December 1st – It was still very cold on Friday evening, and again taking the canal to Walsall Wood – this time from Aldridge – I was reminded of the perils of black ice. Hitting this frozen puddle at speed, in the dark? I didn’t take a spill, but I did feel the back wheel slip.
Ever year there’s a little warning to be more sensible.
Take care if you’re out when it’s frosty, folks…
November 30th – In Telford mid morning again, and fascinated to note that on what had been a very cold night, there still wasn’t a great deal of surface frost due to the dry conditions, which pleased me as I haven’t yet got the studded winter tyres on.
Also, I think that’s probably the last vestige of Autumn now and we’re well into winter… oh well, soon be time for a break.
November 29th – As I got to Redditch, the frost was still quite pronounced and coated grass and fallen leaves. It’s been a bit of a shock this year, we’ve been plunged into comparatively cold weather surprisingly quickly in the season after several mild winters with only a few really cold days.
I do hope this is a portent and we have lots of cold weather to come – maybe even a decent fall of snow…
November 29th – A very cold, frosty morning, but thankfully the roads weren’t terribly icy due to the dry weather, but a morning journey to the station was taken carefully, particularly down the backlanes.
Waiting for my train, I caught the sun rising behind Hill Hook and the Sutton Transmitter, and thought how long it’s been since I saw this at dawn.
A great view, but also rather chilly.
November 28th – Probably the coldest commute of the winter so far, yet no ice, which was a bit odd – but the wind was bitter. Luckily I was wrapped up warm and didn’t really feel it much.
What there was though, were gorgeous azure blue skies silhouetting the shivering trees, now mostly devoid of leaves for winter.
‘I awoke this morning, and found a frost perched on the town’ wrote Joni Mitchell. The was no frost, but I know what she meant.
Oh well, onwards – soon be Christmas.
November 24th – Returning to Brownhills after a long day at work, ice was forming on the towpath puddles and it felt like the hard, dry cold of winter was setting in. But it was very clear and there was a lovely moon to boot.
I had a saddlebag full of fish and chips for tea for me and those at home, and it felt, despite the cold, like a decent night.
First time I’ve had me tail up for weeks, as my father might have said.
November 17th – But still, some vestiges of autumn cling in in the final trees still shedding their formerly green leaves. Noticed while on an errand to Tipton, this sycamore in Ocker Hill was showing a beautiful range of colour against the bright blue frost-morning sky.
Sad, but very beautiful on such a chilly morning.
November 17th – Just after dawn, on a grass verge ion Darlaston a delicate Japanese parasol toadstool coated in what I think is the first frost of the year.
I was a real shock this morning to awake with a ground frost, and I rode carefully watching out for the old devil and adversary that is black ice, the wheel stealer.
So, it’s winter now, pretty much. The cold has come and Christmas is in sight. I’m ready. Bring it on. I’d like some real snow this year, please.
February 6th – A great, frosty and beautiful dawn which although out in, I didn’t manage to capture as I was running late and couldn’t stop. By sometime, though, the weather had turned – raining and windy, it was a horrid ride home.
I stopped on the Anchor Bridge for a breather and to adjust my clothes. It was a truly horrible journey and I felt wet, cold and uncomfortable.
It’s not often the working day is bracketed by such wildly differing commutes. But I’m glad that one’s over, for sure.
January 27th – That was a cold one, and quite a fun ride, too. Coldest for a while. Wrapped up well, the roads weren’t particularly icy but there was a hard hoar frost.
It was the kind of morning when your breath burns in your throat and your forehead hurts in the headwind, but still a joy to ride in for the sheer challenge.
All we need now is a decent snowfall and it’ll be a proper winter…
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