October 19th – The last time I was in this spot at this time of day was Friday, when I was feeling black and down. Today, I stopped in the chill air and looked to the retreating sun.
I got out the camera, recorded the sunset over my town, the place I love, then remounted and headed off into the light.
I feel so much better today. If only I could remain in light.
October 17th – I wasn’t feeling much better today, and resolved to get out to try and lift the black dog from my back. And as usual, it worked.
The day was as dull as autumn makes them; overcast and threatening, but my journey to Lichfield was illuminated by the remarkable colours on display. From my favourite horse chestnut tree at Home Farm to the line of maples at Darwin Park, it all looked beautiful.
Sometimes all you need is fresh air, bustle and the beauty of nature just doing her thing.
October 14th – Hadn’t seen these guys for a bit, but when I passed the overflow at Clayhanger Bridge, the three crossbreed mallards were having a conflab in the shallows. It was a bit like how I imagine a Roman bath-house to be, but with ducks.
What I particularly like about these chaps is that they’re always together, and that they always seem to be smiling.
October 11th – A gentle run along the canal back to Brownhills was in order, and on the way, I noticed a beautiful sky. My grandfather used to call this a ‘Mackerel Sky’ – presumably after the markings of atlantic mackerel.
He used to have a saying ‘Mackerel sky, 24 hours dry’ – and it broadly seems to work, I think. Wonder if there’s a meteorological basis for this or if it’s just an old wive’s tale?
October 10th – A spin around Brownhills on a grey afternoon on errands and to get some air. I wasn’t feeling too well and the grey autumn day wasn’t helping my mood.
By my cyclic antidepressant worked, and a ride cheered me up. Nice views of the Common, and still, this late, flowers and colour.
Can I really face another winter? I guess so, but I really don’t fancy it this year.
October 10th – I suspect this chap, getting some compact and much needed shut-eye on a waterside jetty at Newtown, Brownhills is the same smug cat I spotted a couple of weeks ago.
He was lazing in the mild afternoon, and with tail as draught excluder and warm on a plastic tarp, I suspect he could have been in heaven.
You have to admire the propensity of the everyday omg to nap just about anywhere.
October 6th – It’s nice to see a local pub coming back from the brink. It had been a hectic day at work, and two horrible, grey commutes. I had to call in on a mate in Stonnall, and as I returned to Brownhills, I noted the scaffold around the now closed Shire Oak.
This historic pub has had a difficult time for the last few years with a succession of landlords, and it desperately needed renovation. It closed for a refit a couple of weeks ago, and has been gutted. Work continues, and I noted the scaffolding was a new addition as I rode home.
It’s good to see this historic, landmark pub get some love – we’ve lost so many, there must surely be a place for this venerable and noted house.
It’s scheduled to reopen on the 20th November. I wish the new landlords well, and look forward to a pub reborn.
October 4th – A considerably different day, the sun was again shining and warm on my back. I had other stuff to do, so I spun up to Chasewater and back along route 5 over Engine Lane.
The canals and byways really have the autumn jacket on now, although there are still pockets of flowers around – and I’d be interested to know what the pink ones are.
October 3rd – The old railway between Pelsall and Brownhills (actually part of a longer line from Dudley to Lichfield) was grubbed up in the early 1980s. Some of the tracked from Pelsall to Walsall was converted into a cycle trail at the turn of the Millennium, but the section between Ryders Hayes and the old crossing at the back of the Swan Pub on the Pelsall Road seems to have developed a peculiar status. Whilst not an official cycleway, volunteers have been clearing it and keeping it useable, and it’s now a popular route for cyclists and dog walkers alike.
In contrast to the greyness of the Marsh and Mere, this was quite beautiful.
September 27th – On the canal near Newtown, Brownhills, waterside pets. That wonderful dog… possibly a husky, whom I’m told is female, lying imperiously in the weak sun. Such a gorgeous, lupine creature. Her owners must be very proud.
Not far away, on an abandoned fishing peg, possibly the world’s smuggest cat. What a splendid fellow.
I can’t help wondering if the cat teases the dog…
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