Galleries

August 29th – The honeysuckle I noted growing wild alongside the road near the Black Cock Bridge, in Walsall Wood is still in bloom, as it is in many places I’ve noted it. Just another symbol of the weird season, flowers seem to be almost everlasting at the moment. I notice the same bush has also grown handsome, deep crimson berries, which must be good for the birds, but not humans as they’re poisonous. A pleasant reminder of the joys of summer, even if we didm’t get one…

August 29th – In complete contrast to the day before, I travelled to Darlaston in a rainstorm. Wet and miserable, I slid through the streets of Walsall. Fed up of the traffic, at Bridgman Street, I dropped onto the canal towpath for peace and quiet. Near Bentley Bridge, I suddenly noticed these flowers growing in the reed-beds at the side of the water. They instantly cheered me up. I have no idea (as usual!) what they are, but their dainty blooms were just the tonic on a damp and chilly journey to work.

August 28th – When I returned back that afternoon, it was overcast, and also in Scarborough Road, I noticed this derelict cottage. Fitting well into the Walsall Heritage project, this building has been decaying on the corner of St, John’s Road for years. It’s an interesting building, again with excellent, original chimney pots. I do hope someone can find a use for it once more, before it’s forever lost.

August 27th – Still, there’s always nature to surprise you. This carpet of fringed water lilies has suddenly materialised near the canal aqueduct at Newtown, Brownhills. I’ve not seen this type of lily growing here before, and wonder if it’s a domestic escapee. Whatever the provenance, these flowers were delightful even in the rain, and they did lift my grim mood.

August 26th – The same ride, and my deer magnet was clearly functioning well. Late afternoon, four red deer on the north heath of Chasewater, two adult hinds and their two young fawns. These are the first of this year’s youngsters I’ve seen and they look fit and heathy. For the time of year, their coats, too, were in surprisingly good condition. 
I still can’t quite believe these animals roam free here; they always leave me in awe. We’d never have imagined as kids that seeing such fine creatures in Brownhills would be remotely possible. 

August 25th – Common toadflax is a late-flowering joy. Attractor of bees, it’s a relative of the foxglove, whose yellow flowers remind you a little of the snapdragon. They’re growing along the towpaths of much of the canal aroundabouts, and this clump was near the Pier Street bridge pool on Clayhanger common.

The tall, slender neck of the flower is loaded with nectar that bees love, but is often counterproductive as frequently bees bite through the neck of the bloom and drink the goodness without pollinating the plant.

August 25th – I headed out to the shops late in the afternoon. We’d had heavy rain, and everything was glistening and wet. Scooting around Clayhanger Common, I found these two unfortunate common toads enjoying the drizzle at opposite ends of the path from Clayhanger to the Pier Street footbridge. I can’t tell if they’re wounded from attack, infected or have a parasitic condition, but in one, half the face is eaten away, and the in the other, the nostrils have become wide open sores. Both animals behaved normally, and were as lively and active as toads get, yet I don’t think either will live long. I’ve not seen this before, and find it curious that I should see two half a mile apart. I’m thinking it’s a parasite, but can’t stop thinking about the past of this area as a refuse tip. 

I’d welcome comment from anyone who knows about amphibians and their ecology. 

EDIT: It seems these unfortunate creatures are suffering from attack by toad fly larvae – read about them here on Wikipedia, but not if you’re squeamish. Nature really is horrid sometimes.

August 23rd – Those who think I’m being negative about the sculptures in The Wood should think about this. This miners trust, a true social relic of the coal era hereabouts created this, the original Oak Park for the village and community. When I was a kid, there were ground staff on site in a depot behind the then recently built recreation centre, and the old park was pleasant and well maintained. Paid for initially, and now held in trust by those who worked away from the fresh air and light, it had flowerbeds, paths, well-tended lawns, a bowling green and tennis courts. Slowly, it has been allowed to decay. The tennis courts lie locked out of use, and are slowly being reclaimed by nature, the paths and flowerbeds overgrown and lost. The neatly manicured lawns are now hastily mown scrub. The only thing to survive is a bowling green, operated by a club, a true social asset. 
The miners left this for us, because they understood the value of light and air. We let it rot, and instead erect rusty metal – of the kind they were all too ready to escape from – in their memory, while our next generation grow more and more obese.
There’s something very wrong in all this. 

August 22nd – Just around the corner from Lynn Hall stands this attractive cottage. I’m not sure it has a name, but it is a typical, four-square late victorian Staffordshire cottage, made with the characteristic blue and very, very red local brick. I pass this home an awful lot, yet until recently, have never really studied it. I noticed particularly the chimney, with its original, ornate pots and interesting design. I love chimneys, they add real character to buildings, and I mourn the passing of their ornamentation.