Tag: grey

August 21st – It was a grey, damp Friday afternoon, and it felt more like October than August, and after a few grey, wet days I noticed the little meadow near the new pond at Clayhanger had lost all of it’s summer colour suddenly, like switching off a light.

All was not lost, though, as there are still wildflowers nearby – toadflax and honeysuckle are still showing well, and damsons and apples are adding autumn colour. Even a confused lupin was bright in the gloom.

Autumn can wait just a little while, can’t it?

August 14th – This one’s for Kate Cardigan, who was admiring the flowers on this very boat, moored at Brownhills, as some point on the day I took these pictures.

I’ve not seen this unusual, cream-coloured craft before, but I love the flowers and tomatoes growing on it.

Just the thing when riding through a dull, wet Brownhills on a miserable Friday.

July 20th – It was a fast, damp ride home, and the light was terrible – thoroughly uninspiring. It was warm rain though, and quite pleasant once I stop resisting and accepted I was going to get wet. 

How nice, thought, to stand on a quiet canal, with no noise from people or traffic, and just listen to the music of raindrops on the water.

Even on the greyest days, they’re something to enjoy.

July 14th – A desperately grey journey home in fine rain. Totally uninspiring. Even my mates the coos of Jockey Meadows have – literally – moved on to pastures new, and the water meadow is recovering from their attentions. It looks good, although you’d not think it at first glance. But a lot of the invasive fast growing stuff has been grazed out, there’s lots of soft earth and mud turned by the lads and plenty of poo to spread the fertile love.

I love this land. It’s like a barometer of the seasons, and even without the coos, it’s fascinating.

July 5th – An odd day involving a fair few errands. I set out early afternoon, hoping to miss the rain. I didn’t.

I had to nip to Chasetown, and as ever, the High Street looked great, but the sky, even when sunny, was threatening and grey. I was caught out both on the outward journey, and on my return. 

It was warm enough though, and bare legs dry quickly. Let’s hope next weekend is a little more temperate.

May 25th – I’ve found a little oasis I never realised existed, but more on my main blog later in the week. In the meantime, here’s a grey wagtail I watched for ages, fetching bugs and feeding it’s young in an outbuilding. At one stage, it was challenged by a robing for hunting rights.

An amazingly close experience I never thought I’d have.

April 12th – On a headache-grey, still windy day a quick circuit around Brownhills and Chasewater before the storm closed in. Everything looked grim, dark and full of foreboding, as if the previous week of spring hadn’t happened at all. It was so windy, even the wakeboarders had given up.

The common was looking good though, and I must say the recent plantation removal works and tree thinning have been a real improvement.

March 29th – It was just an awfully uninspiring day. There were very few people about. The wildlife seemed to be hiding. Everything looked drab. In a vain search for deer I hopped onto clay hanger Common, which was saturated, like a marsh. Even the pigeons were giving it a miss.

It does look wonderfully green, though.

March 15th – The sunset the previous evening that promised so much failed to deliver anything but grey murk the next day. It was overcast, grey, cold and windy, and while I was out and about mid afternoon, it rained. I hate days like this, particularly so close to spring. You feel almost cheated.

I span round Chasewater, and noted the waterfowl now seem to have claimed the castle as their own, but was troubled that I could only spot one of the three white geese. Hope the other two are OK, but they must be quite old now.

On the other hand, last years cygnets are all doing well on the big pool, and accumulated, must number more than 30. With few natural predators and national treasure status, one wonders how long their population can go on expanding…

The water level seems to be increasing gradually, too; maybe 11 inches to go now. I somehow doubt we’ll see Chasewater overflow this spring, but it’s at a good healthy level right now.

February 16th – No matter how grey, Victoria Park in Darlaston is always a joy to the heart – and since the Community Payback crew has been working here clearing the overgrown scrub, the surrounding architecture – itself remarkable – is now once again part of the overall atmosphere.

Thanks are due to Kate ‘Ganzey’ Gomez and others who pointed out that my wee, crumbling shed that I spotted last week – centre right – was actually for the town fire engine. Read about it here (scroll right down).