Tag: Brownhills

December 17th – Sunday was a much better day, but whilst the ice didn’t melt as much as I’d hoped, it was well on the way. I love ice and snow. But when it’s fresh; I can’t bear it hanging around. I like a good heavy snowfall, a few days of fun, then a fast thaw. 

Not so with this one.

I looped around Brownhills on errands, delivering Christmas cards as night fell: The High Street was grey and damp in the drizzle, but the canal at Silver Street fascinating with the ice, broken up by a passing boat.

Not feeling terribly Christmassy yet. Hope that changes soon.

December 11th – After getting one or two bits of shopping in, it was dark so I went up onto Pier Street Bridge to take in one of my favourite views with an added snowy flavour.

What’s interesting about these images is one is taken with an iPhone, and the other with a pretty decent camera. Apart from the dirty lens on the phone camera, you’d barely tell the two images apart for quality.

How technology marches on…

December 10th – I continued from Chasewater up around Engine Lane and down to old railway trail to the old cement works bridge overlooking the council depot, where gritters and ploughs were coming and going in a constant stream.

There was a lot of angst on social media about grit, road treatment and ploughing, and as ever, I felt particularly for the poor folk doing this hard, almost thankless task.

Elsewhere, the swans weren’t bother by the cold from what I could tell, and Morris seemed happy with his new white mantel.

Temperatures were dropping as it got dark and it would be interesting to see what happened next day as the freeze deepened.

December 10th – They say things come to those who wait, and overnight between Saturday and Sunday someone turned on the celestial snow machine. At it was still running when I headed out mid afternoon into a Brownhills Narnia.

Too deep and soft to ride much in, I was content with a loop around Brownhills to Chasewater in a pristine white landscape the looked stunning. If this hung around it would cause traffic mayhem, but I didn’t care: It was a long time since I’d seen snow this deep and I revelled in it.

Snow really brings out my inner child.

December 8th – As I approached the supermarket at Burntwood, there was a sadly short but very enjoyable whiteout. The snow was heavy, fast and think, and all of a sudden, my ride was transformed from a normal shopping errand into an adventure.

The snow stopped pretty quickly, but left a decent enough cover that made a familiar night-time view at Anglesey Basin beautiful and gave e an interesting and challenging ride back to Brownhills.

December 8th – The forecast had been for heavy snow during the day, and whilst it had been cold, the anticipated white stuff only presented a dusting by the time I headed over to Burntwood as night fell. I was quite disappointed if I’m honest, but I headed out into an impressively blue night to try the snow tyres for the first really icy outing of the year.

They were, as always, excellent, as were the views on the way, which made the ride much better than expected.

And then, something quite unexpected happened…

December 3rd – A quick, snatched photo taken while on an errand to the shops, my only bike ride of the day. It was much, much warmer, and quick damp: The sorry of oily, greasy, muddy day that leaves everything filthy and wet without raining properly. It was dismal.

At the moment I’m up to my ears in financial stuff for work, as I am at this time every year, but this year it’s worse as we’ve been busier and there’s lots more of it.

I slid out as darkness fell, and took some photos around the Pier Street footbridge that I though would be good. They are all grainy, out of focus mush. 

Which could equally describe my brain right now, too… still, soon be over.

November 24th – Taking a shortcut up Pier Street, I noticed that the boiler in the OAP club was running, and the plume of water vapour generated was drifting into the night illuminated by the sodium floodlight above.

At long exposure, it looked ghostly, but probably looked better in the shorter shot. 

I watched it for a while, the patterns and colour were oddly mesmerising.

November 24th – Returning to Brownhills after a long day at work, ice was forming on the towpath puddles and it felt like the hard, dry cold of winter was setting in. But it was very clear and there was a lovely moon to boot. 

I had a saddlebag full of fish and chips for tea for me and those at home, and it felt, despite the cold, like a decent night.

First time I’ve had me tail up for weeks, as my father might have said.