July 16th – In Telford, I noticed that following the dry summer, the rowan berries were ripening well, but not large; they look dry, rough and on the verge of shrivelling.
It’ll be interesting to see if other fruits are similarly affected.
It’s a long time since we had a dry summer like this.
July 13th – I’m sad to see the huge horse chestnut trees on Stafford Park in Telford are suffering for the first time I think with leaf miner parasites.
These tiny larva destroy the leaves of the host tree from within, and although leaving the host pretty much unharmed, they bring on an ‘early autumn’ but causing the leaves to become blotchy and brown.
It looks worse than it is, but it’s a sad end to the season for many a beautiful tree.
Hopefully the current wave of these insects will pass soon.
July 13th – In Telford for the morning, I crossed the footbridge over the motorway to Priorslee and noticed that despite the dry spell, the embankments, a real haven for local wildlife were still very green and alive with wildflowers.
It always interests me how the motorways of the UK – undoubtedly polluting and hostile to the environment – have formed green ribbons of land that protect so much wildlife and provide an undisturbed haven.
Of course, this is one of the quieter UK motorways.
July 3rd – Growing along just about every lane, track, cycleway and footpath at the moment, a very much overlooked purple wildflower.
No, not thistle, but knapweed. Similar, knapweed is not hostile or prickly, but flowers similarly in strong purple, a favourite of pollinators and a great source of high quality nectar, it’s seeds feeding many songbirds too.
Sometimes the best flowers fly under the radar.
July 3rd – I had stuff to do in Telford mid-morning, and was eager to see how the footbridge project was progressing. I wasn’t disappointed.
On site, the assembled over-railway portion of the deck had been lifted into place as I suspected onto the lattice piers – which despite my scepticism last week appear to have been positioned without breaking any glass at all. Remarkable.
The crane used to lift the 96 tonne structure into place was being dismantled on site – by another crane. It was terribly meta.
It was heaven for a machine geek like me, I was transfixed for some time.
It’s nice to see the new footbridge taking shape at last.
June 25th – Over in Telford on Monday morning, sun streamed down on construction workers and engineers preparing for the following week when a huge crane will lift the first, over-railway section of the new bridge into place from where it’s being assembled right next to the westbound platform.
Last week I couldn’t work out how they were going to lift it into place with nothing to put it on – then today I realised that as well as the deck, the piers had been assembled out of their final position too – the two lattice and glass pillar towers beyond the green crane will be bolted onto the matching concrete bases each side of the railway, and the new deck bolted to it, spanning the tracks.
What I can’t work out is why they’ve fitted the glazing before they finally lift the towers – surely moving them will fleet the structure so much the glass will break?
Perhaps it’s tougher than I think… we shall see, I guess…
June 19th – Back in Telford briefly, I noted that the footbridge project is progressing apace, with both new spans being brought to sigh and assembled on the ground before being lifted onto the piers.
This is clearly a complex structure and one whose support arrangements will be very complex indeed. I notice thanks to old pal of the blog Alan Dawson that the shorter, over-railway section will be lifted into place at the end of June – but I’m unclear what it’ll be supported upon, as yet there’s not steelwork present at either side of the station to place it on.
One assumes it’ll all fall into place quickly.
May 17th – Again,in the ‘what a difference a few weeks make’ department, the cycleways of generally unremarkable Telford are returning to their leafy, shady but sun dappled summer state.
You would not know here you’re but feet from a motorway, and the colour and Arcadian effect is stunning, and a joy to ride along.
Telford faces much derision, not least from me, But some things it does really, really well. Telford, take a bow.
May 17th – I first noticed this remarkable blossom in the car park just by the cycleway in Telford last week. I have no idea what it is and I think it’s probably some type of ornamental shrub, rather than something commonly wild.
The long white blossoms remind me a little of labernum, or an upside down horse chestnut.
Can any readers help please?
May 10th – Passing on a flying visit to Telford, the new footbridge project is progressing really, really well.
Beside the westbound platform, all the piling and excavations are finished now, and construction of the bridge section to go over the railway continues, while the footings and steelwork for the pier and access ways are beginning to show the final outline now.
Next to the eastbound platform, a forest of steel girders are being piled into the ground for the pier that side.
This really is a most fascinating project.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 