Tag: Walsall Wood

July 12th – Meanwhile, at Jockey Meadows, the coos are getting stuck in, browsing the scrub and spreading the cowpat love. I’m fascinated in their behaviour; they tend to operate in a loose group, and move to different parts of the pasture at different times of day. It’s almost as if they know they have a job to do, and are carefully, conscientiously doing it.

I love these gentle, charming beasts.

July 5th – One of my wildflower joys at the moment is the humble thistle. Not just for the vivd purple brush that forms the flower, but for the delightfully spiky and prehistoric looking buds this curious plant forms.

They may not be conventionally beautiful, but next time you pass a thistle, look closely. They’re amazing things.

July 5th – Coppice Woods, or to give this small copse it’s proper name, Goblins Pit Wood is what I believe to be the last remnant of the holly and oak woodlands that used to cover our area before the industrial revolution. Quite why it survived, I don’t know, but now part of the Jockey Meadows SSSI, the future of this woodland seems secure.

There’s still plenty of oak and holly, but other deciduous trees make for a variety of habitats for bats, mustelids, rodents, birds and insects.

On this sunny evening ride home, Coppice Woods were a peaceful, sleepy sanctuary from the rush-hour traffic on Green Lane.

June 29th – On the canal near the Black Cock Bridge at Walsall Wood, work appears to have been undertaken today. 

I have no idea what. It was clearly over when I came through, which makes the graffiti-style approach to warning about it wrong; how do you know the warning is current? At least you can remove signs when the job is done.

The spelling was very non-conformist, so I decided to preserve it for posterity.

June 14th – I’ve been aware that Jockey Meadows has it’s own cat for a while. I sometimes see him disappearing into the meadow, or running over the lane into the wood. He always seems busy, and I think he lives at the cottages near Grange Farm.

Today, we met face to face – as I rode down Green Lane, I spotted him perched on a gatepost. Large, slightly long haired and with splendidly white whites he’s an impressive, large lad. We exchanged pleasantries, and then he continued his vigil.

That cat must have a ball. Acres of woodland, hedgerow and meadow right on his doorstep, he can while away his time dozing in any quiet spot he likes, or patrol a huge territory packed with interesting, small and squeaky things. 

What a life.

May 31st – A bright spot in an atrocious, wet commute home was spotting that the coos have returned to Jockey Meadow in Walsall Wood – and by the look of the lush meadow there, they have their work cut out. 

Not that it seems hard work, browsing the bog for the juiciest grasses and shoots, and generally looking handsome. 

I love these guys. So nosey, so proud. Good to have my friends back.

May 19th – I had gone to work on a pleasantly sunny morning, but returned in light rain, through a glistening, green, dripping landscape, no more in evidence anywhere than Green Lane on the Walsall Wood/Shelfield border.

The wet tarmac glistened, the trees, bright in their new green jackets, dripped softly. There was the gentle hiss of rain and babble of water.

But it was warm, the wind was behind me and for once, I didn’t mind.

Sometimes the only thing to do is open your senses and let it all in.