October 26th – I had to nip to Telford in the afternoon, and again, I bore you with autumn pictures – but this really is the best time to see and use the cycleways of the new town.
On a grey, damp day, who’d have thought a track so mundane it has no name could be so beautiful?
May19th – I passed along the canal at Bentley Mill Way later than usual, and noted that the swan brood here had hatched. I say brood, but I’m not sure what the singular of brood actually is; momma swan clearly only laid one egg this year, the remnants of which are all I can see in the nest.
I noted the parents travelling down the canal with their cygnet between them, proud attentive parents. I also noticed an interested heron; lets hope he decided not to run the gauntlet of the angry swan couple.
This pair do seem to have small clutches. I hope little one survives.
May 10th – What a horrendous day of commuting – heavy rain in both directions left me soaked with frayed nerves.
Such was my desire to escape the traffic on the way to work, I hopped on the canal knowing how bad the mud would be – but I was past caring.
In the warm, actually not unpleasant rain, the canal rang with raindrops, almost musical, and the swans at Bentley Mill Way didn’t seem to mind.
Hope it’s a bit drier tomorrow.
April 12th – On the Walsall Canal where the Anson Brach used to spur off between Bentley Bridge and Bentley Mill Way Aqueduct, the swans who I think nested in the abandoned basin last year are nesting anew.
Sadly, the nest isn’t well protected this year and I think an enterprising fox or heron – who fish here regularly – may end up with cygnet tea.
That’s if the phantom bread-flinger does’t chock the wee ones – sadly, the message that bread isn’t good for waterfowl doesn’t seem to be reaching all quarters. I know these folk mean well, but it’s not good for them.
Please, if you feed them, seed or greens instead.
January 28th – In Telford, beside the Hortonwood cycle track, a fine crop of toadstools is growing. I’m n to sure what these beige, delicate little caps are, but they don’t seem bothered by the rain and frost. I assume that they are, like many things, caught out of season and shouldn’t really be growing in January.
They don’t seem troubled by the frost, though… a little bit of perfection on the way to work.
October 28th – One thing that does fascinate me on the cycle path in Telford is the way the trees and scrub have grown awkwardly through the fences. There are lots of instances like this – where the sapling crossed through the mesh, and the tree is so large now it’s consuming the fece by growing around and through it.
I’d have thought the constriction would have killed the tree, but it seem,s to have done OK considering, proving just how adaptable nature really is.
October 19th – I had to make a quick trip to Telford in the afternoon. Riding from the station on the cycleway, I noticed what a beautiful autumnal tunnel I was riding in.
It really is most beautiful. How fantastic this must be in the sunshine!
June 16th – I was taken to task on social media the other day for stating that Telford’s cycleways were alive with flowers and fruit; this observation was scoffed at, because it seemed inconceivable that on the byways and fringes of the new town, wildlife could flourish or be beautiful.
Well, it can; and the people who care for these fine tracks, paths and trails really should take a bow – they are a credit to them, their work and their town – a virtue shared, curiously, with Redditch.
There’s beauty in all sorts of places if one is open to find it.
July 15th – On the cycleways of Telford, the hedgerows, verges and scrubs are alive with life, blossom, and developing fruit. I was really surprised to note today that rowan berries all along the path were ripening well.
A bitter but sugar-laden fruit, rowan makes great jam and wine, and when ripe, will be devoured by hungry songbirds.
Bright orange, it’s one of the first berries to appear, and one of the most distinctive sights of summer. Great to see.
July 1st – Also on the canal, near Bentley Mill Way, flowering rushes in abundance. Of course, they’re not real rushes, but they are delightful flowers. A real joy to see them.
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