Lichfield – Page 9 – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

December 23rd – Christmas starts here for me, really – as I finished work today. It’s been a long haul, this Autumn. After a good Indian summer, it all went horridly wrong and it seems to have blown and rained they rest of the way here.

I sped from work on very quiet streets, in a chill, but not cold night air. I had an errand to run to Lichfield, and on my way back, paused on the motorway bridge at Summerhill to try a long exposure like the one I failed at in Pelsall earlier in the week. This time, it worked.

This is a 30 second exposure; note orion clearly visible in the sky. I’m pleased with this, and it feels sort of Christmassy.

Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful new year to all my readers and friends.

December 19th – I’m slain with a cold, and not yet finished work, I woke up to a weekend of pre-Christmas errands and jobs, which I was having trouble raising enthusiasm for. I haven’t felt very festive this year yet, but this weekend before does tend to set me up. This one was no exception.

Full of painkillers and decongestant, I headed out on another grey day and on my way, passed through Lichfield on the A51. It was warm, and the going much better than expected, and I actually found myself enjoying the ride. I had the wind behind me and progress was good, so I took a little time to check out the works by the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust there – and I was impressed.

There’s clearly a huge amount to do, and this is just a fragment, but in civil engineering terms it’s impressive. There’s water in one of the pounds now, and the famous Borrowcop mallards were still in residence. Volunteers work hard here most Sundays and Wednesdays, gradually ploughing through a gargantuan task.

I wish them well.

November 28th – Saturday was a much better day. i had an errand to run in Lichfield in the morning, before the weather broke once more, and I took a wander down Quonians Lane, a place I’d passed but never studied before much.

What a beautiful, idiosyncratic building.

November 7th – And in Lichfield itself, as night fell, a dark blue sky, urban surfaces and electric light.

I think I might be getting the hang of the darkness again…

November 7th – A day that started out miserably, with rain and heavy winds finished with a beautiful sunset that caught me just as I ran an errand into Lichfield.

From canal junction to road junction, from Minster Pool to Beacon Park, from the Chemical Hill to Hammerwich, everything was bathed in beautiful light.

Despite the wind, I was glad to witness this.

October 31st – I passed Stowe Pool on the way out, and on the way back. That classic view – almost a cliche with local photographers now – still captivates me. The light was nice, the sky beautiful, and I just drank in the view for as long as I could.

I was so lucky to see this today.

October 31st – It was an unseasonably warm, sunny Halloween, and I headed to Lichfield mid afternoon on an errand. I wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the still falling leaves; whilst my favourite tree at Home Farm is now sadly and ominously naked, there was plenty of colour on the canal and in Lichfield itself.

Festival gardens are beautiful right now, as is Stowe Pool. So much to see, such a wonderful season this has been. I shall remember this Indian Summer for a long time.

October 17th – Halloween seems to be getting bigger and more commercial every year, and this year, the hype has started particularly early.

It’s nice to see the popularity of pumpkins, though, as I adore the orange gourd, particularly as soup. In Lichfield, I loved the two carved ones on display at the greengrocers.

A nice touch that made me smile.

October 17th – I wasn’t feeling much better today, and resolved to get out to try and lift the black dog from my back. And as usual, it worked.

The day was as dull as autumn makes them; overcast and threatening, but my journey to Lichfield was illuminated by the remarkable colours on display. From my favourite horse chestnut tree at Home Farm to the line of maples at Darwin Park, it all looked beautiful.

Sometimes all you need is fresh air, bustle and the beauty of nature just doing her thing.

October 3rd – The old railway between Pelsall and Brownhills (actually part of a longer line from Dudley to Lichfield) was grubbed up in the early 1980s. Some of the tracked from Pelsall to Walsall was converted into a cycle trail at the turn of the Millennium, but the section between Ryders Hayes and the old crossing at the back of the Swan Pub on the Pelsall Road seems to have developed a peculiar status. Whilst not an official cycleway, volunteers have been clearing it and keeping it useable, and it’s now a popular route for cyclists and dog walkers alike.

In contrast to the greyness of the Marsh and Mere, this was quite beautiful.