June 26th – A brighter day and on the journey to work, a small mystery.
A huge pine cone, eaten by something, probably a squirrel, lying on the canal towpath near Pleck.
It was lying under an apple tree, with no pines or conifers in sight.
Perhaps the grey bushy-tailed fellows commute a long way these days.
This year’s apple crop is looking healthy, though…
June 22nd – More cats, sorry, but I just loved these pair, again in the cat metropolis of Scarborough Road, Pleck. There had been light drizzle, and the air was cooling but this pair of lazybones were in the same garden, asleep and totally oblivious.
I particularly like how the black one has fallen asleep while having a wash.
Oh, for the life of a cat…
June 21st – Another high summer day, the longest as it happens, and from here on in, the days shorten to darkness; but there’s plenty of summer left and it’s been glorious so far, so I’m not too sad.
On the Walsall Canal heading for Darlaston, life is busy hunting, blooming and multiplying, with herons hunting on the far bank, families of geese making their way through dense waterlily beds and flowers looking gorgeous in the hot sun.
A Walsall Top Lock, basking on a piece of drifting wood, I even saw a terrapin, about the size of a saucer. Sadly, it slipped away before I got the camera out but these poor creatures, often released into the wild when too large for captivity are becoming a common sight in canals and pools of the UK.
A great day to be on a bike in the place I love.
June 8th – Passing down Scarborough Road in Pleck, south Walsall I noticed these cats, clearly waiting for the return of their owners from work. The two black and white ones seem to be siblings and clearly aren’t particularly fond of each other; I’ve recorded them studiously ignoring each other before.
I’m intrigued by the grey one, though – I’ve not seen that one before and it looks like a gorgeous cat.
I was also amused by the disgusted expression of the one in the foreground. If looks could kill….
April 5th – Blue sky and profuse cherry blossom, one of the absolute joys of spring. Spotted on an industrial estate in Walsall, just how gorgeous is this?
Spring is here and there’s beauty everywhere you look.
March 30th – I spotted this grumpy looking cove behind the railings of the church on Scarborough Road in Pleck on my way home – I think the people of the church feed him. He’s actually a lovely, friendly boy but for some reason he really didn’t like the camera much at all.
Lovely to see the urban cat population waking up after winter and taking the air – especially older cats I’m familiar with, like this lad. There’s something delightful about an old cat, warming their bones in the spring sun, feeling the stirring of the season, dozing and surely dreaming of past triumphs.
So glad to see an old cat feel the warmth of another spring sun once more.
March 11th – Unusually for a Saturday, I was at work all day, and returned on a pleasant ride that started in daylight, and finished in darkness after a trip to the supermarket.
Hopping on the canal at Bentley Bridge in Darlaston Green, I noted the resurfacing of this section of towpath was well underway, and a nice job it is too – although more beneficial than the previous stretch, the towpath wasn’t that bad here and I don’t really see the point – but it is nice and I’ll use it more.
The sweep over the derelict arm bridge near the Anson Branch rolls wonderfully and will be fun at speed.
At Pleck I was puzzled by the graffiti sprayed on the wall behind the wine warehouse – anyone any idea what this is about? I feel it’s genuinely historical rather than just being the work of some addled stoner but can’t put my finger on it.
March 8th – I wasn’t fast enough to catch the best bit of this, but these two cats were clearly feeling the sap rising as I passed them in HillaryStreet, Place today.
There’s what appears to be a young male, and an even younger kitten. In the instant I spotted them, they were play fighting just by the front door – but as I stopped to grab my camera, I surprised them and they separated in a flash and began to look determinedly innocent.
That kitten looks a right little bugger, if I’m honest.
Cute and funny, and lovely to see.
February 17th – On the way home, just on the cusp of darkness and in the middle of bustling, humming Pleck, snatched in the traffic, a great sunset.
Man, I love the unexpected beauty of urban life.
January 9th – Later in the day, back in the Black Country, I had to be in Walsall for an appointment, and rode up the canal from Darlaston. It had been raining, and everything was quiet, but near Bentley Bridge by the old Anson Branch, I couldn’t resist crossing the canal bridge to give this cheeky beggar some of my pocket corn stash. One of the 2016 cygnets, he (or she, I can’t tell) is maturing well and in fine fettle.
I note the aggressive begging technique is coming along well too…
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