February 6th – On the canal near Scarborough Road in Pleck, I was pulled up short by this gorgeous lad singing his heart out from a canalside thicket.
He was happy. The seasonal imperative is kicking in. He’s singing to attract a mate, no doubt.
I wish you well, tiny robin. I wish you well.
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February 2nd – Up by Middleton Bridge, two likely characters loiter and preen on the ice, regarding me with grumpy, truculent eyes.
I feel for the waterfowl this weather, they don’t have much open water, and most of that will be full of Canada geese and Mallards, who are both just shouty, loud idiots and must drive cultured birds like swans mad.
Still, at least that answered the IC scale question well enough…
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February 1st – By the time I neared home in Brownhills well after 8pm that evening, the ice on the canal was considerable.
At Silver Street from the pedestrian bridge, it looked beautiful in the orange streetlight.
It was clear, and my bike computer read -4. It was a relief to get home and warm up.
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February 1st – Friday was, again, bitter. In practice, probably not as cold as previous recent winters have been, but it seemed positively arctic after the mild season generally this time around.
The canal ices was getting quite thick – maybe an IC5 today.
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January 26th – The weather didn’t improve at all, and considerably worsened. It was windy, grey and grim. I slipped out briefly for a circuit around a wet, muddy canal at the fall of dusk and got wet and felt miserable.
The weather at the moment is warm, but not pleasant. I hope this isn’t a portent of a bad summer, but I guess we might be due one.
The only brightness was my favourite tree, the majestic horse chestnut at Home Farm, Sandhills, still looks wonderful and will soon, hopefully, be in leaf.
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January 23rd – The journey home was not so enjoyable. The snow had thawed, but it had gone cold again, and there was a lot of ice. I made an awful decision to try the canal between the Black Cock Bridge and Brownhills, and the towpath was barely ridable: The thawing snow had frozen hard and the problem was not the ice, but the ruts in it which were numerous when they took your wheel.
Almost worth it though for my regular muse Clayhanger Bridge at night, with a very different appearance for a change.
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January 18th – A very cold, hazard-ridden commute as I got used to riding on ice – all be it with ice tyres – again. It takes time to reassure yourself that they actually work.
The road gutters and towpaths had some lurking black ice and it was rather cold.
Still only an IC1 on the fabulous Dry Marland canal ice scale though….
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January 15th – Long exposure photos continue to fascinate me, and at Catshill Junction the night sky looked a gorgeous, reflected-sodium oranger in these 30 second images taken by popping the camera on timer and sitting it on the bridge rail.
This is a classic and favourite local view of mine but I never tire of photographing it.
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January 14th – And on my return that evening, it was similarly cold but still.
The ‘new’ Silver Street pedestrian bridge fascinates me. I love the shapes in the framework, the views it offers and even the sound it makes as you walk and ride over it.
Although it’s. 11 years old now, I never tire of photographing it at night.
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January 13th – For some reason the overflow at Silver Street was running heavily, which surprised me as we haven’t had that much rain and I don’t think the Chasewater valves are open at the moment.
It made for an interesting 30 second exposure over the canal surface though, looking a bit like ice.
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