June 19th – I met this skinny, lithe young cat in north Walsall, flaked out on the footpath in the late afternoon heat. Grubby, like he’d been sleeping and rolling in the dust all day, clearly a gentleman of leisure.
The curious position he was in I initially feared he might be hurt, but he was fine, and obligingly rolled over for a tummy tickle and game of chew the finger.
A charming soul and a true flaneur of the summer streets.
June 15th As I cycled home up the Scarborough Road in Pleck, I noticed some banners on the railings of the Abu Bakr Islamic School on the old Edward Shelley School site.
Pupils and staff had taken time to make signs thanking firefighters involved in the terrible Grenfell House disaster in London.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this school observe support for victims of tragedy: they had banners in support of the victims of the terrible French terror attacks of 2016.
It’s so nice to see this. It made me stop, and think and that’s no bad thing. My compliments to those who undertook this small but significant act of solidarity with those who do their best to protect and save us all from peril, and great risk to their own safety.
June 14th – I notice that on the embankment on the north side of the Black Cock Bridge in Walsall Wood, the vipers bugloss is flowering again. In 2014, this was very prolific, in full bloom for about 20-30 metres, but now is sadly confined to just the one clump.
A beautiful flower though, and one I’ve not seen anywhere else locally.
June 8th – Passing down Scarborough Road in Pleck, south Walsall I noticed these cats, clearly waiting for the return of their owners from work. The two black and white ones seem to be siblings and clearly aren’t particularly fond of each other; I’ve recorded them studiously ignoring each other before.
I’m intrigued by the grey one, though – I’ve not seen that one before and it looks like a gorgeous cat.
I was also amused by the disgusted expression of the one in the foreground. If looks could kill….
June 7th – After seeing the rhizomes floating in the canal earlier in the season, it’s gratifying to note that the development of this season’s water lilies has been sift – and a matter of a couple of week the characteristic large, leathery leaves have formed, and now the first tentative flowers were out as I rode to work along the canal at Bentley Bridge.
Two listing species are common on local canals – yellow and white, and both are gorgeous. A lovely sight.
May 30th – This is always a lovely first sighting of the summer – the first orchid. Small, light purple in colour and growing in a solitary position next to the cycleway at Ryecroft this small, pretty flower reminds me that summer is here.
I’m not proficient enough to tell one orchid from another – there are so many different but similar types it can be very hard to tell – but they are all gorgeous, and like cowslips, are one of my favourite flowers.
Look out for them in wetland meadows, towpaths, marshes and the edges of ponds and streams. The more you study them, the more beautiful you will see they are.
May 25th – So many new flowers to notice every day, and in the warm sun of this perfect early morning, bright yellow coltsfoot was showing wonderfully well by the roadsides and in the hedgerows.
Such a beautiful, summery weed. Absolutely gorgeous.
May 24th – One of the more strikingly beautiful wayside flowers that grow pretty much as weeds along the cycleways and towpaths is Hawkweed. Ranging in colour from yellow to crimson, these are gorgeous flowers that some would view as invasive.
I love to see these every summer, and the Goscote valley is lined with them. They are a joy to the heart.
May 23rd – With warmer weather, during the warm hours, the urban cat population revert ro their languid, lazy norms, finding shady, peaceful spots to doze and watch the world go by – at least until it’s cooler, when they tend to be more active.
Coming through central Walsall in the afternoon, this young overseer of the neighbourhood was en repose on top of the wheeliebins in a shady front garden, and clearly enjoying the cool vantage point.
Seeing such characters emerge is one of the best things about summer…
May 23rd – Spotted in Walsall late this afternoon, parked up outside the Saddlers Health Centre – this Dutch box bike, clearly used for transporting a child.
This one is made by Workcycles of Amsterdam, and features roller hub brakes, a nexus hub gear and small wheels.
I’d imagine it weighs a tonne and rides like a tank. Majestic and stately come to mind – but what a wonderful thing.
My compliments to the pilot!
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 