July 15th – On the cycleways of Telford, the hedgerows, verges and scrubs are alive with life, blossom, and developing fruit. I was really surprised to note today that rowan berries all along the path were ripening well.
A bitter but sugar-laden fruit, rowan makes great jam and wine, and when ripe, will be devoured by hungry songbirds.
Bright orange, it’s one of the first berries to appear, and one of the most distinctive sights of summer. Great to see.
July 14th – Called to Telford mid morning in soft rain, I was struck by how green and tunnel-like the cycleways to Hortonwood have become. The council here cut so far up the hedges, but the upper boroughs overhang and form an almost complete arch. Riding down them in even this grey daylight makes them an emerald delight, but in sunlight, they are magical green pathways, lined with foliage, fruits and flowers.
Beauty in the everyday.
July 13th – I headed to work on a sodden, rainy, wet Monday morning. It was a hard ride in humid conditions, when waterproofs leave you wetter from sweat than the rain they shield you from.
Pausing for a breather in Darlaston, I spotted the snowberry bushes in flower, spotted with raindrops. They captivated me.
July 10th – On the way home, I passed through Walsall and noticed something that takes me by surprise every summer – the roses in the beds at the Arboretum Junction. They’re beautiful, and my compliments and thanks to whoever planted and maintains them.
July 6th – On an equally dull return commute, harassed by the threat of an oncoming deluge, I shot along the canal on the way home. Pausing only at the small patch of meadow – less than 100 square feet – at t eh top of the new pond at Clayhanger, I captured these midsummer soldiers: St. John’s Wort and the gorgeous thistle.
Come back sun, and make these soldiers shine!
July 6th – On the way to work on a grey, dull Monday morning, these apples near the cycleway in Goscote caught my eye, and made me think. They’re growing well, and ripening in the recent warm weather.
That’s a harbinger of late summer.
Just where is this year going?
June 28th – Later in the day, I had to run into Aldridge on an errand. The flowers and trees are coming along well as the season ticks away; at Clayhanger, a pear tree I’d not noticed before looks set to deliver a healthy crop, but nowhere near as prodigious as the blackberries in Walsall Wood if the bees get to it and pollinate that wonderful showing of flowers.
Again, at Clayhanger, a mystery yellow flower I really should know, but don’t; it looks almost prehistoric. Any help gratefully accepted…
June 27th – I was suffering with both a dodgy stomach and bad hay fever when I set out late afternoon for a gentle spin around the canals in Brownhills. They didn’t disappoint, they were glorious.
At Silver Street, the narrowboats were in for the canal festival taking place next day, and everywhere else was bathed in so sunlight.
I wish I’d felt a bit better, and I’d have been able to ride further, but never mind, there will be other days.
June 23rd – It was so lovely, I headed back along the canal too on my way home, riding along it to Coalpool and then onto the cycleway to Pelsall. Along the way the waterways sparkled, the skies were blue and a family of swans I’d not seen before, plus five healthy cygnets, promenaded past.
I was particularly taken with the thicket of wild sweetness on the cycleway at Harden.
Summer was made for splendid commutes like this.
June 22nd – Grange Farm at High Heath seems to operate a crop rotation system. Last year in this field near High Heath, there was a fine crop of oilseed rape. This year, it’s barley – and it seems to be ripening well.
It’s interesting to note just how uniform this crop is, and how dense the seed heads. Looks like it’s been a good season for it…
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