Tag: cold

#365daysofbiking Deceptive

March 10th – Some days you look at the photos you’ve taken and wonder if the camera experienced the same thing you did. Today was that kind of day.

I slipped out mid afternoon. I had things to check up on. I felt rough, I needed the air. But it was bitterly cold, had periodically been snowing, and there was a very wolfish wind that punished for any open zip or gap in clothing.

The towpaths and trails were muddy and wet, but I headed for the common anyway, and found it looking good. The heathland management is still going on here and the latest effort has been using and excavator to pull pack the grass in small squares all over the common.

This will help small, fragile plants take a hold and also give bugs and other small creatures access to fresh earth.

Looking at the pictures, I notice how blue the sky looks and how serene it appears. It was really rather unpleasant. My camera is lying.

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#365daysofbiking Rather sluggish

March 6th – Returning home, I called in at the off licence on the High Street for a treat or two. It had been a long day. Leaving the shop, I nearly trod on this slug, who was clearly travelling somewhere with some intent.

I hate killing anything accidentally, so I photographed it and eased it out of the way with a discarded lolly stick.

I’d had good news, so this wasn’t really a day to pass up the chance to do another creature a good turn…

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#365daysofbiking Awaiting the storm

March 3rd – Sunday was a different kettle of fish. Saturday had been occasionally rainy, but had sunny periods and was warm, if a little grey and gusty. Sunday had a wind forged on Satan’s back doorstep and a driving rain that pierced clothes.

A quick run out around Clayhanger Common late afternoon to catch the dying of the day was in order. It was, to put it mildly, hell. I was glad to get home as a short, sharp but destructive storm arrived.

Some days were not made for riding a bike…

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#365daysofbiking Receding gently

February 3rd – There was still ice on the canals and the fringes of Chasewater, of course. In the gentle wind that formed the usual waves here, the edge of the ice was a battleground between frozen water and the gently dynamic open lake.  The fight was continual, and made a lovely, gentle tinkling sound continually.

It Wass so gentle and slight you really had to strain to hear it, but it’s a gorgeous, magic sound.

Shame is was too quiet to record it…

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#365daysofbiking Truculence

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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#365daysofbiking Glowing

February 2nd – A better, more springlike day was what I expected, and indeed, it was at least decidedly warmer. There was, however, a bitter wind that made progress slow and a the nagging cramps of bad IBS attack niggled at my energy.

Any remaining snow was confined to the shade of hedges and field margins, and the afternoon sun made the red soil of Home Farm at Sandhills glow beautifully.

I note the sheep, now reduced in number, are still working on clearing the field of what I think is kale; its been a real treat seeing them here. IU hope they become a more permanent fixture.

I note the hedges along here have been cut, and as ever, the auto-flail has ripped the hawthorn overgrowth into short, hazardous, thorn-armed fragments, lying on the towpath waiting for a vulnerable tyre.

If you haven’t tough tyres, probably best avoid the stretch between Anchor Bridge and the Ogley Junction Bridge for a couple of weeks or so until the fragments have been cleared or rotted by the weather.

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#365daysofbiking A real minus

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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#365daysofbiking Bitte

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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#365daysofbiking Kind of blue

January 30th – I came back to Shenstone to a glass hard dusk: It was well past 5pm and the light hadn’t yet drained away leaving the sky to the west a beautiful deep blue.

It’s so good to see the lengthening day – soon sunset will be well past 5pm – and this means I’ll be entering the season of the commute sunset, which I always enjoy.

It the mean time, Shenstone again reminded me of what a wonderful place it is to come back to.

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#365daysofbiking Sugar me

January 30th – Heading to Hortonwood in the morning, I alighted in Telford in a snow shower that didn’t last long, but rendered the cycleway beautiful with an icing sugar dusting of fresh, undisturbed snow.

What made it even more gorgeous was at the same time, the sun was shining.

An odd experience on a beautiful, cold and crisp morning.

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