Tag: commute

May 18th – Another beautiful blossom that’s rarely looked at closely despite it’s obvious beauty is hawthorn, or May blossom.

I often incorrectly think go it as being the last blossom of the season, but it isn’t; but it’s so profuse in hedgerows and scrubs that when the flowers die off, everywhere seems quite barren without it.

Not so missed is the scent, which is strong and peculiar in that way that some flowers are, a strong organic odour that one could easily find offensive.

It’s hard to think that we’re only a few weeks now off the middle of the year, and the seasons are rapidly advancing with spring rolling into summer.

Just where has this year gone?

May18th – Arriving at work today on a sunny, bright but nippy morning in total contrast to the day before – I spotted this wee creature, very much alive on the doorhandles. I guess it can only have got there by a startled bird dropping it when disturbed by a called (I had just missed the post who’s not noted for their gentle approach to their duty).

I was quite concerned it might die, so I popped it in a nearby tree – presumably to be taken again by bluetits or some other creepy crawly eating bird.

Wonder what it would grow into?

May 17th – Nice to see, even on a rainy, grey morning, that meadow flowers are now showing strongly on the verges and edge lands of industrial estate, urban roads, tracks, towpaths and trails.

Welcome back for another season to buttercups, clover and bird’s foot trefoil, which serve to brighten even the most overlooked piece of grass.

Everywhere you look at the moment, beauty is bursting to the fore in a myriad of different flowers, leaves and blossoms.

A wonderful time of year.

May16th – I note the annual appearance of lupins with interest; growing near Clayhanger Bridge on the canal bank, the purple always bloom before the pink and white; and I don’t suppose they are really but they seem very early this year.

Still, it’s lovely to have them back, and to note the start of the rash of purple flowers coming soon – vetch, marsh orchids and others.

There’s something new every day right now. I love summer’s first breath.

May 15th – Sorry, waterfowl again, but these little guys are fascinating me. 

The Watermead swans seem to spend a lot of time up at Catshill Junction – I’m not sure why, The cygnets are gaining bulk fast which should protect them from rats, mustelids and herons, if not larger raptors and foxes. Mum and dad are very attentive, and at the same time, relaxed. This evening, they brought their brood over to me to beg for food, which they weren’t doing a few days ago.

The Catshill Canada geese still seem to have the additional chicks stopping over, but appear to have lost 2. This is obviously very sad but normal, otherwise such large broods year on year would mean we’d be knee deep in Canada geese by now, and clearly we’re only ankle deep, so there.

May 15th – A wet, horrible morning commute with the wind against me. The only brightnesses I found in the gathering dark were these dog roses and some ox-eye daisies. 

No matter how bad the weather, summer flowers are a guaranteed pick-you-up that will leave you smiling. And is it me, or do wild roses always look best with a covering of raindrops?

May 3rd – Hasty, long range shots but of something I rarely, if ever see in Brownhills.: a mistle thrush. Indeed, thrushes and redwings don’t seem to frequent my hometown much at all, for some reason which is odd as there’s no lack of snails. 

Yet in the centre of Darlaston this fellow was hopping around on a grass verge at rush hour, oblivious to the traffic and noise nearby, collecting worms for his family.

What gorgeous, proud and strident birds these are. A joy to see.

May 2nd – The canals locally are a joy at the moment. Spring is in full effect and in one short journey between Walsall and Darlaston I saw new goslings, moorhen and coot chicks and an older family of ducklings.

When your ride to work contains such wonderful things, it’s hard not to have a great day.

April 26th – As Spring is the (rather cold this year) warm up act for summer, the blossom phase moves to it’s endgame; the cherry is now finishing and soon, a profusion of white hawthorn will bring things to a close, but right now, that most beautiful of pink-white blossom, apple.

Such a joy to see in the sunshine.