January 7th – But there’s always brightness, and just now, everywhere reminders that while still not here, spring is only just around the corner.
In a garden in kings Hill where in summer I see old Sam the cat, pots of flowers – fancy miniature daffodils and primroses of some sort I think.
Whatever they are, they cheered me right up. Thank you!
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January 4th – In Kings Hill Park again at lunchtime heading for B&Q, I stopped to note that ostensibly, it was very much winter, and the park looked as darkly green and growthless as it always does at this time every year.
But wait up.
Stop and look, and honey fungus is growing in the grass – and bedgraggled daisies are still very much in bloom. But better than these side effects of a so far warm winter, the spring flowers are coming now: They have stirred in the death and are sending green shoots upwards.
Soon, there will be flowers.
My heart sang.
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January 3rd – On my way home, I crossed Kings Hill Park. I expected this cold, harsh evening to have much clearer air, but it was in fact quite misty and the view of the twin sisters of Wednesbury I’d hoped for – clear and well defined – was actually a murky grey image in shades of grey and very pale yellow electric light.
But it was rather beautiful in a very dark, Turner-is way.
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#365daysofbiking Rolling downhill:
December 12th – On such a great day it would be bad form to to also list Kings Hill Park – not a mile away from Victoria Park. I’d come back from B&Q and rode over the top off the hill in the park, which is always exhilarating, and the stop for tea and contemplation on the memorial bench always welcome.
Gently rolling downhill, sending squirrels scampering away is always a delight here. The view towards the road always gives the feeling of being in a secret garden.
Darlaston’s parks are beautiful, lovely places. Yet what guide book tells of this? It’s a crying shame they are not better known.
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#365daysofbiking Holding on:
November 23nd – It’s been a tough week, I don’t mind admitting. Work has been hard and everything else has been manic. The weather hasn’t been too wonderful either.
But, it’s Friday, and even though the day was grey and overcast, the daisies on the verge outside work were doing their best to be cheerful.
#365daysofbiking Kissed by the cold:
November 22nd – Pleased to note there’s still some fungi about at the moment. The earthstars seem to have given up for this year, but these ice-coated glistening ink caps were glistening with frost when I found them in Victoria Park, Darlaston this morning.
Such delicate, beautiful things, I suppose the frost must harm them but it does look lovely.
I doubt there will be much more fungi this year now. it’s been a much better season than expected, to be fair.
#365daysofbiking The world spins, me a apart of it:
November 1st – My worry was misplaced. I had good news from the hospital, and rode gently back, taking in the air which with my inbuilt mood filter switched off, was now sunny and cheering.
What better time to enjoy the parks of Darlaston, Victoria and Kings Hill? What better time to sit and appreciate the leaves, the dog walkers, the birds and my beloved Black Country?
It made a change to have lightness in my heart. That’s been a rare thing of late.
#365daysofbiking Parked:
October 30th – My peaceful retreat Kings Hill Park is looking gorgeous in it’s autumn palette right now and I’m really enjoying it.
Sadly, the flowers haven’t been so good this year, and I fear cost cutting at Walsall Council may have been to blame, but none of that detracts from the essential beauty of this peaceful, beautiful urban oasis, where I often stop, separate myself from the workaday stress and have a brew and a think.
This place will always be mine, whatever the season.
#365daysofbiking Stars on earth:
October 25th – The Darlaston earthstar fungus colony continues to fascinate me. These relatively rare, alien looking fungi are growing under a thicket on an anonymous, ordinary industrial estate near where I work.
Every day, a new star opens.
I wasn’t sure what bud or genesis they had, but today I found out that they start as a very well camouflaged ‘ball’, which splits into the ‘petals’ of the star.
They really are strange, fascinating things.
#365daysofbiking Frustration:
October 25th – There was a beautiful sunset as I left work. I saw it through the frosted skylights at work; they’d got a lovely pink colour which signified something interesting was happening.
The trouble is with where I work, there aren’t many decent spots to get the sunset from.
Getting on a turn of speed, I managed to make old favourite the Kings Hill cellphone mast, still trading data with the ether against a glorious sky, and over the ruins of James Bridge Copper Works at Alumwell.
It’s always annoying to see a good sunset yet not be somewhere with a decent view of it…
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 