Tag: white

October 16th – With the sun more or less returned to normal and a ferocious tailwind, I hammered back to Brownhills late afternoon for an appointment. Watching me from the far side of the canal near Silver Street, a familiar character who clearly doesn’t care for my sort much, but that’s a huge bruiser of a cat. A real character.

At the old market place by the Pier Street Bridge, I’m happy to see the housing development is using forward with footings already in for the first houses.

It’ll be so nice to see this place inhabited and alive again.

September 28th – My quest for fly agaric – the red and white spotted toadstool of folklore and fairytale – was satisfied today when I visited a familiar patch that unexpectedly exists between the Darlaston Road and canal in Walsall. 

This edge land, under self-seeded silver birches at the top of the cutting, is host to the largest colony of these toadstools I’ve ever seen; there must be at least a hundred of them in various stages of life.

This is a remarkable find and confirms my suspicion that I’ve largely missed the season this year – they seem to have peaked earlier this year, but this spot which is quite hard to climb to contains some of the best, most perfect examples of the fungi I’ve ever seen.

All in one of the most built-up, urban patches of Walsall.

September 24th – I can’t make up my mind at the moment if fly agaric – the red and white spotted toadstools of folklore – are having a bad year or if I’m just a bit early.

I’ve found a few examples – notably a good specimen on August bank holiday on the Chase – but all the favourite spots like the bank before Anglesey Wharf on the canal at Brownhills are empty save for a few dog-eared or faded specimens.

This one at the top of the above bank seems quite elderly, as the spots drop off and the colour fades as they mature – but where are it’s usual companions?

They had an extraordinarily good year last year so perhaps it’s natural balance.

September 19th n- One of the odder fruits of the autumn is the snowberry. Serving only as bird food, this ornamental shrub, like firethorn, is often used for ornamentation in public parks, edge lands, industrial estate landscaping and so on.

As far as I can tell, the birds seem to like the white berries that make a distinctive popping sound when stepped on or thrown hard at the floor, and the bees certainly like the pink and white flowers, still very much in evidence on the same shrubs as the large, healthy-looking fruit.

Snowberry will grow with little attention needed and does look pretty, especially when dappled by dew, as these examples in the centre of Darlaston attest.

September 16th – I was being watched at Catshill Junction.

My observer was reluctant to make himself known.

The small, black and white cat, barely out of kitten hood, was studying me closely from over the narrows. I was clearly not to be trusted. Monitoring the neighbourhood is a very grave task.

I look forward to making his acquaintance again. 

September 9th – It’s been a while since I las saw eyebrow cat for long enough to take a photo, as it’s normally avoiding me for some reason. Captured taking the air on the grass beside the canal where the old tonnage house and toll point used to be at what is now the private development of Chandlers Keep.

Eyebrow cat didn’t mind me too much but did give me some very thorough stares. I don’t think this cat ever looks pleased with itself.

September 6th – I met this king (or maybe queen) of the whiskers in north Walsall on my way to work. Undertaking neighbourhood watch duties from a garden wall, the bright eyes and confident stance attracted me from over the road. Quite happy to test out my ear tickle prowess, I clearly scored a ‘that’ll just do, matey’ before I took the photo.

But oh gosh, what a fine set of whiskers those are!

Not seen this one before. A welcome addition to the local cat spotting rota, I feel.

September 1st – I returned from work mercifully early and did some work on the bike, before taking a spin late in the afternoon. Despite it being colder of late, the cat population is still active (well, as active as these laid back creatures get) and I spotted two cats I’d not met before: a black one peering at me from behind a car near Catshill Junction, and further up as I headed to Chasewater, the splendid grey and white youngster in a back garden near Millfield School.

Oh how I love these impromptu neighbour watches…

July 31st – A good commute for cats. Remember the two sleepyheads I found in The Butts last week? Well, today they were up and about and feeling sociable.

The calico is a lot more elderly that I thought, but is a lovely-natured thing for sure, as is the younger black and white lad with almost red patches in his coat.

Pleased with my attention, he rolled, rubbed and purred his way into my heart.

The other black and white puss was a canal cat in the gardens of Barrow Close on the edge of the canalside at Walsall Wood. He seemed to be someone who knew what he was doing.

Lovely animals that brightened an otherwise dull commute.