May 10th – A late afternoon run out on a very dull, miserable day. Brightened considerably by the performance of the wee rabbits up on the canal bank by the Lichfield Road.
Again, a little chap, but not the same one. He froze when he saw me coming. Sadly, he seems to have a sore on his back, but he looks fit and healthy otherwise. And he has a fine set of whiskers for a little ‘un.
This one is for that there Linda Mason.
May 6th – A lovely ride on on a sunny, bright spring day. Wildlife and rural charm all around. To be in England, in springtime.
I find it all the more perplexing, then, why someone would take their dog for a walk, bag up their dog’s poo, and just toss the bag on the canal towpath, without disposing of it properly. Now we not only have a health risk, we have it packaged in such a way that it’ll not rot down. Archeologists of the future are going to be utterly perplexed as to why they keep digging up random bags containing canine excrement.
Have the arseholes that do this got shit for brains? In this camp I also place those idiots who festoon hedges and trees with these revolting parcels.
May 4th – The rabbit population is healthy and growing locally right now. After myxomatosis swept through again a couple of years ago, the population has swelled in it’s wake. This young bunny – a tiny fellow – was sitting taking the air on the canal bank near Lichfield Road. He had little fear of me, and only made a run for it when I got within 10 yards of him. Hope he develops a bit more fear soon, otherwise I fear he’ll end up as lunch for Reynard.
May 3rd – Spotted in the dusk, swans nesting. Frantically busy in the dusk, they’re on a mission to obey their biological imperative. Their nest is just in front of the Watermead estate in Brownhills, 20 yards of so from the canoe centre.
That’ll make for an interesting introduction to birdlife for some young canoeist…
May 3rd – This is an interesting one. Just by the Pelsall Road bridge in Brownhills, a lovely bed of daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers, where once there was just grass. The odd thing is that the triangle forming the bed is inaccessible, except by boat, or maybe by ladder from the road above.
Ingenious, perplexing and lovely. Beautiful.
May 3rd – As I spun around the canals at dusk to get some exercise and food in, I noticed there were a lot of narrowboats moored up – I passed at least 5 that weren’t regulars. I guess it must be the sudden onset of good weather and a holiday weekend. It was chilly, but the air was clear and hard, and in the dying light, living aboard one didn’t seem like a bad idea.
April 28th – I’ve not really studied this old, derelict mill on the canal at Rugeley before, but it’s quite fascinating, actually. Built in 1863, it’s older than I expected, and I’m interested in its history. Most intriguing are the metal canopies installed awkwardly below the upper row of windows. Wonder what their purpose was?
April 28th – The weather seems to be in regression again. Horrid winds and overcast skies accompanied me as I cycled out via Chasewater to Cannock Chase. My ribs were still painful, but there’s no sense in avoiding it; have to keep moving to get better. Despite the weather, nature is getting on with things. I noticed the inseparable pair of Grebes near the south shore of Chasewater, and a first for the year, a huge group of very, very young ducklings on the canal at Rugeley (for some reason, all my pictures of them were awful, but there were at least 14 in the group).
Let’s hope the sun shines for them soon.
April 27th – It’s true what they say, the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. This young lamb – one of the small flock at the Big Tasties smallholding between the canal and the A5 at Newtown, Brownhills, expertly squeezed his head through the wire mesh to reach the greenest shoots.
April 26th – Cycling isn’t great for me at the moment. I had a bit of a domestic accident and have sustained bruised ribs, which is making cycling a bit uncomfortable – but I’m plodding on, just slower and more gingerly than usual.
Fortunately, I didn’t have far to go; just an errand to a few places in Brownhills. The weather was very, very changeable, and I just caught Brownhills as it was wearing it’s spring sunshine jacket. The canal side looked great, and the daffy on the verge at Silver Street were a joy. Even the canada geese looked fat and happy.
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