August 19th – First really wet commute in ages, and the rain wasn’t cold, so it wasn’t particularly unpleasant. The traffic, though, lulled into the forgetfulness it normal befalls in summer, wasn’t so pleasant.
I hate the way summer rain seems to make drivers behave so oddly. I was glad to get home.
July 27th – I awoke to a better day. It was warm again and the sun was shining sporadically. After the dismal unpleasantness of the previous day, this was refreshing and welcome, particularly as I’d expected a wet morning commute.
The dearth of traffic (due to the Industrial Fortnight) also made for a pleasant ride.
Passing the rowans in Pleck, I noticed their berries were plump and now bright orange. This pleased me.
Sometimes, like the berries, sun and warmth is all I need.
July 26th – Everything was wet. Hour after hour of rain.
I could do without it, if it’s all the same with you.
July 26th – In heavy rain, a flotilla of swans. not far from the place I last saw them, cruising for all the world like it was a bright, sunny day.
I don’t suppose they care about the rain.
They had somewhere to be, and were travelling with purpose. But despite the horrid, grey weather, they just sailed on like it didn’t matter – because to them, it clearly doesn’t.
I should be more like the swans. Rainy days like this pull me down. But soon the sun will shine, and the world will seem brighter once more.
July 24th – Noticed in Holland Park, the reships are growing orange and becoming more rotund; yet thankfully, the blooms show no sign of slowing up.
With a coating of fresh raindrops, they look superb. Beauty is there, even in the rain of a grey Friday afternoon…
July 24th – I came home from work through Brownhills over Anchor Bridge, avoiding the towpath mud from the hours of steady rain. It wasn’t unpleasant out, and was as enjoyable as summer rain could ever be, but as I pulled over onto the footpath to take a call, I looked over the parapet and was reminded of something that’s been troubling me for years.
There appears to be a storm drain from the Lindon Road draining directly into the canal below, hence the brown mud plume in the water. that runoff will contain oil and diesel, rubber and all manner of road surface pollutant nasties. Draining it straight into the canal doesn’t seem right to me.
It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. Surely that can’t be compliant with modern standards, can it?
July 20th – It was a fast, damp ride home, and the light was terrible – thoroughly uninspiring. It was warm rain though, and quite pleasant once I stop resisting and accepted I was going to get wet.
How nice, thought, to stand on a quiet canal, with no noise from people or traffic, and just listen to the music of raindrops on the water.
Even on the greyest days, they’re something to enjoy.
July 14th – A desperately grey journey home in fine rain. Totally uninspiring. Even my mates the coos of Jockey Meadows have – literally – moved on to pastures new, and the water meadow is recovering from their attentions. It looks good, although you’d not think it at first glance. But a lot of the invasive fast growing stuff has been grazed out, there’s lots of soft earth and mud turned by the lads and plenty of poo to spread the fertile love.
I love this land. It’s like a barometer of the seasons, and even without the coos, it’s fascinating.
July 13th – I headed to work on a sodden, rainy, wet Monday morning. It was a hard ride in humid conditions, when waterproofs leave you wetter from sweat than the rain they shield you from.
Pausing for a breather in Darlaston, I spotted the snowberry bushes in flower, spotted with raindrops. They captivated me.
July 5th – From Ogley Junction footbridge, long range shots of rabbits in the rain, grazing on the long grass beside the canal basin and just doing their thing.They look healthy and no sign of the Myxomatosis that ravaged the warren at the back of the Terrace last year. The scruffiness in their coats appears to be just where they’re wet from the rain.
A pleasure to watch, and so enthralling I completely forgot it was raining.
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