January 27th – Heading back to Brownhills, dusk now getting later and later. Tis pleases me, and the opening out is now well underway. Another cold month or two, and then, hopefully, spring. Right now, it’s still a battle, but it’s one I’m winning; this winter hasn’t seemed as dark as others in recent years and I’ve felt a lot better about it.
I am looking forward to leaves, colour and warmth again, though.
All in good time.
December 13th – The kind of cold, crisp morning that grabs your throat and seizes the air from within. The canal had frozen a little, and as I headed to the town Christmas market, I thought how beautiful the canal looked at Pier Street in it’s winter jacket.
In recent winters, we haven’t had nearly enough days like this. This year, I hope there are more. It’s the beauty of winter.
November 15th – Whilst Pelsall had been grey, the encroaching night made everything slate blue when I popped into Brownhills for shopping. Still raining gently, it was quite still and the canal here fascinates me at dusk.
An oddly inspiring day, really.
October 15th – I returned to Brownhills late in the afternoon when it was again pouring with rain. This wasn’t everyday, lacklustre drizzle; this was dense, heavy rain that squeezed in through any not-quite-close zip or gap, and rendered me soaked.
Once again, I found myself taking a breather on a bridge, just listening to the music – a rattling percussion, accompanied be geese honking happily.
Brownhills, you ain’t no looker; but that’s OK neither am I. But I do love you. Even on the horrid days like these.
September 4th – I forgot my camera today, so instead I grabbed it and my little tripod when I had to run a late evening errand. It was quite still in Brownhills this evening, and there were few people around.
I am fascinated by the new white LED streetlights the council are installing in some places. Unlike the ones in Birmingham, these seem much brighter and clearer than the sodium ones they replace, and the cold white light the spread is somewhat otherworldly, particularly on street corners where old and new technologies overlap.
At the Pier Street bridge, I was fascinated by the lights shining off the surface of the canal, something I’d forgotten in the light days of a summer now passed.
Now autumn is upon us, I must sharpen up my night photography techniques.
August 22nd – The sun came out, and whilst riding over Anchor Bridge I’d noticed the swan family were headed off up the canal at a determined pace. I snatched a frankly awful picture, then went on my way. My mission in Brownhills aborted, I doubled back to get some better pictures, and quickly found the swans in a morass of at least 200 Canada Geese on the canal between Catshill Junction and Silver Street.
The swans are in fine fettle – I had been concerned last week after not seeing them awhile, and there had been a surplus of white feathers on the water near the bridge, but it turned out volunteers had been ringing them. According to reports, they spent a couple of days sulking in Aldridge, then came back.
Quite what’s attracting the numbers of geese here, I have no idea. I note there’s some outrage about Sandwell having undertaken a cull recently, but with few predators, goose numbers are skyrocketing, which increases pressure on food supplies. It’s a tricky question I guess.
After all, one does get so attached to these birds…
July 19th – I was still suffering with my left foot, so rest was in order and I didn’t do anything except cruise out for a bit of fresh air and some shopping. It was an odd evening – at 6pm on Saturday, Brownhills is usually dead and deserted, but it had rained nearly all day, and right now, from the Pier Street bridge, the town was coming alive – people were walking, jogging and getting shopping in.
All the time under a dramatic, somewhat threatening sky.
June 13th – I cycled home from work on a sunny afternoon, and called to do some shopping on the way. I noted that the Pier Street footbridge has had a clean and is the process of getting a lick of paint ready for the canal festival in a couple of weeks. It’s nice to see, and Brian Stringer has been working hard to make this happen.
The marina has also had a mow and tidy up too. It’s a nice spot on a sunny day, it really is.
June 2nd – Growing steadily, the swan family of mum, dad and 8 cygnets seem happy and contented, and the little ones are larger every time I see them.`Today I spotted them under the pedestrian bridge in Brownhills, and were clearly hoping I had some titbits for them.
This is a large brood and I’m surprised they’ve all survived. The proud parents have clearly been doing an excellent job, and I notice the locals have really taken this family to their hearts.
A fantastic thing to see.
May 29th – Meanwhile, further on near the Pier Street Bridge, a chance to catch up with the flowers whose photos turned out badly the day before. Clover, the unsung hero of the pasture, meadow and verge is always beautiful, but very overlooked. Nutritious in fodder and attractive to bugs and butterflies, clover does it’s violet thing pretty much unnoticed.
Another very common flower that goes unremarked is the ribwort plantain – it’s brown flower heads with the white corona don’t look like flowers, but they are. Exceedingly prolific this year, they’re everywhere that grass grows. As kids, we’d pick them at the base of the stalk and play conkers with them. I think they’re fascinating, and demontrate the utter diversity of plant life in the UK.
The damp conditions may not be improving my humour any, but that slug looks in fine fettle. Much misunderstood creatures, that I think are actually rather interesting.
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