August 29th – The honeysuckle I noted growing wild alongside the road near the Black Cock Bridge, in Walsall Wood is still in bloom, as it is in many places I’ve noted it. Just another symbol of the weird season, flowers seem to be almost everlasting at the moment. I notice the same bush has also grown handsome, deep crimson berries, which must be good for the birds, but not humans as they’re poisonous. A pleasant reminder of the joys of summer, even if we didm’t get one…
June 11th – Summer’s cauldron continues to simmer. I noticed whist climbing the Black Cock Bridge in Walsall Wood that the wild honeysuckle – or woodbine – I talked about choking the lupins was growing over the guard rails on the souther flank of the bridge. A riot of colour, these gorgeous blooms, when fully open, will smell wonderful. I never thought I’d see such a thing growing wild in this post-industrial landscape.
June 8th – Returning from Walsall via the canal (it seemed to be drive like a moron day, and yet again, nobody had informed me), I noticed that with all the rain, the lupins were out. I love these flowers, and they used to grow with greater profusion here than they do now. On this bank of the new pond at Clayhanger, they seem to be being choked by a somewhat voracious growth of honeysuckle. The dilemma contemplating this is somewhat delicious considering the scarred industrial heritage of this land.
This, of course, was once the foot of a spoil heap.
June 8th – Returning from Rushall Junction up the canal to Brownhills is nice, but a bit of a slog – all the locks are uphill, so there’s lots of climbing, and the footpaths are awful. Not just poor, but really, really bad. Perseverance, however, is rewarded by great wildlife and lovely countryside vistas. House martins and kingfishers skimmed the limpid water; water lilies and fowl graced the surface. Orchids, foxgloves and rushes were in bloom and brightened the towpath and hedgerows. Here at Clayhanger, there is a carpet of sweet-scented honeysuckle from the towpath to the bog at Jones’ Pool.
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