December 1st – Unusual to see cats about more than fleetingly in the cold, dark evenings, but passing through north Walsall I was accosted by this lithe, shiny coated cat who mewed at me softly.
I thing he or she was waiting for their owner to come home and looking for a little fuss. I obliged, admired and ear-tickled as demanded.
October 3rd – Spinning through north Walsall on the way home, I was held up by this little thing peering up the road. Tiny, but with enough cute for several litters of kittens, she was apparently waiting for her owner who she’d spotted up the road.
The joy at the reunited pals, separated by a day at work, was beautiful and infectious.
A gorgeous little young cat, brimming with charm and life.
August 25th – North Street, The Butts in steady rain. Late again.
At least it was warm rain, and there was an excellent takeaway to look forward to at the end of it.
I still can’t get used to the tower block with the bizarre white halo. Walsall Housing Group did a fantastic job of refurbishing Austen House, complete with geothermal heating and solar panels – but I do find the aesthetics a bit odd.
March 7th – I don’t often ride through The Butts in Walsall, although it’s a lovely place. The tightly packed streets of traditional terraces are lined with parked cars, and any ride through this fascinating place is marred by conflict with other traffic, which is a great shame as I miss scenes like this.
Stopping to wait for my companion caught up further back, I looked up Borneo Street to see a perspective sunset, perfectly replete with TV aerials, chimneys and the ghostly white LED street lights.
I could really love this place, were it not such a challenge to cycle around.
January 19th – A beautiful, hazy an sunny winter morning – chilly, but not bitter. It was dry, and the pleasure and speed of dry roads seemed alien to me after so many wet weeks. Jockey meadows were beautiful, as were The Butts in Walsall, with those gorgeous terraces. Even Darlaston’s 1930s factories with their stark, monolithic walls were a joy in the mellow January sun.
All this is great for my heart and soul. More, please!
January 18th – After months of being shut to be rebuilt, the North Street Railway bridge, linking The Butts with Birchills in Walsall is very, very close to reopening. Rebuilt higher to accommodate electrification of the railway beneath, the bridge seems much steeper than before.
Still, it was fun to ride up and down while traffic free and still closed – and at the top, a decent view of the New College at night.
August 4th – If you;re around Walsall and have half an hour to kill, I can recommend a walk or ride down the cycle route that follows the Ford Brook in Goscote Valley from The Butts to Pelsall.
At the moment the meadows and heaths around it are alive with colour – rose bay willow herb, ragwort, daisies and other meadow flowers form a carpet, and the metallic tang and bright pink-white show of the invasive himalayan balsam is remarkable.
This isn’t commonly thought to be a picturesque part of Walsall – but there is so much to see, including a buzzard being mobbed by crows as I cycled my way home.
July 22nd – On an odd little side street, just off the main Walsall-Lichfield road, in the hinterland scrub between The Butts and Rushall, a remarkable display of feral roses.
Cartridge Lane South was orphaned years ago, and is mostly now just access to a dead-end housing development, and at the southernmost end, borders the allotments that mark the northernmost tip of The Butts. In the hedge there, some remarkable roses that seem to have been flowering for ages.
I wonder how many folk pass these every day without realising they’re there?
June 15th – The warmer days seem to be here at last, and out on the streets come the cats. These fair-weather flaneurs of the urban streets roll, stroll, preen and posture, but mainly just laze around languidly waiting for something interesting.
I saw this chap in the backstreets of Walsall. There’s an admirable air of relaxation and smugness there. Impressive.
February 23rd – A harsh day to ride to work into the wind. It started out sunny and bright, but it quickly became overcast, but then brightened again, It was hard work, and I stopped to take a phone call in The Butts, Walsall. The former school here has been converted into dwellings, and seems to have been done quite sympathetically. I think the exterior doors would have been better in wood or a darker colour, and the white boarded detail in the water tower jarrs; but otherwise, a great repurposing of a very interesting, surprisingly ornate building.
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