Tag: rain

October 4th – I was in Lichfield for a work meeting, then in the afternoon, stopped awhile to do some shopping. What started out dry but dull ended up rather wet – but the sun soon came out again. It was a day of contrasts, really – from shoppers scurrying from the downpour, to the earlier peace of Festival Gardens and the pretty little oriental bridge. Also in the gardens, conkers lay thick on the ground, the sign of this year’s excellent harvest. In the City centre, a hilarious animatronic puppet performed for shoppers, controlled by radio remote.

But best of all, I loved the way the raindrops on those oranges made them look fresh and appetising.

October 3rd – I’m not a big fan of domestic roses – I much prefer their wild, more fragrant cousins. However, even cultivated blooms look great with a fresh rainfall upon them. I spotted these glorious flowers outside Shenstone Church.

A real splash of colour on a very murky day. There’s beauty everywhere if we’re open to it, I guess.

September 17th – A spin around Chasewater in the rain. The park was pretty deserted just after lunch. I span round, the drizzle persistent but relatively warm. The cows on the north heath were trying to find shelter in the woods, and looked thoroughly cheesed off. Meanwhile, further down the heath to the north shore, workers were cutting the scrub and burning the waste, resulting in the lake being covered in a low layer of sweet-smelling smoke. 

As I returned down the causeway, I noticed the crews of kids in rowing boats, out from the Outdoor Education Centre.

Life doesn’t stop at Chasewater when the summer goes; it just gets a bit more challenging.

September 15th – I headed out late morning hoping to get back before the weather closed in. I misjudged, and as I was pottering over The Swag the rain started. The marsh was great, and deserted, but almost everything was horrid shades of headache grey, the only colour being a curious orange flower growing in the brook. I headed back to Clayhanger and round the new pool, which still looks remarkably verdant for the time of year.

It felt wintry, and I felt down. There’s months of this to come and I don’t feel ready for it at all.

September 13th – A grim commute in both directions. The wind and rain had arrived and seemed set to be in for the weekend. I’d suffered a thoroughly enervating week, and had had quite enough. Train delays and overcrowding made for a tough journey home, and I was glad to be coming back along the quiet lanes between Shenstone and Stonnall with a following wind.

The green, the fresh air and smell of the rain cheered me, but it was oh so hard. It’s a long time since I was this glad of a weekend.

September 11th – It was raining as I cycled home from Walsall, but for once, I didn’t mind. The wind was behind me, the air felt warm and the bike was moving easily. The events of the day were taking their toll and to my shame, I dismounted and pushed up the Black Cock Bridge. On the adjacent pedestrian bridge I liked the combination of rain, sodium light and metalwork.

The day was long, mentally I’d had a close call, but a weight was off my mind, and the promise of another day lightened my heart.

There’s tomorrow. There will always be a tomorrow.

September 9th – I got soaked again on the way to work this morning, less that 12 hours after getting similarly wet the night before. I’ve certainly not had much luck with the showers this last few days, and there’s now a permanent rainbow over my boots. The rain on the rowans and other shrubbery beside the cycleway at Telford looked nice, though.

Here’s hoping for a drier week…

September 6th – The rains came today, but not too much. Skipping out weary in the afternoon, I rode the canal towpaths which were quiet, and fast. There was that lovely fresh earth, post rain smell, and the landscape looked clean and fresh. What impressed me most, though was the huge variety of flowers and plants still showing well along the towpath. This selection were all spotted between the Pier Street Bridge and Coopers Bridge, just by the Watermead.

August 2nd – The destructive power of storm water left it’s mark on Main Street, Stonnall. When we had the heavy rains, this storm drain blew it’s lid and ruptured the tarmac of the road. It’s been re-rolled flat now, but some remarkable damage was done in the downpours of the previous Saturday. Ultimately, I suspect, these drains will have to have their access chambers rebuilt due to the water damage.

It must have been a sight to see when it happened.

July 31st – The promised rains came, but during my commutes, they were patchy and drizzly. It was an odd day; I lost something in the morning, and found it in the afternoon on the station platform, still where I dropped it. I sweated in waterproofs. I saw the aftermath of quite a serious road accident. Sometimes, you’re glad to get home in one piece.

The rain was nice; refreshing, warm, not driven by the wind, just gentle, cleansing. I caught the waterlogged backlanes of Stonnall, and looked for the raindrops on willow herb and brambles.

Not all rain is bad.