Tag: silly

June 13th – One of the more fascinating things about the commonly derided and scorned Canada goes is their propensity to social support between families.

On the way home from work this evening, four adults (one dallying out of shot) and two broods of goslings numbering a dizzying total of 12 youngsters in two distinct stages of growth indicated that two families were hanging out together and probably sharing childminding and security duties.

Can’t think of any other wild birds that do this.

Lovely to see, and I got hissed at in quadrophonic!

June 9th – Saturday meant the Clifton Campville Country Show which I first visited by accident the year before. I was a little late but there was still lots going on and it it was a typically English summer event, with an Classic cars and trucks, arena events, hot bewildered and bothered dogs, cakes, beer and a selection of bizarre things going on, including the local hunt that gave the security team – the local police cadets – a bit of a nightmare.

I didn’t find this one as good as 2017s – no jam or country produce at a country fair? But it was a lovely stop off on a sunny afternoon.

I love a good fete.

May 22nd – Turtally awesome!

Spotted at James Bridge, on the canal between Pleck and Darlaston on a bright, warm, sunny day, a female, adult yellow-bellied slider turtle drifting down the canal on some drifting detritus while basking in the sun.

She was probably released into the canal by some idiot who couldn’t keep her any longer having no idea of the size she’d grow to be. Fortunately, this animals will live happily (but not breed) in the UK climate.

This is the urban Black Country, post industrial, inner city in 2018. We have non-native turtles drifting on the cut, enjoying the sun.

Just one of the many reasons I love this place with all my heart. There really is something new every day.

May 15th – I’m a scientific and cultural atheist, as most readers know and I’m a really strong believer in evolution. It’s just the way I am. But even my stoic scientific approach falters sometimes.

Like in the case of coot chicks.

What evolutionary advantage does looking like they really had a moorhen as a father create? And just what made them so ugly that probably even their mums find them a bit grim?

They have cute in shedloads but bless my soul they’re not lookers.

May 13th – Found on the outskirts of Wigginton, a lone cottage, derelict, in the bounds of another, occupied property.

It looks like the remnant of a larger terrace, and also like someone might be planning to, or made a start on renovating it.

It’s some way from the lane, and has a really strong air about it that it might be horrified.

One for the found faces pile, that one. 

I do hope this place is one day a home again.

May 7th – High on Morridge, on a farm access track, a wee lamb was spotted trapped but unhurt in a cattle grid, his momma close by calling mournfully for help with his siblings stood close by.

Approaching gently, the lamb – surprisingly heavy and very muscular, much more so than a dog the same size – was lifted free and offered to the mother gently. He bounded to her, and she bleated loudly, then they all ran off.

I’d like to think the ewe was thanking me, but it sounded more like ‘sod off!’…

Good deed for a long, sunny ride.

April 20th – Returning home from from Shenstone on a gorgeous evening, passing lanes full off other cyclists whose general absence was noted when the weather was not so lovely, I stopped to check the familiar and have a rest.

There is a piece of scratched graffiti amongst many others in the soft sandstone of Footherley Lane’s brook bridge. It says ‘Billy + Tracee 30-4-83′.

I remember this when is Wass freshly cut, when I was a kid exploring these lanes. Coming soon will be the 35th anniversary of this act of what was presumably, love.

In this beautiful spot, Billy and Tracee recorded their love, and I often wonder if they’re still together, and remember this.

I do hope so.

February 7th – Spotted on a city-bound train, the first instance of something common in the US and mainland Europe – a bike fitted with a Thule coffee cup holder.

This is a pretty good idea to anyone who’s tried carrying a take-out coffee with a bike. My only observation in this instance would be that on my bike, I’d be prone to catch it with my knee so the other side of the bars would be better. Also, that bracket looks a wee bit clunky and industrial.

Interesting sign of an urban commuter, though!

February 6th – I noticed this interesting steed in the usual customer bike shed in Telford today, a Nukeproof mountain bike. It’s interesting because it’s continuing the trend for almost fat bikes. An expensive steed, it’s fitted with some impressive components.

Fat bikes are in my opinion, preposterous; a bike designed for sand or gravel use, they have huge tyres and matching frame clearances, akin to motorbikes. I see the odd one bought by commuters, when used on normal roads with balloon-like knobbly tyres they must be really hard work. I see more on trails, where the riders look less ridiculous but still quite daft.

The almost fat bike is a bike with larger than normal tyre clearances and usually, larger tyres, but not as huge as a fat bike. They tend to have broader axles than normal, but conventional group sets in the drivetrain. This bike demonstrates that amply. 

I can’t imagine this is much fun to commute on either – those rubbers will drag, and the gearing must be quite hard work with such a small chainring. I still can’t get used to drivetrains with front sprockets smaller than the rear. Fine in their place – the trail – but not on road.

I was troubled by the rather tight clearance between the fork brace and tyre tread: carry a solid object like a stout piece of branch up there and it’ll do some damage.