November 26th – A dreadfully weary, damp homeward commute in heavy mist that soaked and deadened everything. Trapped on the right of a dithering vehicle at the Spring Cottage Lights, I headed straight over and through Walsall Wood for a change.
Even on this dark, horrible night, there was a kind of insular, glowing beauty in the murk.
November 22nd – Despite occasional heavy showers, it was a lovely day. Not cold at all, and blessed with a gorgeous golden hour with a clear sky. I headed back to Brownhills via the canal, and the wonderful light set everything aflame.
There are loads of what I think might be imperial caps growing where the embankment has been recently mown at Clayhanger. Damned opportunist fungi…
A fine time to be out, despite an unpromising, damp start. Those autumn colours were wonderful.
November 22nd – I had to nip to Aldridge in the afternoon, and on autopilot, rode up the canal, to find it still blocked off for works between Northywood Bridge at the back of Brickyard Road and the Wharf Bridge in Aldridge, between Stubbers Green and the town centre.
I had, of course, had warning of this previously from TheMadOldBaggage and Stymaster, and forgot; still, the diversion wasn’t too bad.
The closure looks set to continue for a while as they rebuild embankments. Look out for it if you’re up that way. If you remember…
November 21st – Thank goodness it’s Friday. Another dreadful, rain sodden commute, but peculiarly, it’s still not getting to me.
Having to nip back to Walsall Wood, I stopped to capture the lights and madness of the traffic.
I normally dread the sadness and loss I feel at this time of year. This time, it’s just not arrived. This pleases and puzzles me. But there is something beautiful about the lights and the water, I guess…
November 21st – After rain in the night, I rode past the old bowling green at Oak Park on my way to work, sadly noting that it was starting to flood once more for winter. If we have much more rain, in a week or two, this will again be a pond.
There had been groundworks here in the Summer, and I hoped it was to fix the blocked land drain causing the problem; but no such luck.
It seems this forgotten, forlorn park – created by, and for the miners of Walsall Wood to enjoy in perpetuity as a break from the darkness – is to be forever neglected by a council that don’t understand or value it’s significance.
It makes me angry. Very angry indeed.
November 15th – By rights, I should have felt miserable. At work early in the morning, still dog tired and sleep deprived on a dreadfully damp, murky day. But I headed over to Pelsall to catch up with a friend mid afternoon, and the colours in the grey mist were actually brilliant. There was an eerie, otherworldly quality to Green and Mob lanes, still in their autumnal jackets; on my return via Ryders Mere and the old railway, the marsh was ghostly, silent and deserted.
An unexpectedly good ride on what would otherwise have been a horrid day for it. You never can tell.
November 13th – A miserable, headache-coloured commute to work found me at work on a rush job until very late; I returned on wet tarmac in light drizzle through somnambulant suburbs. I was exhausted.
Green lane felt desolate, and matched what I felt, and by the time I got to the top of the Black Cock Bridge, I barely had the energy to push on into Brownhills.
I love cycling late at night, but I did this run very much on autopilot…
November 5th – Bonfire night, and by chance I passed the Black Cock pub when their bonfire was well underway. I’ve never tried photographing a bonfire before, and these were handheld shots. It was an impressive burn-up and I was quite pleased with the results.
I’m not really into fireworks, but a bonfire always warms the soul as well as the skin.
November 4th – The darkness hasn’t seemed to affect me as much this year as it normally does, or indeed, as badly as I expected. It normally makes me weary, depressed and listless. Maybe because we’ve had such a fine autumn and summer, I don’t feel it this year at all.
Of course, it makes for a change to habits. The days of casually throwing a jacket into the bag are over, as are the days of fingerless gloves. Warm hats, thermals and scarves will soon be on the agenda.
Lights are clean and fully operational, and at certain times, the hi-viz is on (although one has to consider that in low sun or bright days it’s worse than dark clothing for visibility).
Here at Green lane in pitch dark, the advantage and necessity of good ligts is clear. This image taken without a flash.
That’s a Hope R4 on low, by the way.
October 26th – I popped up to Shire Oak Park on the way back, which was also looking good in its autumnal jacket. It was looking less green, but it was pleasant and tidy as it usually is.
On my return to Brownhills a splash of colour caught my eye on a verge on the Chester Road; beautiful vivid red rosebuds, and by Anchor Bridge the ink caps were growing well.
Autumn is a bit of a curate’s egg sometimes.
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