November 28th – The day was mad and stressful, and the weather atrocious. I wanted to attend Gerald Reece’s history talk, but was stuck at work until late. Pouring myself liquid down the High Street at top speed to get home, I stopped for a couple of pics of Brownhills deserted late; then I got on with the rally important business of finding a takeaway still open…
The symmetry in the Ravens Court picture wasn’t intentional and has surprised me…
November 27th – I again returned via Walsall Wood, but unlike the night before, it was clear. I see the christmas lights are going up, and as ever, the High Street looked bustling and beautiful in the night. Walsall Wood is often overlooked, yet it preserves it’s village atmosphere and is surprisingly beautiful in parts.
An undervalued gem.
November 27th – A difficult day. I had to dash back from Walsall and I’d forgotten my camera, so had to use the phone. This one doesn’t take too bad pictures, to be fair.
As I left work, the sun was trying to come out, and it caught the glass of the Walsall Housing Group offices on the ring road, and made it golden.
A patch of beauty on a hectic day.
November 26th – A dreadfully weary, damp homeward commute in heavy mist that soaked and deadened everything. Trapped on the right of a dithering vehicle at the Spring Cottage Lights, I headed straight over and through Walsall Wood for a change.
Even on this dark, horrible night, there was a kind of insular, glowing beauty in the murk.
November 26th – Getting more than my fair share of wet commutes right now. I had to nip into Brum very early, and then come back; I did so in constant drizzle. When I got to Blake Street, wet and cold, the atmosphere was of grim determination.
Wish it would dry up a bit. We don’t seem to be getting more than a couple of days clear at the moment.
November 25th – Further on, near Bentley Bridge, a narrowboat passed me going a fair lick. Unusually, it was decorated in an eye-catching indian style, replete with Ganesha motif fretted into the hatch door. Equipped with a canoe, this looked like a home as well as a boat; it had that well loved but well used air that comes with such craft.
I love boater dogs. These two are clearly great mates, and I love the way the hound is wrapped, like his boss, against the cold.
A lovely sight.
November 25th – It was a bright, frosty and hazy morning, but sadly I had another appointment early and missed the best of it. It was still beautiful, however, when I headed to work. Passing that jewel of Walsall, the Arboretum, the view over HathertonLake to the bandstand was irresistible.
A cracking day.
November 21st – Thank goodness it’s Friday. Another dreadful, rain sodden commute, but peculiarly, it’s still not getting to me.
Having to nip back to Walsall Wood, I stopped to capture the lights and madness of the traffic.
I normally dread the sadness and loss I feel at this time of year. This time, it’s just not arrived. This pleases and puzzles me. But there is something beautiful about the lights and the water, I guess…
November 19th – I forget every year how good Telford’s roadside verges are for fungi. On the backroads and industrial estates were people rarely walk, the mycology goes undisturbed, and a huge variety grow.
On a cold, dew-laden morning, a variety of Melanoleuca, a large family of toadstools which are beyond my ability to tell apart. I love the bleach-white gills, and the way they’ve split under their own weight.
November 19th – Heading out at dawn for a meeting in Telford, before returning at lunchtime. On the way, they sun caught the clouds over Mill Green, and made the sky precious.
A beautiful sunrise, and I was honoured to see it.
In the words of Joni Mitchell ‘it’s coming on winter now’ – the commutes are progressively getting colder and I think before long the frost will be here.
I have no idea why, but this year i’m actually enjoying it.
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