Galleries

April 16th – For some weeks now, I’ve been perplexed by the appearance of what seemed like odd, helical antenna on the roofs of tall buildings around urban areas. I kept seeing them from the train. I grew quite interested in them, and decided to find out what they were. I tried to find one to photograph, and it took me over a week to do so. At one stage, they were so elusive I thought I must have dreamt their whole existence.

Today, I spotted two or three where I thought I’d seen them before – on top of office blocks in Birmingham City Centre. I eagerly took these pictures, posted them on social media, and asked what they were. It turns out they’re not antenna at all, but helical wind turbines.

They are micro generators. The reason I couldn’t find them is that when spinning, you can’t see them.

I’m fascinated – Cheers to The Aardvark, Paul Groves and Barry Carpenter, amongst others, who helped me out.

April 15th  – the gorgeous sandy soil of the north east side of Shire Oak’s bunter sandstone ridge gives Stonnall its charm and character. This light, thin and variably fertile soil shows off it’s characteristics best when ploughed and harrowed, as this field has been south of Mill Lane. The colour – somewhere between chocolate and ochre, varies across the contours. Last week, there was snow lying in the lee of that spinal hedgerow. Now it’s spring.

What this does demonstrate well is that the old boys who planted these hedgerows – miles of which were grubbed up hereabouts in the post war decades – really knew their stuff. Note the step from one field to the next; that’s caused by centuries of wind erosion. The hedges – by virtue of clutching roots and obstructive foliage – break the wind, and act like groynes. This effect can also be seen on Grove Hill and many local ridge boundaries.

The landscape reads like a great book, sometimes.

April 14th – I was in the house all morning, listening to the rain and wind, dreading the afternoon ride I was planning on taking. Slipping out mid afternoon, what I actually found was way different to that which I expected. Yes, it was raining with a gusty wind. But the warmth was welcome and lovely. The landscape was grey and the sky dull, but as I zipped up to the new pool at Clayhanger, there were signs all around of spring kicking off; birds buzzed about with nest building materials in their beaks, swans sat on nests at Clayhanger and Catshill. I saw the first Heron on the new pool I’d ever seen there. Green shoots of lupin glistened along the canal banks. At Chasewater, the reservoir was still in overflow and the marsh formed by the overspill seems to be growing marsh grasses. Tits, wagtails and pipits flitted about. There were distinct splashes of emerald green on the commons and heaths.

I think that’s it, finally. The end of the 7 month winter is at hand.

April 13th – Aldridge, a mixed bag of a day. I nipped into Walsall on an errand, then came back to pay the continental market a visit. I’d been before to this periodic event, and enjoyed it a lot. I was looking forward to this one with some anticipation. Sadly, I was disappointed.

The market placement – in the car park outside the shopping centre – felt a bit detached from the town itself, and the selection of traders, although quite diverse, wasn’t great. Formerly there had been a great French cheese stall here, but it wasn’t present. The stalls that were there, were eye-wateringly expensive. Buying olives, I was asked if the portion weight was OK, as it was ‘A bit over’ – when I looked at the scales, it was almost twice the amount I asked for. Stuff like that doesn’t endear. 

Also unendearing was the Paella stall serving cold chicken Paella from an open pan, reheated in a microwave. It was still cold, and somewhat disgusting. This isn’t what you’d expect from a decent market. I left saddened, and doubt I’ll bother again.

I was intrigued by the fancy dress crowd whose path I crossed heading out… 

Returning home in the drizzle of a grey afternoon, I noticed the two busses parked up outside the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum, ready for the open event next day. The route master (if that’s what it is) looked particularly lovely, and both vehicles brought back memories. 

I wish the museum well in it’s new home.

April 12th – I love Moor StreetStation in Brum. Not only is it a lovely, light airy and atmospheric station, but on the whole the staff are more relaxed and customer focused than their competitors. Coming through tonight, I noticed some inconsiderate muppet had locked their bike to the security railings by the ticket barrier inside the station. If this had been a Virgin Station, the bike would have been removed and it all would have been rather tetchy. Here, they sellotape a warning notice to the bike, which considering it’s not actually a trip hazard, makes sense. That’s a nice approach.

Their spelling is about as good as mine.

April 12th – Back in Brum for the day, and I loved it. I don’t mind commuting further afield at all – an enjoy it when the trains work OK – but it’s nice to be in Birmingham, my city is always a joy. Today started damp, and somehow I managed to just miss the rain all day. But every leg of my travel was threatened by dark, heavy cloud.

It was lovely, though. The skies were dramatic and photogenic, and the air of grim threat made my legs spin a tiny bit faster. But most of all, it was warm. I don’t think it reached ten degrees, but after recent weeks, the wind was warm. The air was warm. I cycled with an open jacket. 

That’s what was lovely, even though the wind was against me all the way from Walsall.

April 11th – On Lynne Lane, approaching Lynn itself, stands another deserted house. The area around here seems to have a veritable plague of such homes, falling to wrack and ruin, with nobody to care for them. Last week I pointed out Keeper’s Cottage. I suspect the ownership to be the same person.

This bungalow has been empty for as long as I care to remember – certainly since 1982. It has survived remarkably well, and is a tiny little place that would make an agreeable home for someone. 

I took this photo today, as within a few weeks, this place will be invisible, shrouded in scrub and hedgerow. This abandoned bungalow only appears, Brigadoon-like every winter with the leaves shedding.

Another once fine house going to waste; another tragedy.

April 11th – In the fields just outside Shenstone, one might be forgiven for thinking there was a frost. However, it was too warm for that today, and this looks more like a dusting of icing sugar. It’s actually a freshly ploughed field, dusted by nitrate fertiliser. Soon, a crop will be planted here, and the growing will start over again.

The only trouble with dusting fields in this way is that even in still conditions, everything around gets dusted too, like the holly in the hedgerow…

April 10th – I notice it’s still for sale, the old Veolia site in Lindon Road on the Walsall Wood/Brownhills border. This chemical waste disposal facility, an old pit shaft, was filled with industrial effluent in the 70s and 80s. When it was full,  the company kept their labs and offices here and moved the site to a different pit system at Stubbers Green, in Aldridge.

The company names operating this facility changed regularly; Effluent Disposal, Leigh Environmental, Sarp, Veolia.

The site is large, mostly empty, including the Victorian house out front used as offices for some years. There are only a skeleton staff here, as administration moved to shiny new offices up in Cannock a year or so ago, leaving this site mostly deserted. 

Whoever buys this will get a lot of land. But as a former mine, the land is contaminated from the colliery, let alone later uses. Any buyer will have to deal with the shaft itself, down which the poison was poured.

Don’t think about entering this place; the security is full on and tight, and there are still people here. I wonder what will become of this site, and the secrets it keeps.