June 1st – Thrashing the daylights out of the bike up on Gentleshaw Common, looking for some lost local history whilst about it, I came upon this gorgeous display of apple blossom. If the bees get busy and summer feels kind, there will be an incredible crop here. Stunning.
May 22nd – I was heading home today from work, and for some reason I hopped on the canal near Anchor Bridge, and headed up and took a look at Clayhanger Common. The sun was bright after a somewhat dull day, and I guess it was my quest for green. Everything is so vivid at the moment you could almost inhale it. Everywhere you look, there is bright, fresh foliage, in shades of emerald more precious and life-affirming than any jewel.
One thing I did notice on my way over Catshill Bridge, is the clock tower added to the roof of a garage in Chandler’s Keep. Has that always been there, or is it new? I’ve never noticed it before.
April 24th – Ten years ago I bought a shedload of wild cowslip seeds from a National Trust shop – Sudbury Hall, I think. I bought about 10 packs. I set out on a guerrilla seeding mission. They took surprisingly well.
Many (but not all) of the patches of cowslips on Brownhills and Clayhanger Common were started by me. I love cowslips, my favourite flowers. This patch are growing – and thriving – on the banks of Clayhanger Bridge. The clump seems to double in size every year.
Hello, old friends.
Do something beautiful today. It’s an investment.
March 17th – I was pottering around the canal, and hopped up the bank onto Clayhanger Common to check out the sunset, and I came across these two patches of feathers. Something – probably a sparrow hawk – has had lunch here. Maybe twice. Those look like pigeon feathers to me.
If there’s a birder living on the south side of Humphries House, they’ve a cracking view of this spot. Might be worth keeping your eye out for hunting raptors…
March 12th – It’s still bitterly cold, with an evil, lazy wind chill. The wind itself has slowed a little, and coming home tonight, the sunset and skies over Clayhanger and Brownhills were beautiful.
Had this been a day in spring or summer, it would have been gorgeously warm. Oh well…
December 24th – I reckon, if this weather continues, there won’t be any smokers left in the UK by the end of January. Everything in the country will just be too soggy to light….
I don’t think I’ve ever known such a wet Christmas break. Disappointing, as I wanted to get up to Derbyshire, or maybe just around Staffordshire, but largely I’m confined to utility rides around home at the moment. It was on such a ride today that I noted the canal overflow at Brownhills had swamped it’s culvert again. That’s the second time in two months, and as a consequence, the low area of Clayhanger Common is starting to flood. This area, if the wet weather continues, will be several feet deep in a day or so, but it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do, and protecting Clayhanger Village and the Ford Brook channel from flooding.
In years gone by, this would have flooded the village, but since the reclamation of the common and the creation of this flood bund, the village is protected giving residents there peace of mind and a good Christmas.
Next time you see someone from the Environment Agency, tip your hat.
November 25th – following the heavy rains of the previous week, and in particular the day before, there was lots of local flooding. One interesting flood was on Clayhager Common, but I doubt many observing it would spot the significance. The lower meadow, bordered by the canal and old railway embankment was swamped with water from the canal overflow, which was either blocked, or beyond capacity. The resultant deluge was forming a pool on this, the lowest part of the common. This pool, very slowly, was draining into the Ford Brook. It may well take a few days, but gradually, the waters will recede in a controlled manner. Years ago, this would have flooded the village, but careful and clever environmental design built the lower meadow as a bund for just this purpose. The Ford Brook itself was healthy, but not high and around Clayhanger, the roads were generally clear.
While about around the common, I noted the gate from the Clayhanger Village entrance had been forced open, it’s lock cut off. Looks like a call to the rangers might be an idea…
September 10th – The oaks on Brownhills Common are having a hard time this year. These colourful growths on their acorns are Knopper Galls: the abode of the gall wasp larvae. The adult wasp – a tiny little thing – drills into the acorn as it grows, and injects a chemical into the hole. This chemical causes a reaction in the acorn, and these colourful growths result. The larvae live inside the gall until spring, when they emerge.
Isn’t nature incredible?
August 12th – Computer bother kept me busy all day. I’m a mac user,and one of the really great things about Apple macs is that they don’t often let you down, but when they do, it’s a major pain. I spent the day recovering from backups and generally being stressed. At sunset, I ventured out for a ride to let off steam. I took a look around Clayhanger Common and the pond at Clayhanger in a gorgeous, misty golden hour. There was a partial temperature inversion, and a peculiarly concentrated mist hung over the meadow near the old railway embankment. A very ethereal evening indeed.
July 19th – Despite the rain and grey days, the wildflowers are showing really well this year. I’ve noticed a huge variety, and they seem to be lasting a long time. I’m interested in the vetches and trefoils, but most of all, I’m intrigued by the stuff I don’t recognise, like this purple wonder, growing on Clayhanger Common. Any ideas?
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