May 11th – And on my return, after dark, a familiar metallic face standing proud against a deep, very deep blue night sky.
I love Morris. He’s my sign of homecoming.
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February 16th – Another long exposure experiment, Morris from the front of the Parkview Centre (the old Council House) gives a different aspect with the light trails from passing traffic.
I need to try this again when it’s busier – maybe panned out to get the curious saddleback contour fo the roundabout to show.
But its nice to get this wonderful statue with less of the usual blue light tint to the image.
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January 5th – Heading back up the High Street to get a takeaway, I passed the now well-lit Morris with the lights on the surrounding trees looking beautiful.
I will never tire of photographing this statue. Is is by turns, dramatic, beautiful, ridiculously out of place, preposterous and wonderful.
Fantastic by day, even better by night. Morris symbolises home and the town I love.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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December 22nd – Homecoming, late, and a ride around Brownhills before bed.
Finally, due to hard work by members of the local committee, the Christmas lights on the miner island, as well as those on Morris himself have been fixed, so just in time for the festive season, my favourite icon of home is bright and proud ant night once more.
A great thing to come home to. Thanks to all involved.
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#365daysofbiking Lost weekend:
October 14th – Sunday was again bad for most of the daylight hours, only improving during the late afternoon. The wind had again been strong, and continual rain again kept me in. I got things done though, and that in itself made me feel better.
Nipping out for the shopping I’d forgotten the day before, I noted the swan family by Pelsall Road where thriving, and they didn’t seem to mind the gloom.
I’m curious though, about Morris and his lights: They haven’t actually been on the last couple of days at least. I wonder if they’re broken? That’s sad if they are.
#365daysofbiking Hello darkness my old friend
August 26th – it was a dreadful, wet day and I still wasn’t well. I was busy at home with things that had needed doing for ages, and I slipped out after dark for a spin around a dripping, sodden town.
I hate this weekend, every year; it’s OK if the weather’s good and you can ride, but if it’s grey and horrible it’s so depressing. It always feels like the end of summer, even if it’s nowhere near.
Riding was actually good, and the somnambulant town was quiet in the gathering night. With the new houses, Church Road is probably the most atmospheric it’s been for years, and Coppice lane wears it’s loneliness like an old jacket.
Still can’t get a night photo of Morris I’m happy with, though…
January 6th – Getting better with the Canon. Actually beginning to like it, which is something I thought I’d never say. That’s a bit sad, as the TZ100 is clearly a cracking piece of kit too and deserves further exploration. I think in a week I’ll take that out exclusively and learn about it.
I was in Brownhills late, collecting a takeaway. Brownhills was quiet, sleepy and I had the peace and quiet to try again at some shots I thought I’d fudged before. This camera is odd – it really isn’t that great at Morris, as the zoom isn’t there I think, but the classic Anchor Bridge night scene was a boster. I also liked what it did with the Commutiy and Parkview Centres.
Brownhills at night has some really great pictures. Get your camera out and explore.
January 2nd – I’ll start this with a note about time, and the passing thereof; long time readers will know I started this journal on 1st April 2011after being egged on to do 30daysofbiking by ace cyclist and top Dutchperson Renee Van Baar. Sadly, I was very ill with food poisoning the following New Year, so never rode a bike on 31st December 2011, and 1st January 2012. But I carried on, and I never missed a day since. Every day from 2nd January 2012 I have got on a bike and ridden somewhere. From 100 mile plus rides in one day, to trundles to the shop, I have recorded my daily life as a cyclist, in all it’s ups and downs. That’s 6 years, or 2192 successive days (including 2 leap years), and about 55,000 miles.
I love keeping this journal, I love writing it, and finding the photos.
I welcome feedback. If you have something to say – that I should stop, continue or do something differently, please get in touch by commenting or mailing me – BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.
I’ve done this to show that it’s possible to be normal, and on a bike. That a podgy, middle aged man who’s not a lycra fiend can ride to work, shops, for fun, to explore, keep healthy, be happy, enthusiastic, jaded, sad or depressed, and continue rolling down the road.
In the six years, I’ve had at least 10 different cameras to use, maybe more, actually. Some I’ve adored, some I hated. The Canon GX 7 Mark II I’m using at the moment is like Jekyl and Hyde. It was really good in the night shots of the last couple of journeys, but tonight’s attempt – a simple shot of Morris – it seemed to fudge a bit.
On the camera, the jury is still out.
I’ll need to ride and use it a bit more to find out…
December 22nd – Often if I’ve had a long day away, I come to see Morris, the Brownhills Colossus, as his creator John McKenna called him. I have mixed feelings that are well known about the origins and personal politics surrounding Morris, the Brownhills Miner but I do love him to bits. Seeing this 30 foot demonstration of finite element modelling always makes me feel at home now.
Just wish they’d fix the spotlights.
I love how, at Christmas, the lights on the trees give the sculpture a little bit of a ‘Last performance at Vegas feel.
We’ve all got a bit of Vegas in us. Especially Morris.
Rock on my metal mate. Rock on.
December 10th – I continued from Chasewater up around Engine Lane and down to old railway trail to the old cement works bridge overlooking the council depot, where gritters and ploughs were coming and going in a constant stream.
There was a lot of angst on social media about grit, road treatment and ploughing, and as ever, I felt particularly for the poor folk doing this hard, almost thankless task.
Elsewhere, the swans weren’t bother by the cold from what I could tell, and Morris seemed happy with his new white mantel.
Temperatures were dropping as it got dark and it would be interesting to see what happened next day as the freeze deepened.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 