September 8th – Terrible photos, but something fascinating – a piece of bread on the canal in Walsall, thrown for the birds. Uneaten, the water around is rippling and bubbling almost as if it were boiling.
Turns out the fish were having a feast.
Fascinating and unusual to watch.
September 6th – The breath of autumn on my shoulder, as the song says. Cycling along the canal in Place on a beautiful, sunny day, it’s hard not to notice the subtly changing colours, the slight chill in the air, and the first few fallen leaves.
Technically we’re still in summer, but Autumn is now limbering up. I find this time of year so hard.
Ah well, nothing to do but ride on…
August 25th – Passing through Pleck, I noted the ‘legal name fraud’ posters are appearing again.
To me, it’s inconceivable that someone could have the wealth to pay for these, yet the stupidity and lack of insight to believe the moronic, pseudo-legal claptrap they espouse.
If you’re puzzled, read this article, and note that it’s all related to the Freemen of the Land muppets…
Beware: googling any of this opens a whole world of rambling rubbish.
August 17th – Another sunset return after an early start and late finish. As the more perceptive amongst you will have noticed, my main blog operations are currently on reduced power for a few days due to workload. Which is a bugger, but they do pay me so I’d better do it.
It is nice, however, to return through a twilight, almost somnambulant Walsall. The moon is still full, and rendering normally mundane views magical, and keeping me company as I pedal wearily home.
Sometimes, the moon is company, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
August 17th – Too many cats I hear you cry – sorry, but I adore them. And with the warm weather, they are everywhere; dozing, loafing, strolling, patrolling, stalking or just watching.
When the warm spell is over, they’ll be mostly gone.
Returning home from work this evening, I passed this relaxed guy in Pleck. He was in the same place this time yesterday.
It’s clearly a hard life, but he’s bearing up, best he can.
August 16th – A consolation of leaving work late was a very beautiful, deep sunset. With the cooling temperatures, earlier nightfall and climatic change of Autumn, we’ll soon be in the season of the great sunset again, one of the greatest consolations for the end of summer.
It was lovely tonight but I’d rather summer fought off the autumn a little longer yet…
August 15th – A real treat for the seventh day of seven days of wildlife, the challenge set me by reader Susan Forster. I was riding through Pleck, and I spotted something wriggling, right in the middle of the road; stopping to investigate, I found this elephant hawkmoth caterpillar.
About two inches in length and ½ inch diameter, this is a big creepy crawly, not for the faint heated, but harmless and rather fascinating. Camouflaged to look like a plant stalk or twig, it has fake eyes and a bulbous head to make it look far more threatening than it really is, should it be threatened. Living mainly on willowherb or fuchsias, I suspect this one had been dropped by a bird, and thus escaped being lunch, and after posing for photos, was popped back on the scrub I think it came from, thus avoiding being squished.
This is a truly huge, fascinating caterpillar, and although common, a great chance find. Read more about it here.
August 10th – So, continuing Susan Forster’s seven day wildlife challenge, no such series would be complete without the swans. Truculent, grumpy, aggressive and temperamental, we all love these large waterfowl.
I spotted the Bentley Bridge family – still doing well with their single cygnet – at the disused basin in Pleck on my way to work. Just one at first, drifting in classic leg-up rest position, preening with intense concentration.
Swan feet are fascinating – so leathery and hard-wearing. A triumph of natural engineering.
The other two members of the family were nearby. I notice junior is now, like the Watermead cygnets in Brownhills, developing white back feathers now, and all trace of juvenile grey fluff has gone.
Oh, how these birds enthral me.
August 4th – Bitterweet to see the rosehips now ripening well along the lanes and towpaths of the Black Country. They are beautiful in their shiny, vivid orange jackets, their sight brightens many a ride in late summer and autumn. But they also indicate the passage of time and season, and their appearance always makes me a little sad for a summer passing.
There’s plenty of time, though for summer to improve, and while there are still blooms alongside the hips, all is not lost yet.
July 19th – Oh, hi pals. Where have you been? Not seen you for a while.
Near Bentley Bridge, just near the nest where they hatched their single cygnet, the swan family were moving purposefully towards Darlastoin.
Their single offspring – very attentively looked after – is growing large, and doing well by the looks of things.
They stopped briefly to see if I had food, then scooted on, little one in the classic ‘resting foot’ position, leathery limb tucked high on the back for rest.
A lovely sight.
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