January 3rd – My dislocation was compounded by the darkness. Despite the moonlight, the town seemed very dark and deserted, from the alley at the rear of the church to the footpath over the spot, which I rode over to Clayhanger to visit a pal.
Sometimes I hate the darkness. Sometimes it’s my best friend. Right now, I just wish it would hang back a bit.
Roll on spring.
January 3rd – Ah, that prickly, uncomfortable time between New Year and starting work again. Once you get back to the grind, Christmas seems a long way off and life gets back to normal quickly, but in the interregnum between festivity and workaday occupation, things feel otherworldly and disconnected. I hate it.
The nights are opening out though, which is good; the weather hasn’t been great, particularly that morning, and I can’t seem to get anything done, which is a pain, but everything must pass.
I spun into town for a few items and some fresh air, and swung past St James, the parish church of Brownhills. I’ve always found it stark and austere, and the extension added in the early 90s (in the foreground) is, to me, hideous. But the church is the heart of Brownhills, or at least Ogley Hay, even if most of the surrounding community seemed to be Methodist.
The sky was a deep, azure blue and the moon was nearing full. It was quiet. Not a bad night to be out, but my heart was elsewhere.
I’ll feel better when I’m back at work.
New Year’s Day – I was miserable. The weather was miserable. That’s all there was to it.
I wasn’t feeling good – not over-indulgence, but the semi-regular bad stomach and that post-Christmas feeling when the work that seemed so far away two days ago is suddenly noticed, bearing down.
I span out after dark, up Coppice Lane and the cycleway, and back along the canal. It was raining, and windy so quite tough going. But I felt better for it, and got home more cheerful than I left it.
I always find January 1st difficult if I’m hemmed in. Tomorrow will be a better day.
December 31st – I’m concerned about the fate of the sculpture at Catshill Junction in Brownhills. Since the new housing development started, due to lack of access, it has become increasingly overgrown. I’m worried it might be lost completely, and fear that Walsall Housing Group have made no provision for it in the plans for the new build.
On the subject of which, it’s very early days yet but I’m finding the building flat and characterless at the moment. Any new homes here are good; the land has been dormant and unused for a decade – but I do hope this currently somewhat bland construction develops some character as it’s topped out…
December 30th – I had loads of local stuff to do today, and very little time. Plus, I was having a bad day with everything failing, so I felt it probably wasn’t best to be out in difficult conditions.
The feeling was compounded by a couple of intemperate drivers who hooted at my very existence.
The sunset was nice though, from Pelsall Road to Chasewater, it was gorgeous through all it’s phases; these are good winter sundowns right now.
Sadly, the weather is to warm op over the next couple of days, so I think this is probably the last decent one until the weekend. But what a corker.
Boxing Day – Sometimes, you do something on impulse that seems a good idea, and it’s terrible. This was just such an occasion.
Snow was forecast. I enjoy snow; I love to be out in it, especially when it’s actually snowing; it saturates my senses and I feel connected to the world; I love the way it plays with the light, and the memory of place.
The snow came late afternoon, so I threw the studded snow tyres on the bike and went for it. The snow was very wet, but beautiful. The bike cam died due to not being charged. The mud on the canal was something else. Snow got on the camera lens and I had no dry cleaning materials to hand.
Then the snow turned to heavy rain. I had no aquapac for my electronic stuff.
I got soaked. Really wet. The rain was searching, and entered every not-quite shut zip and pocket flap. I felt cold, wet and down.
It had bean beautiful I was glad to catch it. I spun over to Chasewater, and was planning to loop over around Hammerwich. But the rain was just too horrid.
On my way back, I took the line of the old railway along the bypass at Chasetown, to the rear of Anglesey Basin, and saw the deer footprints in the fresh snow. I forgot being wet and cold and followed them – the animals had come up off the bypass, and headed over the scrub to the copse at the back of the cottages, presumably laying low for shelter. Bless them.
That perked me up, but oh boy, this was a horrid ride.
Christmas Day – I realised I had no cash, and spun up the High Street late in the evening to go to the cashpoint. Brownhills was dead, somnambulant and deserted. I didn’t see a soul.
After the hubbub and bustle of the day, it was really, really lovely.
Deember 21st – I’m interested in road safety technology and lighting as many readers will have gathered, and I’m intrigued by the recent upgrade to the zebra crossing on the Lindon Road by the Clayhanger Road junction.
The conventional Belisha Beacons have been replace for two LED streetlights, shining down on the crossing and adjacent footpaths, bathing the whole area in white light. This gives a stunning effect in an area of orange sodium lights; further, the beacons themselves are bracketed off the lighting columns, which have LED lights in them and shine out the white bands on the post that would normally just be paint or reflectives.
The overall effect is remarkable, but very hard to photograph. I’m impressed.
December 15th – Brownhills High Street. Darkness, rain and lights. Time to grab a takeaway, get home, dry off and have a mug or two of tea.
It felt like Christmas there today. Something about the lights, night and rain; every year, I always feel there are obstacles between me and Christmas – need to get x job finished, attend y event, buy z etc. and they steadily tick down until the holiday.
This year, I seem to have cleared most of the hurdles early, and I have a decided air of smugness about me. This can’t really end well.
December 14th – Sadly, it seems myxomatosis has found the rabbit warren by the canal, just off Chase Road in Brownhills. This elderly rabbit can’t see and wasn’t aware of my presence, only moving when a couple of dogs came close.
This awful disease sweeps through rabbit populations in waves; the last cases I saw were in Chorley, near Burntwood in 2011. The rabbit populations up there seem healthy and normal again.
It’s sad, but outbreaks like this are causing a gradual immunity to be selected in the rabbit population. In the meantime, I recommend anyone keeping pet rabbits in the locality makes sure they cannot come into contact with their wild brethren.
Let’s hope it passes soon.
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