Tag: canal

September 27th – I caught a classic, sunny and misty autumn morning just as the mist was burning off. I had to nip to Burntwood on an errand and I took the canal to Chasewater. It was magical and gorgeous.

The spiderwebs on the gorse were captivating and there also seems to be a burgeoning crop of puffballs this year. 

Could this be the last good weekend of the year, or are there more to come?

September 25th – From Tixall, a stop for tea and cake, and then back home along the canal from there to Handsacre – a fair trip. This stretch, which runs limpid at the rear of the Shugborough estate and shadows the Trent for much of the way is captivating and tranquil. Even as it passes Colwich and the busy rail junction there it seems miles from anywhere.

All the time I was in a gorgeous, but chilly golden hour. 

A wonderful ride that perked up a dreadful day no end.

September 24th – For the first time this week, a really decent day with lots of sunshine, but the cold is creeping in – it barely crept over 16 degrees all day. 

The birds on the local canals didn’t mind, though – the Walsall swan family were, as usual, hustling for treats, but the herons – a twtchy young gun in the morning and a more relaxed, slightly mad looking elder hand in the evening – were stubbornly self-sufficient, as ever.

I love to see these guys. They fair made my day.

September 23rd – And there are other autumnal riches, too. These glistening ink caps are growing on a recently cleared area of towpath on the canal at Clayhanger. 

I love how the damage to the cap reveals the gill structure of the fungus. Another couple of days and these will have decayed to black slime.

Fungi are fascinating.

September 22nd – I note from the GPS that the sunset is advancing by a few minutes every day, which has started to place the golden hour squarely over my commute. Yesterday, needing some peace and quiet and separation from a tough day at work, I hit the canals on the way back, and Walsall, Birchills and Goscote rewarded me with tranquility and beautiful light.

For those that do nothing but criticise Walsall, open your eyes: this is on your doorstep.

September 17th – Uh-oh, in comes autumn. The days are still warm in the sun, but when it goes in, the temperature drops considerably. There’s an edge to the air, and in the evenings it’s started to feel rather chilly. Sunset is earlier and earlier.

From Catshill Junction today, the trees and scrub are starting to turn.

Autumn is unstoppable, and bearing down on me now…

September 17th – I can’t decide if this single, gorgeous violet blue plant is a harebell or bellflower. Whatever it is, it’s been delighting me every time I pass by it for over a week now, just on the canal by the Clayhanger Bridge.

Any opinions, folks? It really is a most beautiful bloom, and so unexpected at this time of year.

September 16th – Shooting along the canal to Great Bridge early doors I passed under Bughole Bridge. Can it really be 22 years since they rebuilt it? The Black Country Route – which passes nearby – was new then. 

I’ve never got to the bottom of what Bughole means, though. Anyone know? Like Bumble Hole and Devil’s Elbow, it’s one of those great Black Country names we accept without too much thought day to day, but when thought about really are quite preposterous.

September 15th – Catshill Junction Bridge has had this horrid step for years. There used to be a concrete ramp between the footpath and the bridge deck, but it broke up and washed away in the rain.

The Canal and River Trust have been asked to repair this on multiple occasions, to no avail.

Yesterday, they announced that a crew would be out on Wednesday ‘to make it accessible’.

I’ll believe it when I see it…