Thursday November 5th 2020 – I went to Chasewater to try to catch bonfire night fireworks, without much success. I’ve never had much luck with long exposure firework images, I guess I don’t have the required attention span.
Chasewater itself though was as gorgeous as ever and the glassy nature of the water and the few sparkles I caught on the horizon were evocative.
Oh well, maybe next year…
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Wednesday, October 14th 2020 – The darkness, as I’ve pointed out, allows me a different selection of subjects, often ones which aren’t particularly interesting in the daylight, yet come to life at night or in twilight.
One of those is my old muse of Clayhanger Bridge and the canal overflow nearby.
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the way the streetlight on the bridge, the reflections on the water and the sky and skyline combine. And the whole thing seems to vary hugely depending on the weather and time of evening.
I’ll never tire of it, even if readers do…
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#365daysofbiking On reflections:
December 10th – Passing Silver Street and crossing the pedestrian bridge time for a quick, classic shot of the waterside.
I don’t know why but it’s hard with the Canon to get a shot here I’m happy with. It just doesn’t seem to like this view much.
This didn’t come out to bad though: The water was till, and the way the reflections taper to gather in the distance always fascinates me.
Brownhills really can be beautiful sometimes.
April 8th – I’ve been trying to get a decent version of this photo for ages. For two winters, in fact. What usually spoils it is traffic on the bridge and ripples on the surface of the canal. At Anchor Bridge tonight though, there were little of either when I flowed along here liquid back into Brownhills High Street – the reflection of the canal wasn’t bad and the Anchor’s lights looked welcoming and warm in the dark.
Sometimes, with some photos, its just a matter of patience.
March 30th – I stopped to take a look at the new pond at Clayhanger, which to my surprise, still looks very wintery. It was far too wet to go down to the water or ride round, and from my vantage point I couldn’t see if the swans were nesting on the island this year.
There were signs of spring, however, in the track adjacent which was of course the line of the mineral railway that served Walsall Wood Colliery. The hedgerows and scrubs forming a woodland tunnel were looking fresh with a smattering of emerald green, fresh growth for the season ahead.
It’s hard to imagine that this time three years ago in 2013, there was still thick snow on the ground – in places several feet deep – that would last for a week or more.
February 11th – Monkeying around with the Clayhanger overflow view again. I liked the sky, and reflections: not quite really dark, I think this worked quite well.
Nice to feel that chill in the air, too. Dry and cold, this is how it should be in February!
December 31st – Well, another year gone under the wheels and it’s not been a bad year. My health has been generally improving, and we didn’t have a bad spring and summer. The autumn was spectacular, and just this wet, oh so warm and wet winter has been wearing me down.
This evening, drenched and wind-battered at Catshill Junction, I stopped to reflect.
Despite the webbed feet and permanent patina of mud and wet grit, I feel happy I’ve seen it trough – coming very close to four years of cycling every day, and a few months off five years from when I started this journal.
I didn’t get in as many long rides as I planned, but commuting has been consistent, and I’m still enjoying being part of the environment that surrounds me. And all the way I’ve had you guys along with me.
Happy new year to you all – lets hope for a dry new year. May there always be wind at your back, sun on you face and speed in your wheels.
Here’s to 2016, and the return of the light.
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