Galleries

October 25th – The fungi are still going strong. On the common I found plenty of fly agaric at various ages, from globular and spotty fresh young caps to plate-like washed out pink and smooth. I also found a shroom I didn’t recognise, and had to look up. This is certainly a cortinarius, either cinnamon or bicolour. They’re a lovely chestnut, almost chocolate colour, and the gills are fascinating.

I’ve never seen them before and my big book of fungi says they’re fairly rare, so I’m quite pleased spot them.

October 25th – This momma deer and her two calves – a yearling and this year’s – were happily browsing on the common when I spotted them. Nervous, all but the little one hid for a while, then braved my camera.

Lovely creatures, in good health, by the looks. I loved the colours in the youngest’s coat.

October 25th – The Parade, Brownhills. The main route over the common, and so I’m told, once the line of a colliery tramline.

These trees in neat rows are younger than me. I remember harsh winters, when these trees were saplings, and the council used to erect snow-break fences down here.

The hard winters seem rare now, and the trees are large and beautiful. It’s not their fault that they make me feel old…

October 24th – Passed through Aldridge as night fell. i’d been running an errand, and had to get shopping in. The sky was clear, and if I’d been in a place with a decent view, I think the sunset was pretty good. 

It felt cold, though, that onset of winter kind of cold. I could see my breath form clouds of missed, and the air felt hard, brittle and clear.

Appropriate, really, that British Summer Time ends tonight, and the darkness that haunts me returns.

Ah well, bring it on…

October 23rd – Here’s a security tip for cyclists with disc brakes. The other day I noted that you can’t make your bike theft proof, but you can make it fiddly and a pain to steal, hopefully putting off all but the most determined thieves. 

Some of the best deterrents lie in novelty; professionals will come with tools usually to smash D locks or cut cables, not both. You can make your D lock more effective by ‘filling’ it with as much bike as possible (thieves often use bottle jacks to break them open – they can’t if there isn’t room for one).

This yellow item probably isn’t that secure, but it’s effectiveness lies in the way it works: they’re sold online as disc brake locks for motorbikes and they have a plunger that latches through your brake disc, rendering the wheel unable to turn. In addition, there’s a piercing, vibration-activated alarm inside – so if the bike is handled roughly, it screams the place down.

It’s small, compact, thieves probably wont want to bother with it coupled with other locks, and it costs less than a tenner. What’s not to love?

October 23rd – Unusually, I’ve passed through Birmingham New Street Station a lot this week. It doesn’t really get any easier, and although it’s home, and something I’m fond of, it’s still difficult: down on the platforms it’s still 1970, and all the posh lights and fascias can’t change the fact that even in the nicest weather it’s dark, dingy, cold and often wet.

I often look at folk on the other platforms, and wonder where they’re headed, and if they’re as ambivalent about this place as I am…

October 22nd – A great dawn in fine weather with a much appreciated tail wind was a real joy to ride in, and a marked difference from the day before when I got soaked in persistent, heavy rain.

At Mill Grren, I stopped to watch the sun rise over Hill Hook and towards Tamworth. A massive, red-smeared sky opened out minute by minute, and was truly captivating.

Mornings like this make me much more comfortable with autumn, for sure.

October 21st – How do you like these apples? They are growing near Telford Station, and seem to be untouched by human hands.Dripping in the insistent rain, they looked beautiful in their glistening, ripe glory.

Gently, so as to not get drenched. I plucked one from the tree and tried it. A little sharp, but not bad at all. And a very good harvest, to boot.

October 21st – The ‘New’ New Street, theoretically and somewhat  risibly renamed ‘Grand Central’ wasn’t looking very new mid morning on this very wet autumn day. Leaks dripped through on to the concourse, the steps and platforms were slippery, and at the end of Platform 8 there was little sign of any of the multiple millions this misguided, lousy project has gobbled up with next to no improvement in passenger experience.

It’s about time Birmingham woke up and realised it’s new Emperor is stark bollock naked.

October 20 – By the time I arrived in Telford the mist was long gone and there was bright sunshine an d blue skies. Autumn was at it’s best, and the line of cherry trees looked fabulous, as did their turning leaves against the blue sky.

It’s also incredible really that this is in the heart of industrial Telford.

Once you get used to it, Autumn is lovely.