December 4th – Pottering to work on a grey day, I spotted a particularly disdainful puss near Walsall Wood who certainly wasn’t going to give the likes of me the time of day, no matter how I called it.
You haven’t been properly ignored in life until you’ve been ignored by a domestic British cat.
Oh well, looks like a nice puss… From behind.
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November 21st – I had to visit a client on the far side of Hortonwood in Telford, and since I’m not keen on riding through that huge industrial estate, I stayed on the train to wellington and rode from there.
It was dry, and there was a cycleway all the way there, pretty much, which was a delight if confusing at times.
Autumn made west Hortonwood look gorgeous – it’s a lot more like Stafford Park on this side, leafy and quiet with lots of small units.
I found a trail into the heart of where I needed to be from the residential area called Trench, and on the way up the leaf-covered byway, I was monitored by this delightful member of the local neighbourhood watch.
That’s a splendid set of whiskers.
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September 25th – There are a few flowers left, to be fair, one of the most profuse being bindweed.
Every time I mention this beautiful yet pervasive weed, I send gardeners into fits of apoplexy – they hate this crawling, strangling plant with a passion.
But I stick to my guns: Where I see it most – on towpaths boundaries, trail edgelands and scrub, it’s a beautiful, white flower that’s really under appreciated.
Sorry.
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September 18th – Scarborough Road in Walsall is still a veritable catropolis, and I see plenty of fine pusses there. Sadly I can’t often photograph them without invading the privacy of the householders in whose gardens or upon whose window cills these fine felines hang out.
This proud puss – with more than a little of the Adolf-cat about him, have to say – was sat in a gateway watching me ride past.
He obliged me by posing for a picture. Clearly a lovely cat – someone loves this one very much.
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September 15th – Passing Binary Wharf in Walsall Wood I always smile at the plank of wood from a French window cill over the gap to the towpath retaining wall through the railings. I must confess, it took me a few weeks to work out it’s purpose, and I’ve been meaning to feature it for years but it’s hard to photograph without looking like you’re invading privacy of the tenants.
I’m 99% sure the plank affords a cat access to the happy hunting ground of the canal without the inconvenience of a huge jump. Possibly, just possibly, the handsome black and white puss I spotted in a business yard over the road.
I love stuff like this: Small accommodations for animals to go about their daily lives.
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September 10th – Up in Pleck, Walsall I spited this brisk, urbane puss who was stalking ratty in the rubbish on the opposite canal bank by Scarborough Road Bridge. Nervous at first, I thought he was going to run away, but he found his courage and faced me while I caught him on camera.
This large black and white puss may be rooting through the rubbish but he was neat an tidy and very lithe.
Clearly one has to look one’s best, even in the most grim conditions…
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August 31st – I have no idea who this character is, but I’ve seen him a lot over the years. A large but nimble cat who always seems vaguely irritated to be observed, he seems to like the canalside scrub between the gardens of Lindon Drive and Silver Street, where only the anglers seem to get.
On a warm, sunny morning he was oh so thirsty, and no water tastes as good as fresh canal water…
A lovely lad clearly very irritated to be photographed!
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August 25th – On the way home I did a lazy loop of Shuttington, Seckington, Clifton Campville, Harlaston and Whittington. Amazingly, there were few folk around in the heat, and I had a lovely peaceful journey home.
At Shuttington, the neighbourhood watch was dozing, but not enough not to keep a close eye on me from an appropriately sun-bathed spot.
It’s nice to see cats enjoying the summer at last.
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August 12th – On the canal near Silver Street, Brownhills, the perfection of waterlilies. I love how they’re always a bit grubby, or host to insects. Like brightness in extenuating circumstances.
When I was young, we never had these on the canal at all. They are absolutely gorgeous – and clearly keep the pollinating overflies busy.
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July 17th – Looking back over previous years, this prolific plant in various places has been puzzling me for ages – but I think I’ve sussed it: It’s possibly Queen Anne’s lace, or wild carrot.
This example was growing on the industrial estate where I work near Darlaston.
It looks a lot like the familiar cow parsley, but isn’t: The shape is all wrong.
The reason I think this is wild carrot is the presence of a tiny dark flower in the centre of the head to attract insects – I’ll have another look tomorrow to verify this. The plant itself is edible like normal carrots, but only when young. It has a variety of folkloric uses, including as a contraceptive, apparently.
I think I’m closer to solving this one.
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