July 20th – One flower that’s doing particularly well at the moment is purple loosestrife. I see it mainly by the canals but is seems fairly widespread.
This short but vivid examples were growing from the canal bracing rail by Catshill Junction and are absolutely divine.
July 18th – Looking less green, but still beautiful, the farmland opposite Jockey Meadows, Walsall Wood has a beautiful colour at the moment. The meadows themselves have so far this year been untouched by cattle for the first time in a good few years, so the water meadow has tall grass and the scrub is clearly taking over, but here on the farmland, things seem a bit more ordered, but the marshy patch closest to the camera is still largely fallow.
The season’s jacket is gradually and steadily turning colour. Whilst it’s beautiful, it’s a bit sad seeing such a great season pass.
June 19th – Walsall Wood’s lone cygnet appears to be in rude health, thankfully. Now christened Woody, they grey ball of fluff, hatched to attentive parents who rarely achieve a clutch of more than 2 or 3 is very active and busy.
It’s good to see this pair who nest late and long so proud and protective of their offspring – with one of the parents making concerted efforts to peck my feet and pull my laces!
June 18th – for the second time in 12 months, Green Lane has been closed so sewage tankers can relive backed up sewers due to a pip collapse near the Clayhanger Sewage Works.
The road has been impassible to cars as drivers Marshall tankers in relays pumping out effluent and Marshall plant around.
Sadly, the impatience of some drivers was pretty unimpressive. These people have a job to do. Let them get on with it.
June 8th – On the local canals, it’s still multiplication time, and I was pleased to note in passing that the swans nesting in the Walsall Wood canalside garden had hatched a single cygnet. This pair have never had big broods, and last year hatched a pair.
Good to see the little grey ball of fluff and nice to see how attentive the parents are. I look forward to watching this wee one grow.
Meanwhile the Canada geese continue to promenade in their lines, share chick-care duties with other mums and hiss aggressively at observers.
This is always such a lovely, busy time on the canals.
June 7th – Sad to note that the honeysuckle growing on the western rail of the Black Cock Bridge has again this year been hedge cut in it’s prime. I don’t know why anyone would do that, and it makes me sad – but it’s recovered well, and the woodbine still tumbles in a beautiful tangle into the meadow below the embankment.
A delight for bugs and bees. Clearly, someone doesn’t like it as much as I do.
May 9th – Between the Black Cock and Clayhanger Bridges, not far from the new pond, an apple tree on the canal embankment is in bloom.
If smells absolutely beautiful and is a veritable riot of flowers.
I love how the dominant colour is pure white, but look closely and the buds and petal fringes are pink.
One of the most lovely sights of the season.
May 8th – Without my camera which I stupidly left behind, grotty phone photos of a bait of embankment bolstering by the Canal and River Trust in Aldridge at Stubbers Green between the factory units on Brickyard Road that back on to the canal, and Lathams bridge.
There may well be an issue there, as there was in Walsall Wood a few years ago when the embankment on the same side was built up around the Black Cock and Coppice Road areas.
I wonder in they’re settling still or if this is just a safety margin thing?
May 4th – At last, the canal at the Black Cock Bridge, basking in warm, still air and the beginnings of a lovely golden hour.
This is what I’ve waited for and I aim to enjoy it.
So nice to be back in the light again.
May 2nd – Further up the canal, at the new pond in Clayhanger, the pear blossom is very strong and fulsome this year – since we’re now hopefully too late for a frost, we might have a decent crop this year.
The canal itself is beautiful at the moment in shades of bright green – with the rare glimpse of blue sky and such gorgeous blossom it’s possible to convince yourself that this morning had to be the last of the bad weather and summer might finally be coming…
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