June 17th – My deer magnet is clearly functioning well right now. These two delightful yearling hinds were grazing on the scrub adjacent to the railway track at Chasewater Heaths. Note that they’re still very young, and have the traces of their juvenile whit spots still present in their summer coats. They happily browsed the vegetation whilst keeping an eye on me, eventually wandering into the thicket nearby. A lovely sight, and one I still pinch myself in disbelief, every time I see it.
June 15th – Chasewater was deserted as I cruised round in the early evening. I’ve noticed in recent years that the park has a burgeoning rabbit population, and when there’s few folk around, they come out of hiding and take the air. This fellow was on the dam by the Downes house. I hope the engineers are keeping an eye on the rabbits… badgers caused the collapse of a canal in Llangollen a few years ago. Mind you, knowing badgers, they could have used explosives or anything. They’re truculent little buggers…
June 15th – It had been a grim, wet, blustery day. I was travelling far away, and couldn’t use the bike, which made me feel like a cheat. When I finally got home that evening, the weather cleared around 7pm. The wind dropped, and the showers became more sporadic. As a penance, I decided to get the shopping in from Morrisons in Burntwood, which meant a spin up a very wet canal and over Chasewater. The air was clear as I checked out the view to Sandhills and over Home Farm… I love that tree. It’s like my seasonal barometer.
June 13th – Foxglove is one of those odd flowers steeped in half-truth and folklore. I spotted this lone one this evening as I winched myself up Shire Oak Hill near Sandhills.Poisonous? Yes, very. Deadly? Can be, particularly the young leaves. Beautiful? Certainly. I adore foxgloves. They should never be picked, and children should be taught to avoid them, but they have great medicinal use, as well as having the more sinister reputation that once christened them ‘dead mans bells’. Digitalis produces medically active compounds that can be made into cardiac drugs, and also a steroid used in the detection of DNA and RNA. Truly a remarkable plant.
June 12th – I believe this delightful yellow flower to be a flag iris (although I could be wrong). At this time of year, they flourish on the water margins of canals, ponds and reed beds, bringing a dash of yellow to the waterscape. I love these flowers. This patch, near Anglesey Bridge on the canal near Brownhills, seem to get larger and more impressive every year.
June 9th – I never tire of the view from the canal at Newtown, near Brownhills. Overlooking the rolling countrysde towards Hammerwich, the church and windmill there are not the only landmarks visible. If you stand in just the right spot, on a clear day, you can see the 3 spires of Lichfield Cathedral visible through the Crane Brook valley. Right now, it’s green and verdant; but this is a great view in all four seasons, constantly changing in character. One of the great unknown gems of Brownhills.
June 8th – After all the rain, the canal overflow at Clayhanger Bridge was flowing well. Haven’t seen it this heavy since Chasewater was drained. I love the sound of the water here – it’s really relaxing. A very pleasant thing indeed.
June 6th – The life I mentioned in the last post manifested itself in many ways. Birds sang, flitted and fought in the hedgerows. I saw a fox stalking near Lynn, and there were rabbits and even hares aplenty. After the deluge, nature was busy doing it’s thing. On the footpaths at Sandhills, Shire Oak, there was a profusion of snails, of several different shapes, colours and sizes. It made walking a unexpectedly challenging activity…
June 4th – A terrible day of botched plans and failed attempts. However, the riding was good. Heading out to Chasewater late morning, I noticed that as the abandoned swan nest on the canal near Sadler Road sinks, it’s now evident that they had eggs for sure. There seem to be three remaining, but some could have been lost to vermin and predation. I have no idea why they were abandoned. It’s silly, really, but this makes me very sad when I think about it. But it’s just nature.
June 3rd – The photography was as lousy as the weather. The light was grim and every interesting shot was into the rain. Splashing despondently along the canal to Chasewater, something caught my eye. There was, in the midst of the rain, a temperature inversion going on. It was colder than it had been for days, and the canal water was clearly warmer than the air, and it was gently, almost imperceptibly, generating mist. I stood in the rain, watching the steam form and disperse, mesmerised. There’s beauty everywhere if you look for it. Even in Brownhills. In the rain.
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