March 11th – And at the other end, a trip from Blake Street through the backlanes for a change. A fine evening, a fine golden hour. The same sun that shines on inner city Aston shines on the country byways of rural Lower Stonnall, and just as beautifully.
February 2nd – It was a gorgeous day, much better than of late, but I was sadly confined to sorting out the computer for most of it. I slipped out for a quick spin around Chasewater at 4pm and caught a good sunset. Everything was still dripping with mud, of course; the going on the towpaths and trails is chewy, to say the least; but there was a chill and hardness in the air that suggested the warm, wetter weather might be on the way out.
The canal sluice is still closed and Chasewater is still overflowing into the spillway.
January 12th – No sniggering at the back. If this was deliberate, I condemn the mischief but salute the wit; since these signs were erected (fnarr fnarr) as nothing more than willy-waving by Hammerwich, I found this one, at Barracks Lane, rather amusing.
December 18th – I passed through Chesterfield, the sleepy little hamlet midway between Shenstone and Wall. There isn’t a single ugly house here, they are all gorgeous, and I’m sure there’s history here; after all, the workhouse was just 50 yards around the corner for years.
It’s nice to see that after a period of being empty, someone has bought – and invested no little time or money – in the old Grange Farmhouse. It’s been sad to see it languishing empty for so long, and this really is a lovely, quiet spot, even on dull, overcast days like this.
November 10th – I was still tired, and it took me a long time to get moving, but it was a gorgeous afternoon. I headed to Hopwas Hays Wood, again to test my mettle on the downhill there that fascinates me. On the way through, I stopped at Wall in a gorgeous golden hour. I studied for the first time the new milepost erected there in 2012. It’s an impressive thing, but like a lot of statuary these days, it’s so inoffensive, I don’t really see the point; commemorating the Queen as it does, it’s neither historically accurate or informative, but the carving is lovely. On the post’s crown, a last ladybird seemed to be enjoying the sun. I hope it found somewhere decent to hibernate.
The real star of Wall for me is not Roman but Victorian – the church, with it’s gorgeous, well-kept terraced churchyard. It’s always peaceful here, and the golden light rendered the light Sandstone church and all else it touched golden.
September 29th – I escaped mid afternoon, and didn’t have long. The sun was out, but there was a keen wind, so I headed up to Cannock Chase. The colours were brilliant, with a hint of a beautiful autumn promised. I saw 3 muntjac deer at Stonepit Green, and a herd of 30-40 fallows crossing the road at Penkridge Bank. There were a few folk about, but off the main trails, the forest was beautiful and deserted. Rainbow Hill, Wolseley Plain, Abraham’s Valley and Moor’s Gorse were all gorgeous, and topping it off, a clump of wild cyclamen at Upper Longdon. Autumn ain’t so bad when it gets going…
September 21st – I’ve seen this before in other villages, but I’d not noticed it in Wall. I went back today to record the phone box library – a free book crossing project in a disused K6 telephone box. It’s a great idea. Not sure if they have any longevity, but a lovely thing to do.
Some of the books were pretty good, too.
September 20th – While taking tea in the morning with my friend, our conversation turned to this journal and the nature of repeat observation, and how you can pass the same place time after time and still spot something new. Happenstance struck in Wall village later in the day, as I stopped to fiddle with my bike in a spot I’d paused hundreds of times before. I have been crossing this point since I was 11 or 12, yet never once have I noticed the walnut tree thriving here. The boughs are loaded with fruit, still maturing in green husks. At first, they looked like limes, and I dismissed that as an impossibility. I thought maybe almonds, then found the remnants of last year’s crop in the grass.
This is the first walnut tree I’ve ever come across. I have seen this one many, many times, but never registered what it was. It seems in rude health, apart from some kind of parasitic attack in some of the leaves which reminded me of oak Knopper galls.
Now, where’s my recipe for pickled walnuts?
September 14th – The big sky. I went out mid afternoon, in a fruitless search for a sandwich. All the Chasewater cafes have stopped serving butties after 2pm, which was sad, but I enjoyed a blast around a windy Chasewater none the less. All the time, I felt under ever-present threat from a sky that was clearly enjoying the drama. Thankfully, the rain held off. The wind, however, was something atrocious. Autumn is here to stay now…
September 7th – This is a bit odd. The last time I cycled through Shenstone, this clock wasn’t here. Didn’t get a good look at it, but it’s an odd thing, really. My biggest question is ‘Why?’, mainly – it does seem to commemorate people and companies in village life though, in the cobbles.
I’m not really sure what to make of it. It’s nice enough, I suppose.
Anyone know what it’s in aid of?
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