January 26th – Returning from Walsall Wood in darkness I’m pleased to see the hedgerow arch over the towpath between the Black Cock Bridge and Clayhanger Bridge has escaped the attentions of the tree cutting crew who’ve been so keen down here since Christmas.
Despite appearances, it’s clear of your average cyclist’s head and is delightful in summer.
And rather spooky in a headlight-lit night…
December 19th – I came back through Walsall Wood and up over Castlefort as I had to nip into Stonnall. I’ve been using the TZ100 all week. After trying some night shots from Hollanders Brindge in Walsall Wood, I’ve decided – I prefer the Canon.
This is momentous. I’ve used Panasonic cameras mostly for 10 years. But the TZ100? It takes good pictures. It’s low light performance is good. It’s not a bad camera. But it’s too like the TZ90 in user interface and features, and it’s lagging the G7X in usability, and I think, just a little in picture quality too.
Whatever succeeds the TZ100 needs to plough a different enough furrow to make it feel better. It doesn’t, particularly.
January 8th – Again, handheld shots. This camera is amazing for this – and I’m noticing the daylight shots are pretty good too. Sorry, I’ll stop prattling about cameras soon, I promise. but it’s a long time since a piece of tech has had this much of an impact on me.
It was an absolutely evil commute home – the suck this season seems to be still petering out and there was some absolutely awful driving going on, and a constant drizzly mist that I believe it’s fashionable to call ‘mizzle’. It searched out every not quite done up zip and pocket. I was soaked, cold and unhappy.
As I came through Walsall Wood the lights and mist interacting with each other fascinated me. I’m not a huge fan of the Walsall Wood pithead sculpture, as is fairly well known, but in the mist and football training floodlights, it looked eerily impressive this evening.
As to the footballers, their dedication was impressive. It must have been horrid out in shorts.
December 29th – I had to pop up Walsall Wood, late. A curious thing about Walsall Wood is looking back up the High Street towards Streets Corner, it always looks like it might be Christmas, even on a midsummer night, such are the many lights that make it such a charming view.
Walsall Wood is a place people pass through without studying. It really is worthy of closer study; it’s a lovely place.
December 16th – Saturday was an awful day in many ways. Blighted by very poor weather and an unpleasant attack of IBS, I slunk out in the evening and headed up to Shire Oak to deliver some Christmas cards.
I was unwell. The bike had a mechanical problem that was driving me nuts. The traffic was unpleasant, and conditions worse.
I gave up, went home, and retreated to a warm, soothing bath.
December 15th – In Walsall Wood for a takeaway, and the church looked beautiful with the Christmas tree in front like that. I was tired, it was late, and a snatched mobile phone picture.
I was glad of the ice tyres, though: there was black ice everywhere and it was a cold, hard night.
December 2nd – The Drunken Duck in Walsall Wood High Street is a sad case of a pub that’s been reborn so many times even the Dalai Lama would blush. A succession of landlords have had a go, and left; each time a new dawn predicted.
The pub shut again a week ago leaving drinkers to go elsewhere, and remains shut pending new management.
I noted with wry amusement the fact that the last band scheduled to appear her was ‘Broken Promise’ – how dreadfully appropriate.
December 2nd – Again passing through the Wood, this time to Screwfix, it was a grim, miserable, drizzly dank day – but at least it was much, much warmer than in previous days.
The ice was melting, and some of the less religiously inclined types were relishing their fast diminishing ability to walk on water…
December 1st – Visiting Walsall Wood on an errand on my way home, I stopped to admire their excellent Christmas tree in the grounds of St. john’s Church, which is always a personal donation by the local councillors, which is jolly nice of them.
The church also looked lovely in the cold night.
The Wood is absolutely lovely at night… even more so at Christmas.
December 1st – It was still very cold on Friday evening, and again taking the canal to Walsall Wood – this time from Aldridge – I was reminded of the perils of black ice. Hitting this frozen puddle at speed, in the dark? I didn’t take a spill, but I did feel the back wheel slip.
Ever year there’s a little warning to be more sensible.
Take care if you’re out when it’s frosty, folks…
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