February 7th – I nipped down to Lichfield in the afternoon for some shopping, and it was still cold, but at least the wind had dropped. Minster pool looked terrific and glass-flat on an otherwise very overcast, misty day.
Lichfield can look good on the dullest, most dreary afternoons.
January 2nd – This was one of the things that cheered me up in Lichfield. The railings around Minster Pool. Someone with an idea, some blu-tak and a small pair of googly eyes. The expression is beautiful. I only noticed it by chance.
I don’t know who did the deed, but I thank you. You made me grin from ear to ear, and chased my black dog away. So now I’ve preserved your random act of happiness and shared it for posterity.
Thank you.
January 2nd – Today, I was at a loose end. Things hadn’t come together well, and I felt miserable and disconnected, but I got my rug together and headed into Lichfield at dusk. It rewarded me beautifully – I love the Christmas lights here; even more poignant at the close of the festive season. It’s amazing how poncing about with a camera and creating a little can cheer you up.
For those counting, it’s the third anniversary of riding 365 days a year. I actually started the project in April, 2011 in order to ride every day of the 30 days of that April, mainly to stop fellow twitter cyclist Renee Van Baar from nagging me about it. At the end of that month, i was enjoying the thing so much I carried on, and vowed to make it 365 days.
Sadly, over the new year of 2011/12, I suffered bad food poisoning, and was off the bike for two days. I was gutted, and so feeling cheated, I started again. Today was the third anniversary of that resolution.
I often agonise over to whether I continue this, and I welcome reader opinion, so please do comment; but this journal is so much part of what I do on a bike every day now that it would be hard to stop. The readership continues to grow; over 5,100 followers.
Statistics for this year gone have been a total distance of 9,296 miles. That’s still about 25½ miles a day. A remarkable total of 14,446 photos have been taken. On the journal so far, there have been 3,028 posts. I have cycled continuously, every day, for 1095 days.
In total, the journal has run for 1,368 days from the start, and something in just shy of 35,000 miles. Think about that; I’ve cycled every day, rain, snow, wind or shine of the last 1,368 days, all except 2. I’m proud of that.
I guess I proved a middle aged, ordinary geezer with a fondness for cake and tea can do this.
Thank you for riding it with me. As long as people are enjoying this, I’ll keep doing it.
Your comments are, as ever, welcome, even if it’s just to tell me to shut the hell up…
Christmas Eve – Down into Lichfield on a last minute errand, it was a gorgeous day – bright, clear and getting colder. It actually felt like Christmas. Lichfield wasn’t as busy as I expected, and I easily got the things done I needed to, although against a bitter wind the ride back was harder than it should have been. The lanes and fields around Wall looked wonderful, and the bright emerald green of winter crops in the fields was a nice surprise. From Aldershawe, the Old Lady of the Vale looked beautiful, too.
I was quite taken with the Dutch roadster parked up in town; it looked new, but the the owner was clearly intending to haul a load with it. A nice looking bike.
July 26th – Taking it easy with the foot, it’s clearly not going to heal quickly. It was a lovely hot day, however, and I needed to get some shopping done, so I gently pootled into Lichfield in the afternoon.
Riding down Pipe Hill I expected a cooling breeze. It was actually like being blasted by a hot-air hand drier. The day was the hottest I think I’ve known for a while, and the impression the languid, green town had on me was restorative and relaxing.
Lichfield may well be up it’s own arse, but it is beautiful in places.
December 29th – One of my favourite sets of Christmas lights is a simple run of coloured bulbs along Minster Pool in Lichfield. When I came here before Christmas, I was sad to see that weren’t on; fortunately, it appears to have been a fault, and the wonderful LichWheeld told me they were on the following day.
I returned, just to see them. I think the combination of light and reflection is magical. It’s my inner child coming out.
November 3rd – I found myself in Lichfield after dark. Keen to try out my new found long-exposure technique, I took some pictures of Minster Pool. I don’t think there turned out too bad. By heck, it was cold, though. Think I must be going soft in my old age.
October 27th – A run out to Lichfield to pick up some shopping… oddly, the city held everything I wanted; more often than not these days, the place disappoints. What’s never a let-down is the scenery, although it’s riddled with photographic cliches. The Old Lady of the Vale has been photographed from every angle possible, as has much of Lichfield. I do love the view over the Garden of Remembrance, though. Beacon Park is looking nice, too, but I have to admit, for sheer autumnal beauty, Walsall Arboretum trumps it.
After that admission, I expect the border guards to refuse me admission on my next trip…
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 