Galleries

July 15th – I snatched a ride out at 3pm, and headed for Hoar Cross. I rocketed through the countryside of Longdon, Handsacre and the Ridwares, only stopping at the old church at Pipe Ridware to take a quick couple of photos. The pretty little building is now a theatre whose latest show was only a few days ago. 

I continued to Hoar Cross, and returned via the Needwood Valley,with the countryside looking gorgeous in the hazy, hot summer sun. I was hurrying a 35 mile journey and didn’t stop to take many photos, but it was a lovely, fast ride.

July 15th – I know nothing about fish whatsoever, but cycling along the canal at Brownhills, I noticed lots of them visible in the still waters. They aren’t usually this visible, I’m not sure if the sunlight is making them more evident, or the warm weather has drawn them to the surface. 

I have no idea what species they were, but there were plenty of medium and small sized fish, and a few quite large ones. The chap in the top photo looked at least 18 inches long.

A fascinating thing to see.

July 14th – I followed the track back to Ryders Mere. I hadn’t been this way for a while, and this relatively new lake – created as part of an opencast remediation 10 years ago – is maturing well. It was very quiet, with few around, and I was impressed at the number of damselflies, dragonflies and other insects there were around. The meadow was alive with grasshoppers. In the background, the gentle lap of water and calls of waterfowl. 

Beautifully tranquil.

July 14th – Returning from the Our Big Gig event in Walsall Arboretum late afternoon, I’d had enough of the traffic and heat and headed for the Goscote Valley cycleway, for a traffic-free, shady alternative. There seemed to be a fair few cats about, who in the way cats do, studiously ignored me, or hid. Loved the little black kitten near Pelsall, although Mr. Whitepaws, at Harden, seemed every bit the cat-about-town.

July 13th – It was incredibly hot, and I was tired. But at 4pm I found the energy from somewhere and headed out. I was only supposed to be going to Chasewater – but after a restorative ice cream, I found the going easy and powerful, so I headed up through Chorley and Longdon Green, to Yoxall and Barton. From Barton I took the backlanes and tracks to Wychnor, where I hopped on the canal, and rode the river section of the Trent & Mersey to Fradley, then back home through Lichfield.

It was hot, but a lovely, fast ride through gently ripening countryside. This is the summer I’ve been hoping for.

July 12th – Spinning out through Brownhills to Stonnall for tea, I crested Springhill on Barracks Lane on a languid, hot Friday evening. Even at 7pm there was little traffic, and few folk about. I noticed that a week or so of hot summer weather, and the colours of the season had changed. The bright, vivid, verdant greens have faded to more of a faded emerald jacket, and reds, golds and sandy yellows are creeping in to the landscape, colouring the fields shades of ripeness and fulfilment.

At Springhill, a field of gently ripening, plump wheat caught my eye, and at Cartersfield Lane, a healthy field of Barley.

A fine sight, but poignant too, as it indicates the seasons’ progression.

July 11th – My dislike of the Arboretum Junction in Walsall knows no end. It seems difficult for most users – be they motorised or human powered. It’s particularly bad for pedestrians, who have to use multiple crossings to cross one road – so a simple negotiation can involve four or five waits. It’s horrid.

I noticed this lady yesterday evening. She was still negotiating the junction when I crossed, and I felt quite sorry for her – by road is the easiest way, but it’s very, very intimidating. Nice bike, though, and it looks well used.

The traffic engineers who thought this batshit crazy junction up should be forced to cross in on foot for perpetuity.

July 10th – Slowly, but surely, the temporary mast at Sutton Coldfield is being dismantled. I explained a month ago how a crane was fixed to the upper stages, and the structure was dropped carefully, piece by piece. 

Today I noticed the DAB antenna were in the process of being stripped. These are the spiky structures clustered around the main mast in one spot, for about a 6th of the total height. If you look carefully at the bottom picture, you can see where cables, once connected to the elements are now hanging free.

It was a dull, overcast day, and I was hoping to catch a team at work up there, but have still yet to see one. 

This is remarkable, painstaking work by very, very uniquely skilled people.