March 9th – A gorgeous, sun soaked early spring commute, a little bit into the wind, but no less gorgeous for that. I rode fast through the backstreets of walsall, enjoying the sun on my face, and for some reason today at 7am, all I could smell in Darlaston was bacon cooking.
I spotted these gorgeous primroses, just dying to be noticed in Kings Hill Park. They almost glow in the sunshine.
February 25th – An unusual Saturday morning that saw me at work in Darlaston, and the commute there had been very hard, as it had been solidly against the wind. I left around lunchtime for a run into Birmingham on the canal, hoping to stop off for some Caribbean food at my favourite cafe on the way through.The plan was to have the wind behind me back up the canal through Hamstead.
The cafe was rammed, so I got back on the canal, and went to the Soho Road, where it has to be said, excellent curry and breads were devoured; but whilst eating, the rains came and winds got up, much against the forecast.
Whilst on the Soho Loop I spotted this curious, brutalist sculpture in a really odd, forgotten spot by Asylum Bridge. It seems to have been revealed by scrub clearance work, and I have no idea what it is, or why it’s there. Does anyone out there know, please?
I don’t mind the rain and I’ll tolerate the wind, but the two together are evil. So I popped to see a mate in Aston and got the train back to Blake Street.
A sort of lost day, really.
February 24th – The end of a very long, hard week. This week, I’ve worked a lot of hours, and found myself fighting the elements and often returning home late and tired.
I don’t mind the work, as I’m lucky enough to really enjoy my job, and being busy at this time of year is good as it makes those last, hard weeks of winter pass quickly.
But right now, as I crested the Black Cock bridge and looked down towards Camden Street, I could do with a break.
I’m knackered and I’m worn out!
January 19th – Another late return, another dearth of decent photographic inspiration. January is always hard, but without daylight it’s a nightmare.
I rolled back into Brownhills at gone 10pm, and stopped near Knaves Court for a photo looking back up the hill. It didn’t work out like I planned. But I was tired and needed food, drink and a hug. This will have to do.
Some days, you wake up, leave the house, crawl across the open landscape under fire, then return, utterly spent. This was one of those.
Christmas seems like an age away now.
January 15th – Intrigued to note that the former Terrace restaurant on the Watling Street at Newtown, in the hinterlands of Brownhills seems finally to be undergoing renovation of some kind.
Following it’s closure 18 months ago, this once very popular venue has been plagued by vandalism, metal thieves and arson, and rumours in the spring of it being host to a new buffet restaurant seemed to come to nothing.
Taking a nose today, new fencing is going up, and the fittings seem to be being cleared out. A licensing application for alcohol dating from July is on a nearby lamp-post.
I hope something does open at this landmark building. Brownhills could do with a decent restaurant.
December 13th – Returning late again from Birmingham, this time to Shenstone, back to my beloved rural station. The weather was damp, but warm again and the riding was easy, which is just as well as I was exhausted.
This is the busiest pre-Christmas I’ve had in a long, long time: normally about now I’m winding down and getting stuff ready for the new year. This year I’m doing none of that yet.
I’ll be so glad when I finish work.
November 18th – Another gorgeous, but bitterly cold late autumn morning, and the oaks near Clayhanger were showing their autumn explosion of colour beautifully against an azure sky.
It’s been a very tough week, with very long hours again. I’m tired, and aching and mentally spent. But sights like this feel me with positivity and joy counteracting the hours I’ve spend riding in the darkness.
Winter is long, and still to come. But I think I can get through this.
October 28th – An irritating day where I forgot my camera and everything happened at top speed, so little time to take photos. I’d been over to Telford in the afternoon and came back from Shenstone as dusk fell.
These lanes, I know them so well; they run though my veins like blood. I must have ridden this route thousands of times, and certainly many with the impending feeling of autumn I had today.
I know I will again ride this way on a springtime, sunny day and the wheel will continue it’s inexorable rotation, but tonight, in the gathering dark, it felt a very long way off.
I hate the dark months.
August 24th – Another spell of working very, very late. On my return I was tired and irritable, and fell straight into bed. Work is the busiest I’ve ever known it at the moment and balancing everything is very hard.
Despite the late hour, the new leisure centre at Walsall Wood still looked quite busy – it’s been impressive how well used and received this facility has been.
Those people seem to have the work-life balance managed a bit better than me at the moment…
August 19th – Another late night return, this time after 11pm, and stopping in Walsall Wood to use the cashpoint I thought about how busy the little High Street was, despite the bad weather. Three pubs, a restaurant and takeaways were all clearly doing steady trade.
The night is always nice down here, and on a long, weary return, it was good to see.
I’ve worked 74 hours this week. I need a break.
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