Tag: wood

July 21st – At Birchills on the Walsall Canal, an odd one. Someone has cleanly cut off the balance beam on one of the lock gates. I have no idea why they might have done this, and the indications that this isn’t the normal vandalism are clear.

This was severed by a machine in one cut with no messing around. Whatever power tool was used, it was wielded with even pressure and the cut is square. clean and smooth.

I’d love to know what’s going on here.

July 1st – This is just wonderful. I spotted it a couple of weeks ago but I couldn’t stop to photograph it. Outside a recently well-renovated house on the A461, a new house sign lovingly and beautifully made in the image of the house.

Just look at the detail in that, the tiles on the roof. Its wonderful.

My compliments to the householder, and huge respect for the craft and skill of whoever created this wonderful curiosity.

June 14th – I notice that on the embankment on the north side of the Black Cock Bridge in Walsall Wood, the vipers bugloss is flowering again. In 2014, this was very prolific, in full bloom for about 20-30 metres, but now is sadly confined to just the one clump.

A beautiful flower though, and one I’ve not seen anywhere else locally. 

April 23rd – In the sun, it was warm, but otherwise another cold, quite windy day with very bright sunshine. I headed out on a beautiful St George’s day and found the English countryside at it’s springtime peak. Trees verdant, coconut-smelling gorse lined lanes; bluebell woods were a carpet of strident violet and orange tip butterflies mated in the hedgerows.

Even the oak plum galls growing in profusion near Hilton were sort of beautiful, in the slightly unnerving way only  these parasite generated growths can be.

Again, I’d appreciate a bit more warmth, but not a bad day at all, and a lovely ride.

November 29th – A dreamy, icy, freezing morning that turned my breath to clouds of steam and air that hurt the back of my throat, all in glorious, glorious hazy sunshine. Utterly beautiful and it’s made me fall in love with winter again. 

About time, too.

Jockey Meadows, between Walsall Wood and Sheffield were gorgeous, from the low mist to the horses grazing peacefully; I noted signs had been put up by local police requesting folk keep an eye out for wildlife crime, which is excellent. We all need to be vigilant.

The beauty continued into Walsall where the canals were the same as they ever were; a quiet, glorious commuting byway.

I’m so lucky to live here and be able to enjoy it.

September 5th – For the first time in ages, I had to visit Redditch, and passing through a wet, very grey Arrow Valley Park I came across a mystery: two five-foot long, narrow but heavy wooden boxes with hinged lids. Well made, they were just lying on the grass under a ticket. The boxes were sturdily constructed, with an internal lengthways divider and strong hinges.

The boxes were covered in what seemed like cement or masonry marks.

Then I spotted how they got here: a freshly disturbed patch of soil in the grass suggested someone had been drilling or undertaking some similar operation here. The cases would be tool or sleeve holders, their contents used, but forgotten by their owners.

I returned 3 houses later and they’d gone; I’d imagine these are quite costly items, so maybe their owner recovered them.

May 23 – I get a bit tired sometimes of defending Brownhills, Walsall and the Black Country. People call all three dirty, unpleasant, polluted, ugly.

All these animals were seen on my journey to and from work today. There can’t be many urban situations where you pass deer and herons on a Monday morning, can there?

I particularly liked the cygnet preening, just like it’s mum.

I love this place.

April 30th – So, there I’d done gone and promised to bring ny ill mate the best of summer, and it rains, and blows, and hails on a very blustery, intemperate Saturday. Just where do you find the beauty?

You slip out as the worst is passed, and get your feet gloriously wet in the local bluebell wood, and remember what it is to be alive in the outdoors, with the smell of wet earth, pollen and rising sap.

Just wish the light wasn’t so poor.

April 25th – A 45 miler over to Walton on Trent and back through Lullington on what started as quite a bright afternoon but soon turned to rain. I got soaked, several times. It was cold. But the riding was quite fast, and nature really is trying to call on the warmer days – the oilseed rape is out, I found an isolated bluebell wood, birds and animals are busy, and even a few daffodils are hanging on. 

I was really interested to note at Wetleyhay north of Whittington that there are many, many solar panels being erected in the fields there to form solar farms. Great to see, and can only be a good thing for the environment and our energy security.