February 17th – Back in Brownhills, and another azure blue nightfall, which the Canon camera – to which I’m now really attached – really lapped up. I loved the way it picked up the warmth of the lighting on the Watermead estate over the canal from Silver Street and how that contrasted with the cool white of the LED street lighting up at Chandler’s Keep.
I’m sure there’s far more to find out and learn with this camera yet, I’m really loving it.
February 10th – An evening spin out turned out to be warmer than expected, but rain seemed to be threatening. The canal and towpaths were sodden, and the paths and roads glistened in the headlight.
The flats on the Watermead, next to Coopers Bridge look lovely in the dark, the lights reflecting beautifully in the water, as did those of Tesco, itself looking unexpectedly attractive.
Either that, or I’ve been hemmed in too long…
January 13th – The cold had really got me. I was damned ill with no energy at all. I slipped out after dark for a short loop of the canal, then came home, shivering and exhausted.
I was pleased with the shots, though, although there weren’t many on this torpid, tortured evening. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
December 27th – Still suffering with the shoulder, I went for a short ride to Tesco after darkness fell.
This period – between Christmas and New Year – can vary in character immensely. It can vary from being wonderful (in decent weather) to being deadly dull if the weather is bad. I’m not feeling anything much at the moment, as I’m still recovering from the enervation of work recently.
Looking out at the lights of the Watermead Estate from the canal at Silver Street, I was hoping for good weather and a quick recovery.
December 17th – Sunday was a much better day, but whilst the ice didn’t melt as much as I’d hoped, it was well on the way. I love ice and snow. But when it’s fresh; I can’t bear it hanging around. I like a good heavy snowfall, a few days of fun, then a fast thaw.
Not so with this one.
I looped around Brownhills on errands, delivering Christmas cards as night fell: The High Street was grey and damp in the drizzle, but the canal at Silver Street fascinating with the ice, broken up by a passing boat.
Not feeling terribly Christmassy yet. Hope that changes soon.
October 28th – A busy day, and I returned at dusk through Chasewater – where the deer were still loafing on the Rugby pitch and seem to have taken up permanent residence. This is remarkable, and not 20 yards away, the clubhouse was as active and noisy ars a busy social club can be, and the deer clearly weren’t bothered at all. The ability of red deer to integrate seamlessly into urbanity is astonishing.
The sunset on the canal, returning to Brownhills, was also beautiful, but dramatic, and the wind was biting. It was good to be near home.
July 29th – I met the Watermead swan family who were making fair speed along the canal back from Chasewater towards Brownhills, but old habits die hard and they drifted from their central course to see me, just in case I had food. I didn’t, and they were visibly irritated.
The five youngsters are now pretty much the size of their parents and their adult, white plumage is starting to come through.
Another successful brood for these experienced parents marks out another good year for local swans. But where are the youngsters going every year?
June 11th – On a post repair test ride, bad news.
The Watermead swan family are now down to five from the original six. The remaining cygnets looked healthy and well though.
Most likely the victim of a hungry fox, it’s normal to lose a cygnet or two to predators in every urban clutch – we’ve been lucky in recent years to be relatively unscathed, but one has to remember the prodigious clutch sizes of these birds and consider that maybe some population control is natural.
When the youngsters start ground roosting separately as opposed to in a protective huddle, they are easy prey to Reynard and hopeful, the loss has been a warning to the remaining five.
Sad, so very sad – but it’s nature, red in tooth and claw.
June 4th – Nice to see the waterfowl families doing so well. At Silver Street, I noted the Watered family were growing fast, and were still six in number, while the Canada geese had combine broods to give a mammoth grouping of 15…
At the moment, everything is growing and it’s wonderful.
May 28th – I set out on a sunny afternoon to pay a visit to Fazeley floating market, and on the way, hopped on the canal from Brownhills to Newtown to see if I could spot the Watermead swan family, just to see how they were doing.
I found them, unusually, near Anchor bridge; still six cygnets in umber and mum and dad still very, very attentive – but my, they’re growing – and they’ll soon be losing that characteristic fluffiness.
Nice to see the family prospering.
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