September 27th – I caught a classic, sunny and misty autumn morning just as the mist was burning off. I had to nip to Burntwood on an errand and I took the canal to Chasewater. It was magical and gorgeous.
The spiderwebs on the gorse were captivating and there also seems to be a burgeoning crop of puffballs this year.
Could this be the last good weekend of the year, or are there more to come?
September 17th – I can’t decide if this single, gorgeous violet blue plant is a harebell or bellflower. Whatever it is, it’s been delighting me every time I pass by it for over a week now, just on the canal by the Clayhanger Bridge.
Any opinions, folks? It really is a most beautiful bloom, and so unexpected at this time of year.
September 15th – Catshill Junction Bridge has had this horrid step for years. There used to be a concrete ramp between the footpath and the bridge deck, but it broke up and washed away in the rain.
The Canal and River Trust have been asked to repair this on multiple occasions, to no avail.
Yesterday, they announced that a crew would be out on Wednesday ‘to make it accessible’.
I’ll believe it when I see it…
September 14th – Also prolific at the moment are the squirrels, who are eating for winter. Near the Watermead estate on the towpath by the hazel hedge, the way is littered with expertly nibbled shells, harvested for their fatty, milky goodness by the grey, furry nut-bandits.
There’s a real feeling at the moment of nature preparing to shut down for winter.
September 10th – I was busy with technical stuff all day and finally got out as darkness fell. I spun up the High Street into Brownhills, up to Anchor Bridge, and back via Catshill Junction and Silver Street, catching the lights on the canal in all their unexpected splendour.
I love that view. The tower blocks across the old marketplace didn’t work out to badly, either…
September 7th – An early escape from work, so I went for an afternoon bimble in the sun. I hadn’t got long, so just up to Chasewater, then up through Burntwood to Farewell, over to Lichfield and back through Wall and Lynn.
A lovely day with beautiful light. Could this be an Indian summer? I do hope so!
September 3rd – Further on, and caught in a very grey moment, the heather near Newtown in Brownhills is stunning this year. A sea of speckled purple, it’s actually far more vibrant than this image shows.
Well worth a walk or ride along the canal to sea.
August 29th – My apologies to the toad-phobics, but I had to share this wee fellow. He looks bloody angry and he had a right to be: I was a shade from running him over in the dark on the towpath near Pelsall Road, but a last minute swerve just missed him.
I picked him up and popped him in the grass, annoying him further.
In true laissez-faire toad fashion, he never moved a millimetre on his own.
August 29th – A late rove around Brownhills and I just missed the sunset, and there are sadly few decent places to catch it in the town without going to Chasewater. I got as far as the Chase Road Bridge, then realised I wasn’t going to make it and looped back to Brownhills.
It was a gorgeous evening with great skies, and considering how windy the day had been, it was very still.
August 28th – On an early afternoon run home from work, a beautiful patch of thistles gone to seed on Clayhanger Common. Like fellow fluff-mongers Rosebay Willowherb, they fill the air with small, wind-borne seeds often called ‘fairies’ by generations of local kids.
Also good food for small bits who will dine on these to their hearts content.
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