January 2nd – It was good to be back on the commute, and good to be back at work. On this pleasant morning, the cycle tracks of Telford were showing signs of not being swept over the break, but they were still fast and quiet. For all I (gently) knock it, this is one aspect of TelfordI really like – the ability to get about without having to interact with it’s awful road system too much.
January 1st – Welcome to 2014. So far, this year, the weather has been 100% wet…
Sorry for the repetition, but when I went out in the evening (having sadly foregone the traditional New Year’s Day ride on the Chase due to the poor weather), it was still raining hard. I was wet. It was horrible. Every interesting photo meant the camera lens getting covered in raindrops. It was, to say the least, challenging.
The sodden loading bay at Aldi, Brownhills, was an interesting mix of textures and colours, and the lights of the canal side and Humphries House rarely disappoint.
Dejected at not finding better subjects, I rode home. Hopefully, we can shut the door on this windy wet weather soon…
December 31st – I had to pop out to the cashpoint, so took in a loop of Brownhills. It was very quiet, little traffic was disturbing the night. It was calm and the three-faced liar – the Council House Clock – told the right time.
I looked at Morris, welcoming in the traditional Brownhills way, arms and heart open, but with a weapon to hand, just in case. He seemed appropriately optimistic.
Even the canal looked oddly festive.
Like Morris, I welcome the new year of 2014 openly. Happy new year to all readers, all of you who I know follow my journeys. May the new year bring peace and happiness to you all.
December 30th – Up the road in Pelsall, I slipped into the village unnoticed by the border guards, who were clearly either slumbering, or skiving the night off. I like Pelsall. It’s villagey, and semi rural, but a bit up itself sometimes. I noticed a new cafe here I must try out.
I’m wondering if the letter ‘I’ went missing from the Kandu Hair salon sign as an act of sublime urban mischief or just happenstance; maybe the owners are planning to convert to an Afghan restaurant and wanted to save on a new sign.
Yes, I know it’s not quite the right spelling, but it’s close enough for Pelsall…
December 29th – One of my favourite sets of Christmas lights is a simple run of coloured bulbs along Minster Pool in Lichfield. When I came here before Christmas, I was sad to see that weren’t on; fortunately, it appears to have been a fault, and the wonderful LichWheeld told me they were on the following day.
I returned, just to see them. I think the combination of light and reflection is magical. It’s my inner child coming out.
December 29th – I stopped by at Hademore on the way back. This sleepy hamlet was once a cluster of farms, houses and an explosives depot (yes, really) surrounding a level crossing. Now, the crossing has been removed. Some railway cottages were demolished in the upgrade of the line, the old signal box moved to Chasewater, and Hademore found itself riven in two by the railway and bypassed by a loop of horrid road with an equally abhorrent utilitarian flyover.
There is great history here – on the long road from Whittington to Elford the Marquis of Donegal had his house, Fisherwick Park, and the surrounding grounds were designed by Capability Brown. They were all carried to dust, however, when in 1810 the estate fell into the possession of the Howards of Elford, who ploughed up the lawns, demolished the hall and converted it all back to farmland.
A few relics remain, including the big old gateposts that stand here, moved from a site nearby when the railway would have ploughed through them itself.
The other relic on this once-busy road is the Post Office K6 red call box; now with it’s phone removed, it still has a working light, shining like a beacon in a shorn hamlet that nobody passes through anymore.
I guess this is just the sadness of things.
December 29th – I rode out lunchtime, and just rode. It was a lovely day, with gorgeous light, and a lovely winter sunshine chill. I didn’t take many photos – some days, you just don’t – but it’s a ride that will stay with me for a while. It was peaceful, the roads were quiet, and there was an atmosphere of calm tranquility.
Here at Hints, just outside Tamworth, leaning on a gate at the foot of the ancient Gold’s Clump, overlooking the Black Brook Valley, I watched the sheep grazing an the light fade, content.
This is what I’d been needing since summer ended. I felt alive again.
December 28th – Cannock Chase was great, but winter came in today; it was sunny, clear and cold. I really felt the winter in my bones. But plenty of folk were out enjoying it and it was beautiful, as only the Chase in winter can be.
The golden hour was enchanting, and caught the pines near Sow Street beautifully, as it did the heath at Rifle Range Corner. On the way back on the canal, the sunset was beautiful, and the evening light even made the canal at Armitage look a picture of tranquility.
By the way, if you’ve lost a cuddly stuffed toy horse and/or a pair of specs, they’re sat on a post at the back of Seven Springs car park. It’s unclear whether they’re normally together, or just met in their loss…
Weather gods, more of this please.
December 28th – Thankfully, my deer magnet was switched on today, although these ladies didn’t seem over fussed about food. They were loafing in their usual spot on the Chase, and spent ten minutes eyeing me up for carrot potential. When they realised I didn’t have any, they gradually drifted away.
I love these creatures. After all this time, to see them is still a delight and a pleasure.
December 28th – Up on the Chase today for the first time in ages, and oh boy, it was good, but very, very muddy and the trails were treacherous. Be careful if you’re up there yourself; some quite popular tracks are blocked by fallen trees following the high winds. It could be very easy to plant into them if not paying attention.
Take care everyone.
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