March 22nd – Working very late, a 14 hour day. I returned through a somnambulant Park Street in Walsall, the pavers shining in the electric light.
Walsall gets an awful lot of stick in some quarters, but looking tonight at the clean street and welcoming light, I was reminded that this isn’t a bad place, for all it’s detractors.
It certainly felt like home tonight.
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March 22nd – Returning from Telford on an absolute bastard of a day, I couldn’t face the run from Walsall station and decided to get off the train at Bloxwich for a change.
Bloxwich railway station is functional – two platforms, two shelters, that’s it: A modern day, urban halt. But tonight, with stomach cramps and an aching head, it was good to arrive in fresh, cool air and look at my quiet, darkening surroundings and be thankful that I was nearing home.
I like this station, for all it’s dystopian desolation. Tonight, it felt like a homecoming, a return. The weekend ahead, peace and good company.
Sometimes, that’s all you need to make you feel better.
I made it home with the wind behind me in 22 minutes.
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March 21st – Meanwhile, up at Kings Hill Park things are moving swiftly on. The crocuses have gone now, and the daffodils – always early here – are past their best and dying off.
However, in the patch of wildflowers near the gate, there are loads and loads of tiny flowers which I thought were violets, but now I’m not sure in a lilac, pastel blue and sky blue selection.
I can’t identify them for sure, but I can say they’re absolutely delightful.
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March 21st – A remarkable early riser at the moment in this early and temperate spring is the purple dead-nettle. Not usually seen until mid April around here, there are lovely little mauve-pink patches of this small plant in scrubs, commons, heaths, hedgerows and towpaths everywhere I go.
It doesn’t sting, and I love how the upper leaves have a red colour that compliments the delicate blooms.
In the last couple of years I’ve really come to appreciate nettles – yellow archangel is another member of the family which will soon appear and it’s stunningly beautiful too.
A real gem.
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March 20th – In the backlanes between Shenstone and Stonnall, on the way home from the station late on a sunny, warm spring afternoon.
Feeling the sun on my face, looking at the daffodils and green, and smelling the rising of the sap and the scents of earth and fresh growth, I realise I survived another long winter, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than here, right now.
The winter hasn’t been a harsh one. But my goodness I found it tough.
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March 19th – Returning from work late, around 8pm I sailed through the Civic Quarter in Walsall and found it oddly bereft of people and even the roads were quiet.
Glad to see someone has finally painted over the horrid spots on Hatherton House which although painted by the tenant, were nothing short of an act of vandalism to a historic building.
This place is always odd at night: I love the interrelation of the light, trees and built environment but will always hate those streetlights. Awful design.
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March 19th – I notice this year, due to the early then slightly stalled spring, that the daffodils have been really slow-burning: The came out early, then paused for a while and are now coming out fully.
This is the time of year when verges in towns and industrial estates like here in Telford are absolutely stunning for a few all too short weeks.
These yellow wonders are gorgeous and the perfect antidote to a dark winter.
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March 18th – On a grey, cold morning in Darlaston, the hedgerows, scrub and edgelands are turning the colours of new growth.
Everywhere you look, leaf buds are opening and the fresh colours of spring’s palette are coming to the fore.
As winters go, it’s not been a bad one. Let’s hope summer is as good as lat year.
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March 15th – One of the nicer, more beautiful and sadly neglected flowers of the spring is the pussy willow. I spotted this one as dusk fell on the Chester Road near Shire Oak.
These complex, pretty catkins start as grey, furry buds and change as they bloom fully to a bright yellow green bay of stamen filaments which are actually fascinating when you look close up.
Sadly, not many folk ever seem to notice…
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March 15th – Heading home from the station after a long afternoon legal meeting in Birmingham, in order to mitigate a rather evil wind, I took to the back lanes.
On my way, I passed this wonderful sight, which catches me by surprise every spring.
They must have been planted by some wonderful individual as they go in colour bands.
A beautiful thing.
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