May 13th – Returning to Brownhills, I noted the new families are arriving thick and fast. At Catshill junction, a pair of proud Canada geese with a huge brood of 13 goslings, all seeming in good health. At Silver Street, the Watermead swans have 9 cygnets – all busy little balls of grey fluff.
I love to see the waterfowl breeding, and the antics of the chicks.
April 13th – An odd thing on the local canals – lots of reed debris all of a sudden. Not sure if this is natural detritus as part of spring, or the result on thinning redheads for boats.
Anyone know? Lots of it around Brownhills, Catshilll Junction and Clayhanger.
March 14th – A horrid return journey into an easterly wind was cold, protracted and unpleasant. I took a breather on Catshill Junction Bridge to catch my breath before heading into Brownhills. Only just dark, tonight it was shades of dark blue following a dull, overcast day.
I love this spot. It’s changed so much in the past 20 years or so.
March 8th – There’s clearly a traffic survey going on along the feeder routes on Walsall Ring Road. A huge amount of monitoring equipment has been temporarily installed at junctions and crossings, some of it quite high tech.
In a journey between Lichfield Road and Ida Road I must have seen 20 different items of equipment – cameras, motion sensors etc.
This must be costing a lot of money. Wonder what’s going on?
March 5th – I spotted this young cat on the opposite side of the canal near Catshill Junction. He stared at me contemptuously for a while, then, feigning disinterest, went and stroked his nose on an overhanging bramble for a bit.
A lovely chap. Hope he’s a regular…
February 25th – I’m experimenting with night shots at the moment, and what better place than Catshill Junction to try them? Quite pleased with these.
Again, that seasonal light-not-yet-died colour was fabulous. Hardly and wind with a flat-calm canal. Wonderful.
February 11th – Heading over Catshill Junction to slide down the High Street, I still can’t get over the lights and reflections of the new build, and the way it affects what was a formerly barren spot at night.
Combined with he LED streetlights from Chandlers Keep, it feels quite awake there these days, no longer lonely and isolated at all.
February 9th – At the junction of Coppice Road and Brownhills Road in Walsall Wood, the junction is being remodelled for the new leisure centre, now nearing completion. It’ll be interesting to see what the finished road layout looks like, and how it functions. This is a horrid junction for pedestrians, cyclists and small vehicles, and it seems a bad one for corner cutting and being cut off from the right – particularly when turning left into Brownhills Road.
I’m watching this one with interest. I hate this junction and I hope the changes improve it as much as possible.
February 3rd – That moment when you reach out for the camera to grab a picture at the lights and they change. Nothing for it but to stash the camera back as it’s still turning off and haul away sharpish.
Normally judge it better than that, but the lights of Rushall were very beautiful tonight. A least I caught an instant in time.
February 1st – A little over 30 minutes later, thanks to a following wind of epic proportions, just preparing to head into Brownhills.
Catshill Junction, long exposure in a wind so keen I had to hold the camera to stop it blowing off the rail.
This spot has become much more interesting since the new build.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 