absolutely brilliant. I was so enamoured, I kept on it and rode home over Kingstanding.

It’s fast, largely well thought out, has it’s own traffic signals (with repeaters at bike eye level) and was really quite busy.

Some of the routes over major junctions are a bit tortuous, but it’s far better than I’d ever have imagined.

Sad to see it ends abruptly at Perry Barr, but I suppose with the junction being remodelled there it would be folly to continue it yet.

A fine thing, very pleasing to ride.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/2YpUqhy
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Corny

June 10th – The rain was almost totally constant as I came home from work and hit the muddy canal to avoid the traffic.

With little inspiration in the grey, horrible day, my eye was caught by a single splash of blue and purple in the scrub by the towpath by Clayhnager bridge – a gorgeous, bedraggled and solitary cornflower.

I keep saying this but it’s true – there is brightness to be found in even the most awful days.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr http://bit.ly/2IG4Bnx
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Later and maybe greater

June 7th – A mystery that always makes me wonder: Why are blue-purple lupins always out weeks earlier than the light colours like the pink ones here at Clayhanger Bridge?

I think I prefer the pink ones if I’m honest although they’re all beautiful.

This curiosity does at least extend the visible presence of a beautiful flower…

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr http://bit.ly/2WBt1Dl
via IFTTT

#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.

This journal is moving home. Please find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr http://bit.ly/2GNagqY
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking Kinda blue

April 6th – At Chasewater itself, it was also quiet, and no sign of the annual insect cloud I’d heard about during the day – they must have settled for the evening.

I love how every time you go, the light at Chasewater is different. Tonight is was sort of grey and china blue, the peace only disturbed occasionally by the honking of geese and the the odd mallard or grebe scudding along the water.

A beautiful evening, despite the dullness.

This journal is moving home. Please find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr http://bit.ly/2KeYZVf
via IFTTT