Tag: sign

June 29th – On the canal near the Black Cock Bridge at Walsall Wood, work appears to have been undertaken today. 

I have no idea what. It was clearly over when I came through, which makes the graffiti-style approach to warning about it wrong; how do you know the warning is current? At least you can remove signs when the job is done.

The spelling was very non-conformist, so I decided to preserve it for posterity.

June 2nd – Can the concept of ghost signs be applied to commercial vehicles, do you think?

For those that don’t know, ghost signs are the defunct, redundant or barely legible remains of signs on buildings advertising long gone places of companies, and spotting them is quite a thing in some circles. I’ve been passing this red box van in Shelfield for months and wondering.

The legend on it once said ‘Another bun run from: Riverside Bakery – Tel Middlesbro’ 247181 – Tel N’Castle0191 271 4874′ – but it’s since been removed, and only the non-faded shadow of the text remains.

Interestingly (or perhaps not) the bakery seemed to make the news for all the wrong reasons in 2006, but I think it still might exist.

The trivialities I notice when cycling really do trouble me sometimes…

April 5th – I noted from the local news reports today that these old derelict buildings on Park Lane on the Darlaston/Wednesbury border are now scheduled for demolition and replacement with new housing – not before time, either: they’ve been derelict for as long as I can remember; an eyesore, they’re of no historic value whatsoever and in times of a housing shortage, their replacement is long overdue.

What is interesting – and I’d never noticed it before until @thestymaster commented today on Twatter about it – the old garage sign here is a bit of an antique, but it has sadly seen better days.

January 9th – Out for a spin around Stonnall before the rains came again, I spotted another sign of the odd season. The sign announcing one’s entry to Stonnall out by the church has a planter at its base; in the planter, a variety of flowers are in bloom, including heather, ornamental daisies and primroses. I have no idea what the plant is with the orange, marble-sized fruits, but it looks familiar and is very attractive.

A nice dash of colour on a grey day – my compliments to the folk who tend these lovely village features.

May 10th – Nipping into Aldridge on a Sunday afternoon on another wolfish day.

For the past few years I thought one of the major qualifications required to run a bar or cafe was to be a great chalkboard artist and songwriter – often in preference to keeping good beer or making decent coffee.

They probably missed the memo. Unfortunate.

December 31st – A middling day with ice still on the ground, but a building wind; I nipped to the supermarket in Burntwood, and returned via Chasewater. On the way, I noticed this  peculiar method of mounting a poster.

The screws already existed, but heavens, have drawing pins suddenly shot up in price or something?

Astounding.

December 12th – Tesco, the retail giant, are in trouble. Beset by falling sales, a very competitive market and seemingly mired in financial scandal, they abandoned plans to redevelop Brownhills which left us with a rotting, decaying, derelict shopping centre and no regeneration plan.

Yet still their store operates, raking the money in…

Never mind, it’s Christmas and they’ve put a green paper hat on the sign.

Dear god, why? What an utter, utter waste by a company that can ill afford it. Are we all supposed to cheer? Perhaps Tesco could organise community carolling in Ravens Court.

One things for sure: the directors of Tesco came from the west, because wise men come from the east.