February 5th – Long exposure experiments I’m not entirely happy with, taken from the A5 bypass flyover at Jerry’s Lane, Packington and the Alan Woollatt bridge over the A38 at Thickbroom.
For some reason these aren’t as sharp as my earlier experiments and I’m not sure why. The wiggle of the road as it winds up Rock Hill was also not as evident as I would have hoped.
I need more practice, and maybe to read a manual or two…
December 17th – A long sleep, then an early run to Rugeley, on a traditional pre-Christmas shopping trip. I had errand there, at Gentleshaw, Litchfield and Whittington, so I did a loop around all of them, returning just after dark.
It was a lovely day, and I enjoyed the riding and Rugeley very much. Lichfield was crowded and difficult, but I was rewarded with peace and quiet at Whittington.
Now quiet and awaiting decommissioning, Rugeley Power Station is like a sleeping giant. I’ll miss the old place when it goes.
I was intrigued by the witness on the doorway to the passed life of a creeper, which I spotted in Lichfield, and Heron house looks like a fun old place.
The sight of Ivy Cottage, looking beautiful in the dark, was gorgeous at Lower Stonnall.
That cottage is like a beacon to my soul.
October 23rd – The pigs of Packington Moor are always entertaining. Their fields move around the area, from Little Hay to Hopwas as due to their impact on the ground they need to be relocated regularly. Free range, they dwell in pig arcs and huts in good sized pens, and seem happy – their bacon is certainly amongst the best locally.
I was amused to note the pigs – right now up on the Moor and near Hopwas Hays Wood – tolerating crows perching on their backs, pecking mites and bugs that would otherwise irritate them. I watched that for ages.
Nice to see well kept, apparently happy, content livestock in the fields.
October 23rd – For the final light Sunday evening of 2016, I went up to Packington Moor and up the greenway called Knox’s Grave Lane, across Common Barn, then through the deciduous woodland of Hopwas Hays. It was chilly, but the sun was bright, mellow and warming and autumn was beautiful The leaves are really turning now, and the the recently relaid tracks of the woodland were nice to ride.
The sunset, too, was excellent, although sad that it came little after six, with this the first sunset before 6pm of the autumn. Sadly, with the end of BST, next week it will be before five…
A great ride, with the best of Autumn on show. If you can get to Hopwas in the next week or so, do so. Its beautiful.
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.
November 19th – The farm shop at Packington Moor, near Whittington Barracks, is a little on the pricy side for me. With it’s air of loftiness and well-healed customers, it’s not a place I go often; but the produce there is superb – particularly the meat, vegetables and cakes. Pulling my bike up there yesterday and leaning it against the storefront rail amongst the expensive cars, I noticed this ticket on a pumpkin in the pile on display. A reminder that while organic may be pricy and often exclusive, Br’er Brock the Badger doesn’t pay no fancy store bills, and clearly doesn’t care much for the orange gourd, either…
November 18th – The night photos continue. Sorry if you’re getting bored with them, I am trying to vary them a bit, it’s just that I’m mostly on my bike right now when it’s dark, and today was no exception. I escaped for a spin over to Whittington at 4pm, and was captivated by the traffic when crossing the A38 footbridge at Weeford. Looking south, the top photo shows traffic on the A38 itself, Little Hay Lane and M6 toll, off to the right. The lower picture was taken on the flyover taking Jerry’s Lane over the A5 Bypass near Packington Moor, with Lichfield TV transmitter in the background. I’ve been trying variants of these for a while and these are the first such long-exposure shots I’ve been happy with. Oh well – should see some daylight tomorrow…
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