Tag: Chasetown

#365daysofbiking Tones of home

Sunday, September 27th 2020 – It was a lovely autumn day of sunshine, and I wanted to be out: But fate had blessed me with a bad cold (yes, it really IS a cold…) and I felt enervated and weak.

I tried, but I just managed a slow, lazy loop of Chasewater and Chasetown, and trundled home.

The colours of the season were gorgeous in the soft sunlight, the tonal palette of which seems to be mainly shades of dark green and brown, but also blue, too.

Chasetown High Street and that remarkable hill still captivate me. It manages to look frenetic and busy even when there are few cars and even less people. An impressive achievement.

Some days you go a long way, some you barely orbit home. Today was not a day for venturing far, but near home was reassuring and gave me all I needed.

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#365daysofbiking – Blown around

February 9th – Sunday I suffered for the ride of the day before, but it wasn’t too bad. The wind was heavy and Storm Ciara was heading in – I’m sure storms were not as bad before we started building them up by giving them daft names.

I remembered that the day before, I’d forgotten to visit the lovely grounds of St. Annes church in Chasetown, over the road from the cemetery. They always have great spring flowers, and that was just what I needed right now.

The easter primroses were well worth it, but sadly most of my photos were poor.

At least the wind buffeted me home.

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#365daysofbiking – Coming around again

February 8th – While heading for Chasetown High Street, I recalled that the cemetery in Church Street always has excellent displays of purple and white crocuses at this time of year. Or maybe I was a shade to early.

It turned out this annual spectacle that comes around every spring is just starting. It’s gorgeous, beautiful and something I truly love.

Somehow, that fact that it’s in a cemetery makes it all the more lovely: The thought of a bright new spring coming forth from loss.

Give it a week or two and this will be truly stunning.

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#365daysofbiking – A drop of goodness

February 8th – Up at Chasewater, a more adventurous journey on a grey, windy day rewarded me handsomely: The snowdrop glade at the back of the dam, just behind the dam houses is gorgeous and vibrant for another year.

I always like to see this and it was a real treat on a day that had been quite grim so far.

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#365daysofbiking Bending the light

January 25th – The mist still hadn’t lifted, and in fact it seemed to be becoming more dense.

I’d been over to Burntwood for an errand, and came back via Chasewater after dark, getting some shopping in on the way. As I rattled down the bumpy north shore path where it runs between the Rugby Club and Chasetown Bypass, concerned for the fragility of my purchases, I noticed the curving ‘wall of light’ effect of the streetlights on the fog, bending away from me like I was repelling it.

It was one of those moments when an unexpected, mundane scene caught a unique light and became precious.

Like Clayhanger did  a few days before. Low cloud does have its benefits, I guess.

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#365daysofbiking A beautiful approach

December 26th – I love Chasetown High Street – day or night, it’s actually a great little thoroughfare: Busy due to the mix of housing and shops, the hill combined with the mixed architecture makes it fascinating.

On a wet Boxing Day evening, on the way back from seeing family it was nice to stop and take a picture.

I’d still like to make a low rent version of the Bullitt car chase here. But on choppers or BMX bikes. It’d be fab.

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#365daysofbiking Conical

November 30th – Chasetown has Christmas lights for the first time in a long while too, which is nice to see. Oddly though, their two Christmas trees (which appear identical, which must be a clue to their origin) are artificial, conical arrangements covered in some kind of canvas.

There’s one at usual near the former police station, and one outside the new offices of Chasetown Civil Engineering.

They’re interesting things, not entirely sure I like them but they are very striking.

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#365daysofbiking Deer in the mist

 

November 3rd – Sunday meant an afternoon trip over to Burntwood to help a relative with a job, which on such a dull, overcast and periodically rainy afternoon was a welcome diversion.

Returning as night fell, my attention was snagged by a very localised, patchy inversion, leading to a trapped cloud on mist on the secondary pitches at Chasetown Rugby Club.

And who was luring by the goal in the murk? Possibly Englands new front line, corvine-style…

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#365daysofbiking Autumn trails

November 1st – I was working from home and had to pop to Chasetown. On my return I came back across Anglesey Wharf Heath from Paviours Road to the M6 Toll canal bridge.

Although the day was murky and damp, the scenery along the way was beautifully coloured in all the shades of autumn.

I’m. not happy summer ended but I might as well enjoy autumn while it lasts I guess…

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#365daysofbiking Fleeting visitors

October 9th – The fungus is really coming on now, I’m pleased to see a whole variety of mushrooms, balls, slime, mildew and brackets, some plain and some strikingly colourful.

Every day is a new discovery, and is one of the nicer aspects of autumn. These tiny parasols were growing on a grass verge in Chasetown, and although plain now, will be very striking when fully grown.

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