January 30th – Heading to Hortonwood in the morning, I alighted in Telford in a snow shower that didn’t last long, but rendered the cycleway beautiful with an icing sugar dusting of fresh, undisturbed snow.
What made it even more gorgeous was at the same time, the sun was shining.
An odd experience on a beautiful, cold and crisp morning.
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January 29th – Despite an icing sugar dusting of snow and a very cold wind, the dates and emergent daffodils of the industrial estate where I work know spring is a thing.
Jack in the Green has tapped the ground with his stick and it’s all systems go.
The cold might slow things up a few days, but it’s underway now. It’s coming.
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January 29th – The cold weather for this winter has finally arrived, and the roads are icy. I’m fairly OK on the ice tyres, but it still takes time to build confidence back up when hitting black ice.
Thankfully, everywhere I’ve been, the major routes are well gritted, even though many motorists swear they haven’t been.
Road salt is not magic. It won’t work instantly, won’t de-ice the whole troad, and won’t allow you to drive like Sterling Moss in cold weather.
Tae care and take it easy, folks.
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January 28th – Passing through Kings Hill Park on a mercifully sunny, chilly day, I noted the progress of the snowdrops and crocuses, with the early-appearers looking wonderful in the sunlight.
I’m a bit worried about Kings Hill Park. Not one of Walsall Council’s premier parks, it seems to be losing some funding and last year, although kept beautifully tidy. the flower planters seemed rather neglected, which is a shame as they’ve always been gorgeous.
Kings Hill Park is a gem of a place, sited on largely reclaimed former industrial land, and is a jewel in the urbanity along the Walsall-Sandwell border.
I hope it gets a bit more love this year.
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January 27th – It’s good to see the water rising again at Chasewater. I noticed today that the level had now reached the balancing culverts at the Nine Foot Pool, and now was probably around a metre off being full.
This is quite good progress considering how low the level was late last year to facilitate anti-erosion work on the causeway.
Of course, to make up that last metre, it takes a lot of rain, but it will be nice to see it full once more.
Tat awful quandary, the needed but unwanted rain…
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January 27th – At least it wasn’t raining.
At lunchtime, the wind was horrendous as I rode to Chasewater. Stood on the dam fighting it, it rose white-crested waves on the reservoir that broke angrily around the pier, shore and wakeboard ramps.
It was impressively dramatic but not an easy day to cycle on.
I suppose a clear day with little wind is too much to ask?
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January 26th – The weather didn’t improve at all, and considerably worsened. It was windy, grey and grim. I slipped out briefly for a circuit around a wet, muddy canal at the fall of dusk and got wet and felt miserable.
The weather at the moment is warm, but not pleasant. I hope this isn’t a portent of a bad summer, but I guess we might be due one.
The only brightness was my favourite tree, the majestic horse chestnut at Home Farm, Sandhills, still looks wonderful and will soon, hopefully, be in leaf.
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January 25th – I noticed not long after I left work that on this wet evening it was a balmy 12 degrees or so, and that sunset now didn’t arrive until 4:40pm – that means it’s pretty much light now until 5pm.
It was a horrid journey home but the improving conditions made me feel better.
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January 25th – Passing through the Butts in Walsall mid morning, I was able to photograph this delightful character, whom I’ve met before. She’s a tiny, gorgeous little cat I’ve since found out is called Belle.
A very friendly, affectionate puss, I often see her on the bins here but usually can’t take pictures due to the nearby school.
Today, she shared head boops, nose and back tickles and purred appreciatetively, without taking her eye off the neighbourhood.
Nice to be meeting cats again…
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January 24th – There is a madness afoot in the country, and possibly the broader western world in the last 10 years or so, and I can see no solution in sight.
Governments come to power on the promise of austerity and cutting spending, yet close used and needed public facilities that took decades to be obtained – in a flash. And so we lost the police station in Walsall on Green Lane, built in the Brutalist period of the 60s, which was closed in response to spending cuts in 2016. Police now have to take suspects to Oldbury when arrested, which is impacting officer availability and causing great inefficiency.
The building itself – an unremarkable modernist structure – was sold to developers and is currently being demolished.
We will need a police station again. The situation as it is is not working.
And it will cost us far more than closing this one saved to sort the mess out.
And when some politician grasps the nettle and does it, they will be derided for financial profligacy.
But the real crime is cutting things communities need, in the interests of short term political gain.
It takes years to build communities, and days to destroy them with cuts. The recklessness seems in the axe-hand to me.
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