February 24 – Flowers have again appeared on the miner railings in Brownhills, and I have no idea why. There is no note. They are attached firmly with cable ties, and there are three separate bunches, bundled together. I can’t think of any fatalities here. The wreaths tied here at Christmas were soon cut down and taken away, which I though was rather sad.
Does anyone have any idea what this is all about?
February 18th – In Lower Forster Street, Walsall, there’s a quiet revolution firing up. The Backyard Brewhouse – one of two microbreweries in Brownhills – has bought this closed pub, The Fountain, and reopened it again. By all accounts, it’s a fine house.
It’s an interesting, old-style back-street boozer, sadly surrounded by the remnants of the Jabez-Cliff building, but none the less lovely for that. There are few enough real ale houses left these days, so it’s a real pleasure to see a new one – especially when it’s selling good, local, Brownhills-brewed ale.
I wish the folks behind TheBackyard Brewhouse the best of luck in their venture.
February 16th – A lovely journey along the canal to Chasewater. Is it me, or is there a hint of spring in the air? A little gentle late winter sunshine, some warm air, blue sky and a hint of growth?
More please, mother nature. More!
February 15th – I was off work with stuff to do all day. I slipped out just in the sunset hour, too late for the colour, but just in time for the drama. The going was good and the bike felt fast, and I rode it liquid along the towpaths of Brownhills. The light was superb – just when you think you’ve seen a place in every light possible, something different happens. From Catshill Junction to Pelsall Road, the soft lights of the Watermead to the harsh geometry of Humphries House, the whole of Brownhills seemed to be high on twilight drama.
Brilliant, really enjoyable.
February 10th – Returning along the wet canal towpath in almost total darkness, the going was hard. From the roving bridge at Ogley Junction, not much was visible, so I whipped out the gorilla pod and tried a long exposure shot into the darkness. Not too bad a result, really. It certainly shows how much of the residual light is sodium street light pollution, mainly here from the rear of the CNC Speedwell factory.
And it continued to rain. Rain, rain, endless rain.
Come on spring!
February 9th – Shooting back home to Brownhills, I passed the old surgery in Brickiln Street. It’s now a veterinary surgery – and a very good one too; but up until the early 1980s this was the GP surgery for Brownhills. Back then it was tumbledown, dingy and old; it hadn’t had attention for years, despite the best efforts of the doctors and staff to keep it clean. After decades of service, a new surgery was built, only to be replaced by yet another at the Parkview Centre in 2006.
This bungalow has been healing the sick of Brownhills – human and animal – for decades.
February 8th – At the other end of the architectural spectrum is Silver Court. An odd, split level building, it’s one of the last untouched remnants of sixties-era Wimpey system construction that were so ubiquitous here, although this isn’t a full system build. At the lowest level are garages, at the rear; split level, above are a parade of shops. Split level again, at the rear, there’s an access pathway over the garage roofs to maisonette-style houses above the shops. It’s one of the oddest, most quirky designs I’ve ever seen, and in many ways is deserves recording as an exemplar of what happened when system build was expanded beyond it’s narrow confines. On the other hand, it’s harsh, dark and badly constructed.
On a damp winter’s night, the sodium lighting, hard suffices and dark corners make for very atmospheric photos.
February 8th – Just a short ride today. I shot up through a deserted Brownhills at 8:30pm to clear my head. As I approached Anchor Bridge, I stopped to look at the new developments there. Houses are still being built on one side, but on the other, Knaves Court looks impressive in the night. A sort of sheltered living complex for the elderly, it seems to have a fine community and high regard. I love the modernity of the building, and the boldness of the colours employed in it’s render.
A fine place.
February 2nd – By chance, I caught a good sunset. Out late afternoon to go shopping, I cycled up through central Brownhills and hopped on the canal near Anchor Bridge. Near Home Farm, I caught sight of what I thought was sand spread on the fields; it was actually soft, red sunshine, although it was cloudy directly overhead. As I sped to Chasewater to catch it, the light tantalised me with glimpses between houses and over the hilltop village of Hammerwich. Beautiful.
I’d almost forgotten it was soon to be the season of sunsets again. Late autumn, early spring. Every year. Love it. As I noticed earlier in the week, the seasons wheel is turning… it wasn’t dark tonight until gone 5pm.
This makes me very happy indeed.
January 28th – The weather continues to be warm and windy. Fighting it coming home from work, it was hard to believe that only a few days before, it was sub-zero temperatures and ling snow. No trace remained as I hauled the bike over Shire Oak Hill. The lights of the pub looked welcoming, and the temptation to pop in for a swift pint was strong.
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