Tag: canal

August 17th – Between Darlaston and Pleck on the Walsall Canal, near James Bridge, the old turnover bridge for the defunct Anson Branch. It’s just as well the line is truncated now, as that huge pipe renders the turnover aspect of the crossing pointless. 

It’s fascinating to see the bracken, buddleia and other weeds gradually dismantling the blue bricks. Gentle, oh so gentle hydraulic pressure gradually and steadily cleaving mortar from brick, using any crack or fissure where a scrap of nourishment can be found.

Nature is remarkable in it’s determination.

August 16th – I spotted him near the Marina at Northwood Bridge in Aldridge. Clearly en repose, hunting seemed to be done for the day and this elderly heron was content to let me take photos without being disturbed.

There’s definitely an Eddie Cochran thing going on there. You don’t see much of that sort of thing in the local avian community, to be honest.

August 16th – Feeling better, I pottered off to Aldridge to do some shopping on Sunday afternoon. On the canal near Northwood Bridge, an unusual sight; a dense, thick patch of what looks like miniature buddleia, but is in fact wild mint.

It smells gorgeous, and the bees are loving it. I never knew mint had such gorgeous flowers.

Meanwhile, near Clayhanger, another reminder of Autumn: Haws ripening well. They look plum and will see many songbirds though winter, with luck.

August 14th – I’m told these cherry-like fruits, growing on the trees on the Clayhanger side of the pedestrian bridge at Silver Street, Brownhills, are wild plums. They are most fascinating, and ripening in abundance.

I wouldn’t eat them, considering the history of the land they’re groin on, but the are a curiosity. Wonder how they got here?

August 14th – This one’s for Kate Cardigan, who was admiring the flowers on this very boat, moored at Brownhills, as some point on the day I took these pictures.

I’ve not seen this unusual, cream-coloured craft before, but I love the flowers and tomatoes growing on it.

Just the thing when riding through a dull, wet Brownhills on a miserable Friday.

August 13th – Nice to see the swan family at the slipway next to the canoe centre in Brownhills this afternoon. They are now healthy, large birds with some degree of attitude, and long may they display it.

I thought they’d been ringed, but only mum and dad have the ID, so this brood have yet to be tagged.

They tolerated my interest with only a small amount of hissing, and they feel like good friends these days. It’s always nice to see them.

August 13th – A bit better today, and I’m on the mend, and out and about earlier. Time I note for another periodic explanation…

This isn’t pollution at Catshill Junction, or anywhere else it’s happening. This time the scum film at wind traps and bends on the canal is caused by rose bay willow herb plants, which are currently going to seed and producing oodles of the white fluff. 

Just like the sallow earlier in the year, it looks horrid as the chaff and hairy detritus forms a film on the water – but it’ll soon be gone.

Another curious little marker of the passing seasons.

August 12th – As I rode along the dark canal towpath, my light kept picking out bright spots in the dark, and dark lumps. They were toads, out for the evening to catch supper and take the air. Toads of all ages from the old and grumpy-looking to the youngsters just in their prime.

Toads are wonderfully tolerant, and will be picked up quite happily (but they may well pee on you if alarmed). I’m fascinated by these little characters and finding them made my ride, I must say.

August 12th – The photography was better, but I wasn’t.

Still pretty rough, and not really any better, I got out a little earlier and bumbled off to Chasewater to catch the sunset. Getting used to a new camera can be odd and the Nikon seems to have interesting habits; it doesn’t seem to do sunsets quite the same as the Panasonic, which tended to redden them, where as this one tends to pull out the pink aspect more. It worked better than I thought it had from the picture preview.

From there, I scooted back to Brownhills as it got dark. Some shots from Clayhanger’s railway bridge using a gorillapod allowed me to experiment and found that aperture priority allowed me to get the hash, sharp light pattern I like. That was a real discovery.

I was a lovely evening, and although I felt dreadful, I’d learned something, so it wasn’t a bad trip, really. 

And then there were the toads…

August 11th – I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m not very well. I’ve been off colour since the weekend and I’ve only got out for short runs; today a quick loop of central Brownhills just to get some fresh air after dark.

Still, it gave me chance to experiment with the Nikon a little more – none of these shots used a tripod, but handheld night mode on the camera. They’re OK but I’m not sure about the indistinct fuzz it makes of lights. 

Need to experiment another day when I’m well I think. Here’s to better days.