January 4th – After being worryingly low in late summer, the water level at Chasewater has recovered quickly. With the rain and meltwater over the Christmas period, the balancing culverts are now submerged, and I think we’re about 16 inches (400mm) off full. If water isn’t drawn down, I’d expect water to be overflowing into the spillway by mid February if we have moderate rains.
I still can’t get over how quickly Chasewater refills.
Christmas Day – Castle Ring is a bit of a Christmas Day ride tradition for me. It’s a great, reasonably short ride with killer climbing and great downhills that can be completed in an hour or so to work up an appetite before lunch. Today was another cold clear day, but the wind was quite nasty – not heavy, but wearing. The sun was lovely though, and warm on my face.
The view, and the sight of the Chase in it’s winter jacket was gorgeous. Even after all these years, I still find it breathtaking.
It was clear, however, that rain was sweeping in from Staffordshire. Out on the plains of the Trent Valley, the sunlight highlighted a band of grey mist, and some darkly threatening clouds seemed to be rolling in.
Thankfully, the wind was assisting on the way home and I just beat the rain.
October 15th – I passed through Churchbridge on the A5 between Cannock and Great Wyrley. This is a horrid, horrid landscape; there is no accommodation within it for pedestrians or cyclists, who do battle with it rather than inhabit it. The architecture and urban design is on a massive, non-human scale which dwarfs pre-existing houses and even the the electricity pylons.
This is not a place for those without a car. An utterly discriminatory piece of urban engineering. I hate it with a passion.
October 3rd – Bridgtown has my heart. I’m having a bit of a rough time right now, but had to nip to Great Wyrley on my way home, so took the chance to spin over to Sainsbury’s while I was there. That involved a shot through the backstreets of Bridgtown, the sleepy village-within-a-connurbation just off the A5.
I adore the blue-diamond brick pavements, terraces and shops; it’s intimate, and proud street corner war memorial, and buried away behind the hideous modern hotel, wedged between terrace gable ends, a garden of remembrance I’d never noticed before.
It glowed in the golden hour, with ruby red rosehips, war mural and roses. It seems to have a rather proud caretaker, too. A lovely place.
September 7th – Hopwas Hays Wood. A downhill from the north tip I’d not done before. Difficult, unexpected, exhilarating. I’ve pussyfooted around with this damned bad foot too long. Time to wig out.
I’ve also not done any ride cams for ages, and have a bit of a project on the boil. More later.
This is filmed real time, max speed about 35mph. Music the gorgeous “Close Behind’ by Calexico. In the western classic I’ll never direct, the hero and heroine ride off into the sunset to this music.
June 1st – I nipped home, then off out for a longer ride. I hadn’t been down to Blithfield Reservoir for a year of so, and thought I’d check it out. It’s still gorgeous. Stockwell Heath, with the lovely village pond was ace too. It was a day for head-down stoking the miles in, and I got a good sixty or so in and blew the cobwebs away.
The heron was loafing about all day, and I finally got a pic on my way home. He seems to have decided the canal by the winding hole at Catshill is his territory. He’s a fine bird.
June 1st – I took a mosey up to Chasewater to check out the second Craft and Farmers Market. It was larger than last time, and better spread out, but I was disappointed with the lack of produce. As a craft market it was OK, I guess, but I got a lot of feedback on social media after advertising the event on my main blog that this wasn’t a Farmer’s Market. I concur, and unless they get some produce, I don’t really think it should be called that.
It’s a fine effort, but it’s sad not to see more food there. Hopefully, things may improve as it establishes.
April 26th – I nipped down to Stonnall late afternoon on an errand. It was a hazy day, but pretty clear, and as I crossed the Shire Oak junction, I noticed that a patch of sunlight was moving over Lichfield. Pulling in to the quarry gateway, I thought I’d try the new camera on the view. Not too shabby, really; it was very misty, but the Old Lady of the Vale looked splendid, as did the Coors (formerly Bass) brewery tower in Burton. In the upper shot, the disused cooling towers of Willington, near Derby, are clearly visible.
I never tire of this view, and I love the way it’s greening up as the leaves come on.
April 19th – The footpaths around Chasewater’s south shore have recently been resurfaced, and are, on the whole, lovely. Since transferring to the control of Staffordshire County Council on April 1st, certain local councillors have rediscovered the park’s existence and seen keen on turning into some kind of landlocked Prestatyn, and the council itself talks darkly of ‘returns’.
I fear we’re in for interesting times.
The new path around the boating lake shows off the goose and swan poo fantastically well, and I was cheered to note the return of the third white domestic goose, hitherto missing since Christmas.
She looked in good health despite what must be advanced years, and was very white and neat. Not as aggressive as normal, the geese ignored me and one remained resting in statuesque, one-legged repose.
These birds bloody hate me on the whole, but I’m actually rather fond of them. Long my they remain.
March 22nd – There’s been a death locally. The victim will not be mourned, although being viciously cut down by a diamond blade. Cyclists, pushchair wranglers and normal-width people throughout the area who walk this way will know what I’m talking about.
The post that had for years pointlessly stopped even the narrowest bikes and people getting though the gap at the foot of Anglesey Basin without a struggle, has finally been cut down.
It served no purpose – access to motorbikes either side of it was always possible. It just existed as a royal pain in the arse, and I was hugely irritated that the metre high steel post filled with concrete survived the dam works.
Someone, somewhere has finally cut the bloody thing down. I’ve vowed to do so many a time, but never been quite motivated enough.
My thanks to the executioner, you have done the community a great service.
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