Tag: commute

March 21st – Passing the fields at the Shelfield end of Green Lane, I smelt the delicious, dark smell of freshly turned earth, and noticed the field near the Mob Lane junction had been ploughed, harrowed and planted.

I noted a lot of fields locally have been ploughed in the last week or so. Perhaps farmers now feel they’re clear enough of winter to risk spring planting.

So beautiful to see the brown fields, full of promise for a new growing season.

March 17th – Another cold commute, although less windy. It really seems to have become more wintry of late, but much drier, which is welcome.

The light nights continue to please me, and even leaving work a little late I managed to cross the Black Cock Bridge as the dusk fell. A beautiful but musty, overcast dusk that glowed a soft purply pink.

It’s great to be riding in the light again.

February 15th – My deer magnet is currently working well.

I stopped in Shelfield to catch the sunset, and came upon a herd of red deer near Coppice Woods on Green Lane.

They were comfortably loafing, and showed slight interest in me, but weren’t overly bothered. I still can’t believe these wonderful creatures roam free in out countryside.

A wonderful, and unexpected sight. Shame the light wasn’t better!

March 14th – A horrid return journey into an easterly wind was cold, protracted and unpleasant. I took a breather on Catshill Junction Bridge to catch my breath before heading into Brownhills. Only just dark, tonight it was shades of dark blue following a dull, overcast day.

I love this spot. It’s changed so much in the past 20 years or so.

March 15th – Nice to see another harbinger of spring today on the canal in Pleck – pussy willows. These curious, pollen-covered blooms are showing really well in the past couple of days, and bring some welcome colour to canal banks, verges and scrubs.

It really feels like nothing can stop spriing now – but it’s still a wee bit cold for my liking.

March 14th – So pleasant to be coming home in the light at last. Not so pleasant, several motorists today seemed to want me dead, which was a shock. People, check when you turn or change lanes, please.

The wind was very sharp, against me and I was cold, but the dusk falling over jockey meadows was beautiful, and it looked like a low bit was forming. 

It’ll be a while yet before the meadows green up for a new season, but right now, it’s enough that I can see them at all at gone six o’clock.

I note from sunrise and sunset times on the GPS that we’re approaching the equinox… it’ll be interesting to see when that occurs.

March 9th – Coming back to Brownhills on the wettest and greyest of evenings, I stopped to take a call at the top of Clayhanger Lane on Lindon Road. The traffic was terrible, it was cold and the rain was penetrating.

It seems a world away from the warmth of a few weeks ago.

Hopefully, spring won’t be far away – and we can at least, hope for warmer rain…

Have to say, if the road surface gets any worse on Lindon Road they’ll have to give up sweeping it and plough it instead.

March 7th – I don’t often ride through The Butts in Walsall, although it’s a lovely place. The tightly packed streets of traditional terraces are lined with parked cars, and any ride through this fascinating place is marred by conflict with other traffic, which is a great shame as I miss scenes like this.

Stopping to wait for my companion caught up further back, I looked up Borneo Street to see a perspective sunset, perfectly replete with TV aerials, chimneys and the ghostly white LED street lights.

I could really love this place, were it not such a challenge to cycle around.

March 7th – Meeting a friend of the train at Walsall to ride home together, the sunset was vivid and beautiful. This isn’t the most handsome of stations, trapped in the red-brick late 70s gap been brutalism and the utilitarianism of the 80s, it’s functional and a decent place to get a train or wait. 

I don’t know why, but I love this place at twilight.