October 22nd – A quick run up to Aldridge in the early afternoon reqarded me with great autumnal views and a surprise – almost submerged in dense thicket by the old railway bridge at Stubbers Green, what I think is an evening primrose, in strident yellow bloom.
I don’t know if this is normal at this time of year or an aberration, but it is rather beautiful and a lovely autumn find.
May 13th – A trip into Walsall and a journey back along the canal through Aldridge didn’t reward me with the urban wildlife treats I was hoping for; I still have yet to find the owls at Ridian Bridge, the herons were all camera shy and I saw neither hide nor hair of a kingfisher.
But I did see that the hawthorn (or may) blossom was in full force now; smelling strongly in that grubby, fetid way it does, the flowers are profuse this year and at the back of the old Duckhams plant in Aldridge, red and white make a lovely side-by-side display.
Not what I’d hoped for but not a bad show, either.
November 18th – A tough journey to work in a gusty headwind the morning after severe gales blew through. My earlier than usual return home, however was again assisted, so much so that I forgot I had to call in to pick something up in Aldridge. As I trundled up a very wet canal towpath on my errand, it was a very atmospheric sunset. That horse weathervane at Bullings Heath fascinates me.
Also interesting – and now becoming visible due to the leaf-fall – are the industrial yards and excavations near the canal at Stubbers Green, including the brickworks. I still find the scent of firing bricks peculiar.
Getting used to a new camera, too. Quite impressed with this one. Let’s hope the weather settles for a bit now.
November 14th – I’m playing around with a borrowed camera, which I think I like but I’m not sure yet. It certainly works well in low light, as these shots of the canal show.
I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that the best camera would be a compact with Nikon optics, Panasonic build quality and features, and a Sony user interface.
October 18th – I felt much better today, and had an errand to run to find a bunch of conkers for a good pal. Sadly I didn’t escape until late on a grey afternoon, so didn’t have time to take photos. Later on, the errand done, my pace slowed and I found myself returning from Aldridge, and I noted the marina at the back of Brickyard Road was busy now, presumably with boats overwintering.
It looks like a nice mooring with secure, modern facilities – and there are some nice boats there. I’d quite fancy a narrowboat to live on were it not for the cold and continual running costs.
August 1st – It’s a while since I’ve been able to photograph a heron locally. This chap, on the canal at Aldridge behind RMD showed beautifully for me as I took a quick afternoon trip out to get some shopping in. I got within 20 metres as the bird strolled along the bank, watching the water for fish. He’s clearly a youngster and didn’t have much fear; he only flew away when someone came in the other direction.
I love herons. So nice to see them continuing to thrive on the local waterways.
July 18th – Just by the factories that back on to the canal at Stubbers Green, the scent of firing bricks in the air, these delicate flowers on the canal embankment.
I believe they’re mallows – they’re fairly large, and very delicate, and rather beautiful. They make an interesting contrast with the tanks, pallets and piles of steelwork in the yard beneath them.
June 12th – The macro on the Sony doesn’t seem as good as the Nikon, but again, the light was horrid. I have a sneaking suspicion I’m not being fair here. Time will tell, I guess.
The small clump of huge poppies was a surprise near the marl quarry at Stubbers Green, as was the first foxglove of the year beyond the wire not far away.
Come on summer, it doesn’t have to be like this…
February 27th – I had to pop into Aldridge on my way home and had ridden up Coppice Lane; not far from the gas turbine and leechate plant, another sign of a dirty underground secret from the past. This square compound on wind and mud-blasted wasteland, just off the rear entrance to the Ibstock Brick plant, is a breather for the mines underneath the area that were used as a dumping receptacle for millions of gallons of industrial toxic waste a couple of decades ago.
Inside this well-locked square palisade fence, a bulkhead is fitted to a borehole that goes hundreds of feet underground and allows gasses to vent to the atmosphere from the sludge within. The breather itself is from a tall pipe, well above human head height, up where the wind can quickly disperse anything nasty.
It’s sobering, and a bit chilling; and indicator that beneath this area there is an unknown quantity still requiring monitoring and care. But the ground it is in is surrounded in clay and favourable, and as time passes, the content should settle.
There are several of these installations in the local area – finding them is an interesting, if slightly unnerving challenge.
February 28th – On Monday, I took some photos of the Weinerberger brickworks marlpit near Stubbers Green. At the time, extraction wasn’t in progress, but as I passed this afternoon, far below me in the quarry, the red marl was being loaded into a continuous chain of trucks to be hauled to surface factory for moulding into bricks. Digging will continue for hours in a precise, designed pattern. The marl is surprisingly dry, and there is still lots here. This extraction will continue for some time to come yet.
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