December 3rd – Another great Christmas tree – always one of my favourites – it the one on Swan Island at Burntwood. Always with really nice lights, it’s a lovely sight and erected by the local Rotary Club – if I remember right, their membership sponsors it.
A lovely sight that cheered me up like Walsall’s tree did yesterday,
December 3rd – A bit of a down day, really – although the evening picked up well. I headed out just after lunch into a grey and lightless day, to try a new cafe. From there, I dropped into Lichfield as a Christmas Market was ongoing, but customer service left much to be desired; I ended up enjoying Christmas Pudding and custard in front of a wood burning stove at Mabel’s in Curborough which was nice, although the craft centre around it definitely seems to have left it’s best days behind it.
I came back via London Green and noted another once closed pub, the Red Lion, seemed to be doing well. Although more of a restaurant now, it still retains a real ale bar and welcomes dogs.
And it’s beautifully lit in a cold winter dusk…
December 2nd – I finally got the effect I was after at Clayhanger bridge. Hard, sharp, and a night shot with plenty of contrast and not too orange. I haven’t post-processed this image in any way.
Now, let’s see if I can do the same for Church Hill in Wednesbury…
December 2nd – Christmas is inescapable now; everywhere there are lights, decorations, trees and the general glitz and expectation of the season.
I don’t mind it to be honest, and this year I’m looking forward to a much-needed rest, so the oncoming festivities are quite welcome.
Passing through Walsall, weary and tired, I noticed the town this year had a rather lovely tree in St Paul’s Square, between the Bus Station and Leicester Street.
It cheered me up no end on a chilly, weary end-of-week commute.
December 1st – The long-closed Shire Oak Pub at the crossroads atop Shire Oak hill reopened only a few days ago, and it’s so nice to see the building lit up again at night. The pub deserves a good future as it’s a historic and well loved inn that’s survived many years.
As I winched myself up the hill from an errand in Stonnall I appreciated the warm, welcoming lights and hoped the new team running it have every success.
November 27th – I passed through Lichfield at sunset, and later, into Brownhills West from Chasewater where I checked out a new twist on an old muse.
Lichfield was beautiful but busy, so I grabbed a few shots at Stowe and Minster Pools before heading home through Hammerwich and Chasewater. At Chasewater, I was interested to see how the recent change from sodium lamps to white LED on the M6 Toll had affected the curoious portal effect on the footbridge which has so fascinated me before.
It’s still a very otherworldly effect. This pleases me.
November 24th – Returning late gave me an opportunity to feature something here I mean to every year, but rarely get chance to – the remarkable Christmas lights at the house near Rushall Square.
I usually pass in times of heavy traffic, or frustratingly when they’re not switched fully on but this fiesta of LED light takes place broadly from the end of October until New Year every winter.
It’s not, I have to say, to my taste, but there’s clearly a huge amount of work, time, and no little use of electricity there, so hats off to it and my compliments to the householder.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
November 24th – I’ve been starting early and working late a lot lately, and the tiredness is showing, so apologies for limited subject matter. Things should improve next week.
I found myself returning from a meeting late with time to kill at New Street, and the air of quiet, almost reverent dislocation that sets in there at about 8pm continues to enthral and captivate me. This station swallows large numbers of people and hides them from each other, so even when quite busy, the station appears deserted in places.
This was really feeding my Late Night Feelings vibe: the forced perspective of platforms, the train waiting for the red light to turn green. The solitary lady, perfectly framed by the identifier for platform 8, her face lit in the gloom by the light of her phone.
And then, 45 weary minutes on, Walsall, desolate and beautiful in the same way.
What is it about me and stations at night?
November 22nd – Sorry, another night picture… I’m trying to avoid posting too many but life at the moment means I’m mostly cycling in the dark!
I had to take some documents into Birmingham late in the day, and returned on the train on a dry, warm-seeming evening, which was a welcome relief from the washout of the day before. Unusually, I alighted at Black Street for a change, and as I watched my train roll off into the dark, I realised what a great station this is at night.
Not as beautiful as Shenstone, or as dramatic as others, but I do like the lights, their interaction with the overhead lines and signals. All contribute to my my Late Night Feelings thing I have a bout rail stations at night.
November 19th – In Lichfield, I had a request from fellow blogger @Bhillscommoner for some images of Lichfield, and was happy to oblige. Unlike my other recent photos, these were taken with the city busy and bustling, and I like the way the people appear as ghostly witness, indistinct to the solid, defined architecture around them.
Transients before the longer lasting.
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