Tag: Lichfield

July 15th – This journal illustrates many things, but mostly, it illustrates my ignorance. 

Three weeks hence I stopped to admire this horse chestnut tree in Festival Gardens, Lichfield, and noted how fine it was looking, laden with young fruit, and that it was showing hardly any leaf miner activity.

It is now. The leaves have been absolutely infested with it.

The leaf miner is a pain – it can cause early leaf fall and there’s speculation that this tiny moth larvae can cause poor fruit development, but otherwise, this infestation doesn’t affect the overall health of the tree. It just makes the poor thing look terribly diseased.

Next time, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Can’t help feeling I cursed my poor arboreal brother…

July 12th – Shopping in Lichfield in the morning. The city was humming, and crowded with lots to see, including the local MP who was posing foppishly outside a cafe.

The parked bikes were interesting – that maroon ladies Oxford is an interesting beast, and very continental. Roller hub brakes, basket carriers, 3 speed and a dutch lock, it’s in good nick with an interesting front light. A real utility bike, and it looks well loved – it’s actually a far better bike than many of the heavy, cumbersome Pashleys and knockoffs that seem so popular with ladies at the moment.

The Charge single speed is an interesting steed, too, I’ve seen it about a fair bit. I had thought it was fixed wheel, but it’s fitted with a flipflop hub; this is fixed one side, and normal freewheel on the other. This one is set up on the freewheel side, so it’s not really the bike of a fixie hipster.

I often wonder how many of these fashionable bikes are sold fixed, and then flipped to freewheel within hours, never to be changed back… riding fixed is bloody hard.

That rust needs attention, too…

The sand sculpture of the dogs was ace, and seemed to be a busker style thing. You could see the work and skill that went into that – and like a sandcastle, to be ultimately destroyed. It was worth a few bob for the artist.

A great morning.

June 28th – At the Sandyway island on the A461 Walsall Road, just south of Lichfield, there’s a field of maturing oilseed rape stretching over to Maple Hayes, with poppies interspersed though it. It’s not as impressive as the fields were just up the hill last year, but it’s not bad; those fields have this year rotated to wheat.

I think the crop may be organic, as mixed in are all manner of wildflowers including thistles, poppies, ox eye daisies, cow parsley, and a purple blue flower I don’t recognise.

The most puzzling thing is the steel box marked ‘BT Property CC223’ hanging loosely on the gate post; it’s not fixed and can be opened, but theres little inside aside from the remnants of a mechanism in the lid. 

I have a feeling it may be a cash box from an old-style payphone kiosk. Anybody know for sure? It’s certainly an odd thing in an unusual place…

June 28th – At Waitrose in Lichfield, an intriguing shopping list left on the clipboard of a discarded trolley. ‘Dr. P (Doctor Pepper, I assume), Cream Soda, Flake, Bounty, Marathon, D/eck (Double Decker?).

That’s a wicked chocolate and pop binge, or one hyperactive children’s party.

All these years, and Ye Olde City still can’t bring itself to think of Snickers either…

June 28th – I was in Lichfield on an errand. There was a parade of the Mercian regiment, which saw old soldiers and the public turn out in droves.

Later, there was drinking and high jinks including these two speeding characters.

I hope I’ve as much oil in my lamp at their age. Terrific fun.

June 20th – Passing quickly through Lichfield, I spotted this interesting folding bike locked up. It’s a cheap Brompton copy, but nonetheless a fine bike, with some neat engineering solutions. Remarkably well designed luggage, too. Interesting to note the rider felt confident enough to leave the luggage attached, and his jacket hanging on the post…

June 19th – At that moment, the battery in the camera died. This one has a slight design flaw in that you can accidentally turn it on to display mode without noticing as you put it away, drawing power unnoticed. Hate it when that happens.

I had to make do yet again with the phone camera, which doesn’t seem to like bright sunlight very much at all, but the beauty of Lichfield’s Friary Gardens on a bright summer afternoon is undeniable.

I love this spot, with it’s mature trees, weathered paths and great flowers and shrubs. An overlooked, tranquil jewel.

June 19th – Passing through Lichfield today on my way home, I stopped by Festival Gardens to check out the conker trees. They seem to be in fairly good nick, and aren’t showing much leaf miner activity at the moment. They are, however, showing a huge amount of fruit.

I think it’s going to be another great year for conkers. The spiny cased nuts look almost prehistoric to me at this stage.

May 25th -Darnford Bridge Farm is still decaying, slowly, although there does seem to be some activity in the yard now.  This old farm sits in the middle of a short, unnamed, potholed, unadopted cut through between the A51 Tamworth Road and Darnford Lane, just on the eastern side of Lichfield.

There’s been planning permission granted here since 2013 to build a large house and swimming pool, and I think maybe someone is planning to start work here soon. 

I’m not against the plan; the farm is derelict and needs sorting – but the overgrown gateway and white lilac in the hedge will be missed, as will my prurient stops here to nose around when I pass…

Everything must change, I guess.