#365daysofbiking It must be spring!

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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August 24th – I have no idea what this flower is, but there’s a small clump of them growing in the hedgerow, at Hollyhill Lane, just outside Shenstone. Beautifully bright in a rain shower on a grey afternoon, just the antidote to a miserable, wet commute home.

Anyone any ideas what it might be?

August 3rd – The wheat is ripening near Shenstone, soon, it will be harvested and on its way to the mill. As my seasonal markers go, this footpath through the fields from Hollyhill Lane is one of the best. Last year, it was through a field of oilseed rape. Wonder what’ll be next year?

The grain itself looks healthy and fat – a consequence of the rain we’ve had. Biting the grains give a lovely, milky, glutinous taste. On this glorious evening, it was warm, and despite my end of week weariness, I couldn’t want to be anywhere finer than here, in south Staffordshire, in summertime.

May 18th – After a rainy, hard, grim day, returning home from Shenstone Station into the wind was hard work. The weather had brightened, however, and the sun was coming out. On the way to Footherley, along Hollyhill Lane, this path through a ripening crop of oilseed rape caught my attention. Leading to Footherley itself, the path is well used by walkers and locals alike.

May 1st – This house, on the corner of Hollyhill Lane and Footherley Lane near Shenstone has always captivated me. I love the gables and chimneys, and the general air of rural seclusion it conveys. When I was a kid, one would often see a real fire in the hearth on winter days through the french windows at the front. It always looked so warm and cosy.