Tag: Hopwas

August 13th – More oak wasp galls, which I’ve gone all out to find this year for no other reason than they fascinate me.

On a small sapling by the canalside track at Hopwas, hundreds of thousands of almost annular, ring-like growths on the leaves, looking maybe like fungus or some odd egg. These are the delightfully named common spangle gall for the flat ones, and silk button galls for the rounder, more sharply defined ones.

These are all created by the same mechanism – a small wasp injects an egg into the leaf, and a chemical coating the egg disrupts the plant DNA to grow the gall, which leaves a light patch on the upper surface of the leaf where nutrients have been leeched away by the larva growing underneath.

I’m not sure why galls like this captivate me so much but they are absolutely fascinating.

April 23rd – On the canal at Hopwas, a swan nest. The male was stood on the towpath, alternately preening and scolding passers by, while his partner, safely atop the nest on the opposite bank fussed and turned her three eggs to just the right position before settling back down to watch and wait once more.

Swans are such truculent, fascinating birds.

October 23rd – The pigs of Packington Moor are always entertaining. Their fields move around the area, from Little Hay to Hopwas as due to their impact on the ground they need to be relocated regularly. Free range, they dwell in pig arcs and huts in good sized pens, and seem happy – their bacon is certainly amongst the best locally.

I was amused to note the pigs – right now up on the Moor and near Hopwas Hays Wood – tolerating crows perching on their backs, pecking mites and bugs that would otherwise irritate them. I watched that for ages.

Nice to see well kept, apparently happy, content livestock in the fields.

October 23rd – For the final light Sunday evening of 2016, I went up to Packington Moor and up the greenway called Knox’s Grave Lane, across Common Barn, then through the deciduous woodland of Hopwas Hays. It was chilly, but the sun was bright, mellow and warming and autumn was beautiful The leaves are really turning now, and the the recently relaid tracks of the woodland were nice to ride.

The sunset, too, was excellent, although sad that it came little after six, with this the first sunset before 6pm of the autumn. Sadly, with the end of BST, next week it will be before five…

A great ride, with the best of Autumn on show. If you can get to Hopwas in the next week or so, do so. Its beautiful.

July 23rd – Spotted on the canal near Tamhorn Park, between Hopwas and Hademore, this late brood of mallard ducklings. Mum wasn’t nervous and tolerated me quite close, and the little chicks were relaxed and content.

I love the fact that umma almost, Mona-Lisa like seems to be smiling. I must stop anthropomorphising animals, but she seems very pleased with herself.

There are few things cuter than ducklings, after all.

May 2nd – After what seems like weeks of grey, cold weather it was wonderful to be out in the sun. I hit the quarry road behind the hall and rode down to Bodymoor Heath where hopped on the canal, and rode through Tamworth to Hopwas, returning through Hints, Weeford and Shenstone. 

The greening trees this year are almost as colourful as autumn, and I’ve never before noticed the view of Hopwas Church from the Farm Bridge.

let’s hope the fine weather sticks around a bit.

December 18th – a half day, and chance to nip on an errand to Whittington. The weather was horrid – drizzly, hot and very windy, so I wound my way through the backlanes of Shenstone and Weeford. Heading up Jerrys Lane, i stopped to look east over the A5 bypass to Tamworth. One of the few decent road projects to spin off the M6 Toll, it has cured the traffic issues on the nearby old A5 and A51 beautifully. 

I rode on this just before it opened, but never took any photos. I wished I had – the views from the brow of Rock Hill over Tamworth are extraordinary, particularly at night. But this road is more of a motorway than the M6 Toll, and I wouldn’t dream of cycling it now.

December 22nd – Near the top gate of Hopwas Churchyard, this pissy, dictatorial, arrogant notice. People pay to have their loved ones interred here. They pay for the service. Why shouldn’t they have more than one vase, or a card? Why must poppies and wreaths be removed within a month?

Heaven forbid someone might be sentimental in their loss.

The jobsworth cheeseparers who made these rules and posted them up will probably be sat somewhere now, wondering why churchgoing is in decline.

November 24th – I enjoyed today’s ride more than I was expecting to. When I left home, it was cold and the air was murky. For some reason, the chill didn’t seem to get to me today – I just wrapped up warm and went for it. The leaves are beautiful now – this is the kind of scene I always expect in late October, but doesn’t seem to happen until later. I shot around Hilton, Wall Butts, Chesterfield, Shenstone, Weeford and Hints. From there, I dropped onto the canal at Hopwas and returned via Whittington and Wall. Between Weeford and Hints, I cycled Dog Lane, a green lane I try to ride at least once a year. The colours were great, and had this been a sunny afternoon, would have been stunning.

If you get chance this week, go for a walk in your nearest countryside, before the next big winds. It’s gorgeous.