Tag: lanes

February 7th – On my return, I cycled back down the canal into Brownhills. My favourite tree near Home Farm at Sandhills is handsome even when bare, and it doesn’t seem long now until I see it in leaf once more – but there seems to be a lot of bad weather to go through yet before those warm, sunny spring days return.

On the towpaths, the mud has to be seen to be believed, and at Anchor Bridge in particular, the rotting leaf litter her has made a slimy, hazardous goop which is hard and unpleasant to ride through – until things dry out a bit, take care!

4th October – And finally, watch out if you’re riding along the canal between Chasewater and Brownhills. The hedge between Home Farm and the towpath has been flailed, and there are thorns all over it. As it was I passed a couple of people repairing punctures, so if you’ve not got tough tyres, I’d give the route a miss for a week or two.

September 21st – In the last few days, Autumn has kicked in and the leaves have started to turn. In a short journey through the backlanes of Stonnall, it was evident that the season was now irrefutably on her throne now and had her pot of gold pain at the ready.

Sad, but beautiful. No stopping the season’s wheel from turning, I guess.

August 15th – Returning by train because I was short of time, I cycled from Blake Street through the backlanes of Footherley and Stonnall on a beautiful, slightly chilly evening. My energy reserves were very low, and the ride was hard going, which can only have been due to the recent ill-health.

Still, the sun set fire a glorious golden hour and the fields were rendered beautiful. Even the horse chestnuts hit by leaf miners were gorgeous in the late sunlight.

Is that autumn’s breath I can feel on my shoulder?

July 30th – Coming home from Shenstone, I noticed the harvest had started at Lynn, and the grain trailers were filling, clouds of corn-dust blowing over the fields and that familiar scent in the air. 

At Sandhills, the first blackberries ripen by the roadside, while the oats at Home Farm have already been harvested. Interestingly, when I took the photo of Ogley Hay church over the fields, I didn’t spot the red deer in shot…

July 19th – Oats are in fashion this year. After years of barely seeing any at all, this year all the best-dressed arable farms are wearing them.

I’m seeing them all over the place – the price, or subsidy for them must be high this year. They are a beautiful golden colour at the moment, and are painting the fields in shades of high summer.

These at Home Farm seem to be ready for harvest.

July 5th – An odd day involving a fair few errands. I set out early afternoon, hoping to miss the rain. I didn’t.

I had to nip to Chasetown, and as ever, the High Street looked great, but the sky, even when sunny, was threatening and grey. I was caught out both on the outward journey, and on my return. 

It was warm enough though, and bare legs dry quickly. Let’s hope next weekend is a little more temperate.

June 5th – The track around Shire Oak Hill trough Home Farm and Lime Kilns is, sadly, a private road. It would make a great route around the hill for cyclists and the weary wanting to avoid serious hills getting back to Brownhills from Lichfield and the east. 

Sadly, it’s not to be and this lovely avenue of trees must only be observed from the Lichfield Road at Sandhills.

In summer and autumn, it’s gorgeous.

May 31st – A wolf of a day again – a heavy wind and wet morning, but bright sunshine in the afternoon made for a short ride and some familiar views to test the Nikon. The zoom is a lot more tricky to get right than the older camera, but it gives way better results, I have to say. Those shots of the Cathedral from Shire Oak and Hammerwich from Newtown are remarkable sharp for the range. 

On the whole, the camera seems excellent, and most of my grumbles are with a particularly fiddly user interface, not inconsiderable weight and peculiar autofocus lag.

Oh, and terrible, terrible documentation. But on the other hand, wow!