Darlaston – Page 40 – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

July 1st – Also on the canal, near Bentley Mill Way, flowering rushes in abundance. Of course, they’re not real rushes, but they are delightful flowers. A real joy to see them.

June 30th – There’s a Matt Smith fan in Darlaston – what else can explain the stencils of his face as Doctor Who stencilled around about?

This is one I only discovered by chance, just on the wall by the steps to the canal from the Willenhall Road Bridge at Darlaston Green.

It’s not Banksy, but it’s well thought out and executed.

June24th – Franchise Street, Darlaston. On an otherwise decaying, unremarkable house, a silver dragon fineal tops the gable.

I have no idea. The house was hard to photograph, as the neighbours were about.

Is this culturally significant somewhere do we know?

June 24th – I don’t know who he is, but this proud cat was loafing by the terrace of houses just at the eastern end of Kings Hill Park in Darlaston. The fact that he’s tailless doesn’t seem to be bothering him much.

A lovely lad. his coat shone – someone loves this puss very much!

June 16th – A remarkable year for wildflowers, and the lupins in particular have been spectacular. At the wasteland at the bottom of Bentley Mill Way between Darlaston and Pleck they’re blending with gorse and other wildflowers to bring a welcome splash of colour in unexpected places.

The downy seed pods are fascinating too.

June 11th – Trying out yet another little camera. I’ve been using the Nikon for a week or so, and have to say I like it very much. The picture quality is excellent, and most of the features are brilliant. I’m on the verge of buying one, but I have concerns: the camera seems a bit fragile compared to the Panasonic, and the user interface is very inflexible. It’s also got some odd autofocus behaviour. But I’m certainly giving the Nikon some thought.

For the next week or so, I have custody of a Sony HX90 – same 30x optical zoom as the Panasonic and Nikon, smaller than both. It feels solid and dense. Initial impressions are the pictures are a little dark, but I’m not sure yet. It’s way more flexible than the Nikon, and the user interface knocks the Panasonic and Nikon into a cocked hat.

As I commuted to and from work on a bright sunny summers day,the photos didn’t seem too bad. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out.

My thanks to the trusting fool who’s lending me this kit. A real gent. Cheers.

May 20th – I had reservations about the fate of the Kings Hill Methodist Church, next to the park at Kings Hill, Darlaston – but it looks like they were needless.

The former church, having closed several years ago, was sold to a developer, and planning approval sought to convert it into flats. I was expecting some horrid rush job, but it’s been taking a long time, and seems to be very thorough. As I passed today, the roof was in the process of being relaid using the same tiles. That’s a big roof and can’t be cheap.

it’s nice to see such a curious and historic building getting some love after so many years empty.

May 7th – I nipped out on an errand from work at lunchtime, and fate had it that I’d get caught in heavy rain. I saw it gather over Wednesbury, but the relentless wind of late had gone, and it felt warm. Once I was soaked, it wasn’t unpleasant, and it felt like a warm, spring storm.

By the time of my return, the sky had cleared, the sun was out and St Lawrence Church in DArlaston looked beautiful through the greening trees of Victoria Park.

If you don’t like the May weather, just wait a few minutes.

May 5th – In case you haven’t noticed, there’s an election on. I’ve avoided mentioning it much this time, as there’s little to be said that isn’t being mentioned elsewhere, and the whole thing seems a bit of a crap shoot.

However, I couldn’t let this pass without comment. In Walsall, there is a voluntary ban on posters on council property at election time, which is being semi-sidestepped by landlords allowing banners to be erected on their properties. Sadly, all the ones I’ve spotted for the Conservatives in Walsall South are on derelict or unused buildings, which really promotes the booming, prosperous image the party must crave.

The local council candidate in Darlaston South standing for the Tories doesn’t even name his party – surely he can’t be avoiding mentioning it, can he?

This is the oddest election season I’ve ever witnessed.

April 29th – I crossed Kings Hill Park on my way back from a trip to the retail park at Junction 9, and caught sight of the two sisters of Wednesbury, looking gorgeous in the sunlit, clear air. Both are beautiful – a landmark for miles, I adore Church Hill in Wednesbury and love to see it on the skyline.

I make no apologies for featuring this beautiful view again…