October 7th – Time for a seasonal warning, I guess. Along the canal from Anchor Bridge to around Wharf Lane Bridge, the hedge flail has been out and the towpath is covered in cut foliage debris and thorns from the hawthorn that constitutes the hedge here. This thorns are just lying, waiting to be picked up in soft tyres where they’ll quickly cause a period of deflation.
If your rubber is a bit thin, best avoid this route for a couple of weeks until the thorny problem has passed.
October 5th – A headache-grey, overcast and unpleasant day that was as grim and hard to face as the weather on the commute. Work is challenging at the moment and leaving me incredibly tired, day after day.
I’ve never known a summer end so abruptly and just dive headlong into a grim, grey, lifeless autumn like this – yes, the fungi is plentiful and the trees beautiful; but day after day the grey, sunshineless gloom is hard work.
I need a holiday. Returning home via a gloomy Catshill Junction, I was, for once fed up of the view.
September 30th – A wet, miserable grey day when little went right and I really didn’t feel the love at all. I really needed to be out and get some air, but work was demanding and the conditions not conducive. I’m really missing that Indian summer I was hoping for.
In the early evening gloom with night descending, I popped out on some errands, and spun around Brownhills. In steady rain on the Pier Street bridge, I remembered how beautiful this place is in the darkness of even a wet, grey, loveless evening.
September 29th – As I came back to Brownhills, a great, violet sunset. I’d be interested to know why so many sunsets lately tend towards the purple rather than the red or orange. It must be meteorological, but it really is beyond my knowledge.
I love that view over Anchor Bridge to the weest. Always reminds me I’m coming back to Brownhills.
September 28th – My quest for fly agaric – the red and white spotted toadstool of folklore and fairytale – was satisfied today when I visited a familiar patch that unexpectedly exists between the Darlaston Road and canal in Walsall.
This edge land, under self-seeded silver birches at the top of the cutting, is host to the largest colony of these toadstools I’ve ever seen; there must be at least a hundred of them in various stages of life.
This is a remarkable find and confirms my suspicion that I’ve largely missed the season this year – they seem to have peaked earlier this year, but this spot which is quite hard to climb to contains some of the best, most perfect examples of the fungi I’ve ever seen.
All in one of the most built-up, urban patches of Walsall.
September 27th – I deliberately made an effort to pass the same clump of glistening ink caps the next morning, to see how far they’d progressed.
As I predicted, just over 12 hours later, they were already decaying to nothing.
Isn’t nature remarkable?
September 25th – The day did have some things to commend it though, As dusk fell a mist was rising off the canal at Clayhnager bridge and in it’s dark way, it looked serene and beautiful.
I’m not really ready for winter but there’s nothing I can do about it now, so I guess I must find beauty where I can.
September 25th – Heading home on a grey day, there was little to inspire, but whilst admiring the colours in the scrub near the new pond in Clayhanger, wishing we had sunshine to set them afire, I noticed a cat there I’d not seen before, presumably a ways away from home. A lovely ginger tabby, it gave me one glance, then high tailed it back down the old rail line path.
Even the cats didn’t want to speak to me…
September 23rd – A visit to the sadly biannual rather than annual Canal Heritage Gathering at Huddlesford, near Tamworth.
Despite suffering with a heavy cold, it was a lovely day and I met some truly wonderful people, stuffed my face with tea, cake and other grub, mooned over beautiful boats and cars and had fun.
This is a fantastic event run well and I wish it was annual. You can find out more with a large gallery on my main blog here.
September 20th – A good fungal find near conifers by the canal in Clayhanger – Sticky Bun fungus, sometimes known as Sticky Jack. When damp, this large toadstool looks slimy and unpleasant, but as a boletus it’s edible (but to avoid a bad tummy remove the slime layer before preparation), and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it here before.
Were it not sprouting from formerly contaminated land I’d certainly be picking a few for a fry up…
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