November 20th – it’s an odd season, this. Coming back along the canal before heading towards Stonnall, I passed the gorse thicket by the Pier Street pedestrian bridge in Brownhills… remarkably, it’s in bloom. It’s been unseasonably warm and dry, surely these bushes don’t think it’s may again? From the ramp of the bridge, the damp spiderwebs made for an interesting contrast with the dark green foliage and yellow flowers.
November 20th – Spinning out this afternoon on what must have been the most un-photogenic day of the year so far, I took a snoop up round the top of Engine Lane where local riding instructor Stevie Ansell is preparing fields for use by her riding school. She does a huge amount of good work for kids in the community, and I welcome the move. Hopefully, more human presence will help moderate the behaviour of some of the illegal off-roaders around here, too. It’s nice to see Stevie has posted explanatory notices to tell passers by what’s going on. I wish her, her horses and pupils well.
November 16th – reunited with my camera, I headed into Brownhills for some late shopping. Taking a spin up the canal towards Chasewater, I spotted this intriguing view of a normally unremarkable Brownhills scene.
November 12th – A short ride round Brownhills and over the common followed a day of work and fiddling. I’m certainly getting lots of practice with night photography – hopefully I’ll be cycling in daylight again sometime soon. Brownhills ‘marina’ – a few mooring points in a weed-strewn hardstanding – does look good at night. I hope it gets some love when the Tesco reconstruction show rolls into town – but I’m not optimistic.
November 6th – after complaining about illegal offloading taking place on the old railway track that bisects Brownhills Common a couple of weeks ago, it was great to note that new anti-vehicle barriers had been implemented. It’s very hard to keep the abusers off the common, as there are so many access points, which fall across two authorities, but anything that makes life a bit more difficult for the vandals is welcome. It’s good to see the authorities responding to issues like this.
November 3rd – The Shire Oak pub has stood at this junction for over a hundred years. Forming the bottom – or top, depending on your perspective – of Brownhills, it’s a busy crossing of two arterial routes. The Chester Road crosses the Lichfield Road, and it’s a busy, often difficult proposition to negotiate – particularly if turning right. It doesn’t bother me these days so much, I often cross it twice a day, but getting stuck turning right here can be scary. I once fund myself stranded in the 6 foot void between to lorries travelling in opposite directions. The junction stands near the brow of Shire Oak Hill, itself named after the tree that stood near the old junction with Holly Lane, further downhill to the southwest, as the boundary marker between parishes.
October 30th – It’s good to see the site of the long-gone Superalloys factory being redeveloped. Derelict for thirty years or more, it’s stood for decades as a testament to Brownhills’ lost industrial past. Once a chemical works and known to locals as ‘The Chemical’, the land was contaminated and hard to pitch to developers. Finally, one of the last major manufacturers in the area, Castings PLC, have decided to expand onto the wasteland and the new building is positively flying up. Although it towers over Ogley Junction, I welcome the jobs and business this new factory will bring. Good news in a bleak economic landscape.
October 27th – It was still throwing it down at 8pm when I reached Brownhills. Been meaning to take this shot for a while – Knave’s Court, the new sheltered housing development at Anchor Bridge is architecturally interesting, and beautifully lit at night. It didn’t scrub up too bad, considering the awful weather.
October 24th -At the other end of the day, the evening was chilly and clear. It was dark by 6:10, and as I crossed the Anchor Bridge into Brownhills, I couldn’t resist this shot of the canal near Lindon Road. I love the contrast between the vehicle lights, water and trees. This is a classic Brownhills view, and one all Brownhillians will know and love.
October 21st – I love night photography, but I’m not terribly good at it. I love the way familiar places change totally at night. The senior citizen’s flats opposite Holland Park and the fuel tanks of the Tesco depot on the Pelsall Road don’t really register as aesthetically pleasing in daytime – interesting, but unremarkable. Shroud them in darkness and discharge light and they come alive. I think I’m starting to get the hang of this winter thing at last.
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