November 17th – Passing through Walsall Wood, the wind was ferocious on the way home – but thankfully, it was behind me. Clocking up a near record commute time of 35 minutes and hardly having to pedal from Walsall, the few hardy souls I saw cycling in the other direction had my utmost sympathy.
The view in both directions from Walsall Wood Bridge is great at night and I’ll always adore it – but I had to hold the camera really carefully tonight in case the wind snatched it away.
November 16th – A particularly hard ride home, and I’ve no idea why – I was just tired, I guess. The Black Cock Bridge was a tough too – and taking a breather at the top, I realised that this was the first time this year I’d commuted in both directions in darkness.
Still, it’s little more than a month until the darkness stops closing in and begins to retreat for another year.
Just where has this year gone?
November 15th – I span up the High Street and back down a canal just to stretch my legs and get some air. Not too bad for handheld shots, this one really. Considering it was relatively early, I couldn’t get over how quiet the town was. I didn’t see a single soul and very few cars.
October 27th – I had to nip to Priorslee to pick something up. The trail crosses the M54 via a pedestrian/cycle bridge that twangs gently when you cross it, and resonates with every large lorry that passes underneath.
From the bridge, the embankments of the motorway were displaying wonderful colour even on this dull day, and the view to my destination looked almost bucolic and mysterious.
Autumn has it’s moments.
October 24th – Passed through Aldridge as night fell. i’d been running an errand, and had to get shopping in. The sky was clear, and if I’d been in a place with a decent view, I think the sunset was pretty good.
It felt cold, though, that onset of winter kind of cold. I could see my breath form clouds of missed, and the air felt hard, brittle and clear.
Appropriate, really, that British Summer Time ends tonight, and the darkness that haunts me returns.
Ah well, bring it on…
October 18th – I felt much better today, and had an errand to run to find a bunch of conkers for a good pal. Sadly I didn’t escape until late on a grey afternoon, so didn’t have time to take photos. Later on, the errand done, my pace slowed and I found myself returning from Aldridge, and I noted the marina at the back of Brickyard Road was busy now, presumably with boats overwintering.
It looks like a nice mooring with secure, modern facilities – and there are some nice boats there. I’d quite fancy a narrowboat to live on were it not for the cold and continual running costs.
September 30th – Sadly, my morning photos came out terrible today, so just the couple. But they show something lovely – I’m assuming this bright climbing plant growing on the hedgerow near the Black Cock Bridge is Virginia Creeper. Unassuming most of the year, in the last couple of weeks it’s come alive; and in these gorgeous Indian summer golden hours it glows in the evening cool.
The whole place looked splendid as I passed. It’s gorgeous.
September 24th – For the first time this week, a really decent day with lots of sunshine, but the cold is creeping in – it barely crept over 16 degrees all day.
The birds on the local canals didn’t mind, though – the Walsall swan family were, as usual, hustling for treats, but the herons – a twtchy young gun in the morning and a more relaxed, slightly mad looking elder hand in the evening – were stubbornly self-sufficient, as ever.
I love to see these guys. They fair made my day.
September 16th – Shooting along the canal to Great Bridge early doors I passed under Bughole Bridge. Can it really be 22 years since they rebuilt it? The Black Country Route – which passes nearby – was new then.
I’ve never got to the bottom of what Bughole means, though. Anyone know? Like Bumble Hole and Devil’s Elbow, it’s one of those great Black Country names we accept without too much thought day to day, but when thought about really are quite preposterous.
September 13th – If you didn’t get a copy of last week’s Walsall Advertiser and live in Walsall Wood, it seems to have been dumped under the pedestrian walkway next to the Black Cock bridge.
About 30 copies, clearly dumped to avoid the work of actually delivering them.
Clearly not the sharpest tool in the box, because if they’d been dumped in a recycling bin instead nobody would have been the wiser.
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