May 29th – I had expected to get very wet on my return home. As it happened, it was merely a light drizzle, in the gap between downpours, but there was a significant headwind, and the going was grim. Cowparsley and hawthorn buds line the verges and hedgerows, and the cheesy scent of rapeseed hangs heavy. But there’s little sun about, and the lanes look grey and dull. Even the rabbit that darted in front of me, causing me to brake sharply was soaking wet.

We must be due a hot, dry spell soon, please?

March 10th – Oh dear. Humphries House and Severn House, the last two extant tower blocks in Brownhills have been extensively renovated, and have been reclad to provide better insulation and to prolong their life. It’s been a bit of a mystery what colour they were going to be – they were originally skinned in an off-white media. It seems our question has now been answered; Humphries House is to be a vivid blue and Severn House a glowing pink. Does that mean one will be for fellas and one for the girls?

Have to say, that’s bloody horrible. Yuck.

December 17th – A day infused with pre-Christmas rush. I finally got out on my bike at teatime, and took a spin around a very wet Brownhills. The roads glistened and it felt quite Christmassy. Morris Miner, when viewed from the Lichfield Road, always looks to me as if he’s expressing contempt towards the town. Still not absolutely sure they erected him the right way around… the blue lighting cheapens him, too. Shame they couldn’t have lit his lamp, like the residents requested.