February 14th – A few people have asked, so as I passed the canal towpath resurfacing works today I took a pic of the map and details.
I’m still baffled as to the concentration on this stretch, and not the awful sections through Aldridge/Rushall and Pelsall/Bloxwich, but who knows what goes on with funding for these things?
There are very few notices up this time, so keep your eye out.
February 13th – On the canal near Bentley Mill Way Aqueduct, a pair of swans feeding on canal-bottom greens, enjoying the company of each other and honking noisily.
They were far too busy browsing the algae to be disturbed by me, and they performed beautifully. You can say what you like, but a swan with only it’s arse sticking above the water is very amusing, and certainly not graceful. A lovely thing to watch.
But those feet too, though. Swan feet are fascinating, and they look almost pre-historic.
February 13th – Just as I feared I couldn’t stand the grey anymore, a blessed break in the weather. I have never, ever been so glad to see the light.
One commute on the canal through Walsall to Darlaston – a route I haven’t taken much since Christmas – was all it took. Sunshine, wildlife, glistening water, beautiful mist-suffused urban streets. And in Kings Hill Park beautiful yellow crocuses reminded me of the good that was to come.
I noted that the towpaths from Bentley Mill Way to Bughole Bridge are now being resurfaced, so if you cycle this way, expect to avoid folk in hi-viz marshalling small excavators and other such plant.
Today, my week was saved… by a crocus. I’m just mad about saffron.
February 2nd -Spring is easing inn slowly, and unlike the seasonal transitions from Summer to Autumn and Autumn to Winter, this one makes me very happy indeed. I’ve been finding myself almost in the light commuting to and from work – it won’t be long now until the darkness is pushed back enough to feel truly alive again. And in the meantime, isolated pockets of early flowers, like the cheerful yellow acolytes spotted in Victoria Park in Darlaston.
Won’t be long now. Just have to keep the faith!
February 1st – I returned to Walsall in the early evening, and had to pop up to the Manor Hospital, so took a line through the Wharf, which looks better now there’s some development around it. Nice to see the Wharf Bar renewed after it’s recent closure, and with the new cinema, restaurants and bars, at last the area seems alive after years of seeming almost somnambulant.
That hotel, though. Can’t abide the architecture. It’s like some soviet secret service interrogation headquarters… and I’m a fan of Brutalism. Ugh.
January 24th – Also stunning was Walsall Arboretum. It’s not a place I go much, if I’m honest, but seeing the mist-shrouded lake as I passed on Lichfield Road, I decided I could spare some time to pop through the gates and have a mooch.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Walsall’s premier park wore the frost and golden morning light beautifully, and I resolved that this is a place I really should go more often.
A great ride into work that really restored my faith.
January 17th – I had an appointment at the hospital, and rode through Walsall Town Centre to get a brew beforehand as I was early. Riding up the canal Town Arm towards the hospital, I realised I was being watched.
That little cat’s face. So innocent, yet clearly such a little terror. My heart melted.
January 11th – Another rare daylight commute, so again I took the canal into Darlaston. On my way I became aware of a series of yellow marker paint spots on the towpath, and it took me a little while to work them out.
The canal towpath here is to be resurfaced soon, and disturbed soil in places pointed up the fact that someone had been surveying. Markers near the bridges indicate a gas main runs alongside the canal here, and the spots indicate the position of the pipes. At the old arm crossover near Haniel, the pipes emerge and cross the disused inlet, and one can observe the spots follow it’s course.
This part of the towpath would benefit a little from resurfacing, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the stretches through Aldridge and Pelsall. The resurfacing policy is absolutely baffling.
January 9th – Later in the day, back in the Black Country, I had to be in Walsall for an appointment, and rode up the canal from Darlaston. It had been raining, and everything was quiet, but near Bentley Bridge by the old Anson Branch, I couldn’t resist crossing the canal bridge to give this cheeky beggar some of my pocket corn stash. One of the 2016 cygnets, he (or she, I can’t tell) is maturing well and in fine fettle.
I note the aggressive begging technique is coming along well too…
December 29th – At the lime pits themselves, some excellent bracket fungus on a dying tree. It looks like a classic pleurotus to me – oyster fungus, which I believe to be edible (though don’t take my word for it!).
I was surprised to see such a healthy, fresh seeming display in cold weather. Is this normal?
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