Tag: night photography

September 22nd – Also coming out better than expected was Morris, the Brownhills Miner. I often have people grumbling I don’t feature him here often enough, but it’s hard to know what to do with him; Morris has been photographed so often and so well by others, my photos would jut be noise.

I’m very fond of Morris – as a technical achievement, he’s stunning and a wonderful demonstration of Finite Element boundary analysis as a method of solving complex shape resolution. But he’s also that rarity – a civic artwork with soul.

Morris has done very little for Brownhiills. He hasn’t ‘put is on the map’ – we never left it; he hasn’t created jobs or sparked a regeneration.

But what Morris has done is made lots of people smile, and wonder about the history he represents.

Which is worth an awful lot in my book.

ISeptember 22nd – It was a pleasant but slightly chilly evening as I slipped out for a test circuit of Brownhills after a little bike maintenance. I’d forgotten my camera when I went to work, and was still without it, so I gave the phone lens a polish and had a go.

Cameras on phones haven’t half come on in the past few years.

September 14th – This last few weeks I’ve been travelling home late a lot, and commuting in the dark. During these tired, weary evenings the rides have occasionally been very solitary, but one thing keeping me company has been the moon. Watching it wax and wane over successive fine nights has been a genuine joy, as has being observing the position every night.

This evening, with low cloud and mist on the ground, when the moon occasionally emerged, it had a lovely orange red hue.

It’s an odd friendship, me and the moon…

September 14th – I had to call in Birmingham after working late, and returned as dusk fell to Shenstone – and I was reminded one more how lovely this station is at night. 

The last Cross City Line station to retain it’s original charm, it wouldn’t look out of place any time in the last century. At this time of the evening, with the lights coming on and mist and autumn in the air, the sight of this wonderful station is welcoming, attractive and a genuine pleasure.

A great place to start or finish any rail journey.

September 2nd – The oncoming darkness made me crave a century, and with improving fitness and a day off I went for it. The rain mean a late start, but the sun soon came out, and I headed from Whittington to Linton, then Donisthorpe, Packington, Newbold Verdon, Cloud Quarry, Breedon on the Hill, then into Derby on cycle trail 68. From there, I followed the trail out through Mackworth to Egginton, then through Burton, Drakelow, Croxall and home. 106 miles, and a nice night ride from Burton was exhilarating too.

I made a healthy pace, and wasn’t too tired when I got back. A satisfying ride.

August 29th – Here’s an odd one. In the dark, I spotted dark shapes in the field by the canal at Newtown, just at the back of Sandbeds Caravan Park. The shapes were actually six red deer, loafing and browsing the meadow.

I’ve not really noticed them active at night before, all though I do know they move around a lot nocturnally.

Sadly, the flash would reach that far and they were to active to take a long exposure photo. So I I achieved was shining eyes in the darkness.

August 29th – Not a fan of August Bank Holiday. The day off is nice, but it always feels like I should make more of it than I do, this Monday always feels like summer’s last breath, from here on autumn, cold, dark etc.

Of course, it’s rarely that – we will have more warm and fine weather before the darkness returns but I find this milestone sombre and sad.

It also reminds me of all the plans I had for the summer that never got done.

Today I was tired, having trouble with my hips, and recovering; so I stayed home, and did jobs on the bike and enjoyed the company of family. A short dusk spin up to Chasewater and back along the canal was enjoyable on a freshly tuned, fast bike, and painkillers had shown my aches the door.

It hadn’t been a bad day. The weather was good. Much needed jobs were done. And there are still fine, warm days to come,

August 25th – North Street, The Butts in steady rain. Late again.

At least it was warm rain, and there was an excellent takeaway to look forward to at the end of it.

I still can’t get used to the tower block with the bizarre white halo. Walsall Housing Group did a fantastic job of refurbishing Austen House, complete with geothermal heating and solar panels – but I do find the aesthetics a bit odd.

August 24th – Another spell of working very, very late. On my return I was tired and irritable, and fell straight into bed. Work is the busiest I’ve ever known it at the moment and balancing everything is very hard.

Despite the late hour, the new leisure centre at Walsall Wood still looked quite busy – it’s been impressive how well used and received this facility has been.

Those people seem to have the work-life balance managed a bit better than me at the moment…

August 19th – The rains of the day had brought out the damp-loving creatures, though sadly I didn’t see any amphibians (although in my tired state I probably just didn’t notice them). These snails comfortably beat me travelling up Brownhills High Street on my mission to call in at the takeaway for a curry.

Snails get a very bad press really, but they are such fascinating things.