June 5th – The rain caught me on the way home, but at least the awful wind was well behind me.
Everything is green now and it was quite warm, so in that manner summer rain has, it wasn’t so bad, but I was very wet.
Listening to the music of the rain on the canal at Clayhanger was sad, but reassuring…
April 21st – I was still doing short test runs come sundown, when passing the site of Sid Cohen’s transport cafe on Shire Oak Hill I noticed I’d just missed a beautiful sky. I’m always sad when that happens, as you never really know when you’ll get a good sunset again.
It was very cold and whilst spring this year is sunny, bright and dry, I’m getting fed up of the cold and distinctly harsh winds. As soon as the sun goes in it’s bitterly cold.
It’s like the season’s been delivered, but a vital component to put it all together is missing…
April 9th – A 35 mile recovery ride for tea and cake on the following day didn’t go so well though. With technical issues and some spills the ride didn’t start well, and like a fool, I headed out with a punishing wind flat behind me.
The ride out was beautifully sunny and warm, and the oilseed rape at Middleton was beautiful.
As I rode from Middleton up the canal to Tamworth, someone flicked a switch and the nascent summer instantly was turned off. A harsh, cold wind and overcast skies battled me all the way home.
It was harder to ride 35 miles today that the 111 I rode the day before.
March 30th – The wolfish, windy days continue, but at least it was warm and sunny. After battling the wind from work into Tipton, I returned with it thankfully behind me. Crossing the Black Country Route near Moxley, I noticed the hint of spring in this favourite view of the church.
Just a hint of green. Soft sunlight, A blue sky. This’ll do.
March 23rd – I headed home in a dreadful headwind, needing to call at the supermarket. I hit the canal, and went to Sainsbury’s at Reedswood. It was a genuinely wonderful evening, but oh so cold.
The weather can be deceptive this time of year: it looks like it should be warm, but my hands and face were freezing, and it took me ages to battle home.
The sun’s great, now can we turn the heating up a notch and the wind down a bit, please?
February 26th – Another blustery, wet day and although I had plans, I shelved them and had to be content with a spin around Chasewater. That wasn’t so bad, as I was weary and hadn’t scoped the place out for a while. I checked out the recent dam works, which contrary to local conspiracy theory seemed to make sense, and also noted that the dam road is now closed, which is something that should have been done long ago – only the residents and rangers have business down there and hopefully the locked gate will prevent further outbreaks of fly tipping and ASB.
I had a snack at the cafe, then arced around the lake over a very wet and muddy north heath – I was looking for deer, but saw little wildlife except the burgeoning grebe population and a very depressed looking kestrel on his usual pylon perch.
Looking for something – anything – to make the ride better, I remembered the cemetery and St Anne’s Church, just over the bypass, as surely the crocuses must be in bloom. I wasn’t disappointed.
I commend visiting this cemetery in the next week or so to any locals – my photos don’t do this veritable carpet of blooms justice and it’s thoroughly captivating.
I left sometime later in a punishing, rain-soaked headwind, a much happier man.
January 31st – While I’ve yet to break my snowdrop duck for the spring (and BrownhillsCommoner sent me a lovely picture of the ones in his garden) there are some spring flowers around, although maybe not conventional blooms.
These catkins are showing well at the moment in Wednesbury, and are a common feature of hedgerows, scrubs and waysides. They are the male flowers of the alder tree, and also occur on the close relative, Birch.
Wind pollinated, these blossoms don’t have normal petals or a flower like structure, but are a lovely, bright feature of late winter and a signpost into spring.
August 12th – Escape in the afternoon for a 72 mile ride around the top of Burton and back via Melbourne – a fine ride, but the southwesterly on my return was punishing.
Up through Lichfield and Barton, a great stop for tea and cake, then up through Shobnall to Willington, where I note the disused cooling towers are finally due for demolition. Over the Swarkestone Bridge to Melbourne, then back through Woodvellie and Lullington.
At least I found out what bored farmers do for entertainment…
I really enjoyed the ride, but I do hope the wind clears off soon.
July 17th – In spite of some grim mechanical problems and slow initial progress, I made it to Rosliston for tea and cake, and then pootled back through Coton in the Elms, Lullington, Clifton Campville, Haunton and Syerscote, calling at Hints and Weeford in the golden hour.
The villages glowed in the summer evening warmth, and even though I was battling a keen westerly, my England was right here – in a view familiar to Peter Cutler, in the flower-adorned villages, and in the sad but tranquil churchyard at Haunton, with it’s ranks of gravestones to nuns from the nearby convent.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
July 8th – Short morning at work on a very windy, wolf of a day – beautiful to look at, but a the very devil to ride on. A short run over to Lichfield in the late afternoon via Chasewater was rewarded with beautiful views of ripening oilseed rape and wheat in fields around hHome Farm at Sandhills.
A lovely afternoon but hard work on the bike!
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 