November 8th – What is it with this journal and stray pumpkins? This is the third in as many years, and this one has been carved.
There I was, cycling around the bend in the canal opposite Tesco in Brownhills, and it was just there, wet and grinning at me.
I felt sorry for the grizzled gourd, so I recorded it for posterity.
November 3rd – New Street, Birmingham. They have their Christmas tree up.
Bugger off. It’s way too early.
October 22nd – In the offices of Smarm, Smarm, Bignob and Braces, advertising agency for SSE Power:
‘Nigel, it’s a great advert for energy. But it’s lacking a certain gravitas. What it needs is a completely irrelevant, wistful, ennui-laden orang-utan, gazing meaningfully into the distance.’
‘I’ll get right onto it, Gideon’
As is the photoshopped buildings and van weren’t shitty enough. What would the librarian of the Unseen University make of it all?
‘Ook!’ probably.
Both spotted in Darlaston.
September 25th – Spotted in darkest Wednesbury whilst nipping out on an errand, a giant, concrete lego brick.
How long have these been a thing? Why was I not informed?
A world where four-feet wide giant lego exists cannot be all bad. But why just use it as an anti-vehicle barrier and not build something instead?
A wasted opportunity, I feel…
September 15th – I spent the afternoon in Droitwich. This piece of woeful, inexplicable cycling ‘infrastructure’ is precisely why we’ll never have nice things.
Do you think the designer gave any thought to cyclists going in the other direction?
(No, there isn’t a lane on the other side of the road; there isn’t even a pavement.)
September 14th – The boating lake at Chasewater has been drained for cleaning, and the old water spread on the west heath, by the railway. Odd to see this pool empty, but the feral white geese and opportunist wagtails didn’t seem to mind too much.
I noted they had warning signs out to avoid the area where the old water was spread, like it was suddenly a health hazard; whereas when it was in the pond, we were invited to sail toy boats and paddle canoes in it…
Let’s hope it’s kept a bit cleaner in future.
September 9th – As I rode home along the canal through Walsall Wood, I came upon a Mexican standoff. A small, black and white kitten one side of the canal, staring out a Heron on the other who was meeting the stare eye-to-eye.
They’d probably both still be there, but a clumsy cyclist with tea on his mind broke the moment.
September 5th – An afternoon off work and errands in Birmingham. In the backstreets of Aston, a sign raised a smile – that’s a very ambitious business model.
‘Yes, that’s right. If you quote for Wolverhampton and Coventry, any chance of throwing Lichfield in for half price?’
August 31st – ‘Why the long face, mate?’ ‘Because the summer’s over and passers by keep asking me stupid questions.’
Gorgeously nosey donkey, who brayed a hello at me as I cycled past at the bottom of Lazy Hill. I did the only reasonable thing – slammed the anchors on and went back to give him some fuss and take a few pictures.
August 16th – Heading back towards Chasewater, I noticed the erosion that happens here every time there is heavy rain has been corrected again, in the same way it always has been: sweep the debris back into the hole, and stamp it down.
Expect a similar report next time it rains heavily. Getting an awful sense of deja-vu here.
This really needs a permanent fix.
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