October 27th – These berries are profuse all along the cycle paths of Telford, and I don’t really know what they are. Glossier and rounder than cotoneaster but similarly pea-sized, they come in colours from deep red to light pink and yellow. The berry-heads are very dense, yet the birds don’t seem to bother with them.
Anybody know what they are?
October 22nd – Time for a seasonal warning. After raised winds and heavy rain, what can be better than riding through freshly fallen leaves? At Telford, the cycleways are thick with leaf litter, and very beautiful.
This is a cause for caution as well as awe. These leaves retain the rain from the day before, and still contain enough sap and resin to be slippery and form a soapy, friction-reducing goop the will steal your wheels from under you in a flash.
Where the leaf-fall is on busy roads, the pulp mixed with diesel can be like black ice.
Enjoy the beautiful scenes – but hey, be careful out there.
October 21st – How do you like these apples? They are growing near Telford Station, and seem to be untouched by human hands.Dripping in the insistent rain, they looked beautiful in their glistening, ripe glory.
Gently, so as to not get drenched. I plucked one from the tree and tried it. A little sharp, but not bad at all. And a very good harvest, to boot.
October 20 – By the time I arrived in Telford the mist was long gone and there was bright sunshine an d blue skies. Autumn was at it’s best, and the line of cherry trees looked fabulous, as did their turning leaves against the blue sky.
It’s also incredible really that this is in the heart of industrial Telford.
Once you get used to it, Autumn is lovely.
October 19th – I had to make a quick trip to Telford in the afternoon. Riding from the station on the cycleway, I noticed what a beautiful autumnal tunnel I was riding in.
It really is most beautiful. How fantastic this must be in the sunshine!
July 31st – An hour or so later, in Telford, I spotted the flowerbed at the railway station was rather wonderful in the sunlight. The day was warming, and the bright colours of the bedding plants were lovely. I don’t know who tends this planter, but whatever time of year it always looks incredible.
Thanks to whoever maintains it.
July 28th – Called to Telford mid-morning, I hopped on the train and headed over there with my bike. Being quiet, it gave me chance to study the decaying, scruffy footbridge that links Telford railway station to the town centre. Whilst having an interesting perspective effect, this ugly and intimidating edifice gives a very poor impression to anyone arriving at the town by train.
Very much a relic of the 80s, it’s from an age that discovered the social effect of bright colours and modernist design, but hadn’t yet worked through the issues of Brutalism – the coldness, isolation and intimidation of dark, sharp corners.
An odd anachronism that desperately needs improvement.
June 16th – I was taken to task on social media the other day for stating that Telford’s cycleways were alive with flowers and fruit; this observation was scoffed at, because it seemed inconceivable that on the byways and fringes of the new town, wildlife could flourish or be beautiful.
Well, it can; and the people who care for these fine tracks, paths and trails really should take a bow – they are a credit to them, their work and their town – a virtue shared, curiously, with Redditch.
There’s beauty in all sorts of places if one is open to find it.
July 16th – He was singing to me as I cycled away from Telford Central station. It took me a while to spot him, in the crown of a nearby Douglas fir. His song was so joyful and life-affirming, the thought of the wee chap kept me smiling all morning.
If you have a song to sing, sing it like nobody is listening – because it’ll make the day of the person who unbeknown to you, is.
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.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 