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January 27th – Today was the exact opposite of yesterday, well, sort of. A beautiful but chilly ride into work, on a very spring-like sunny morning. Then it howled it down on me on the way back home. Since it was such a nice morning, I cut through Cartbridge Lane and hopped on the cycle track at the back of Ryecroft cemetery, then down into The Butts via Mill Lane nature reserve. The sun was gorgeous, going from hazy to bright blue skies. I stopped in Victoria Park to reflect on how fine the view of Darlaston was, and just what a huge amount of culture was encapsulated in one shot. All apart from that bloody metal tree…

January 26th – Awful commute. Chilly, headwind. Then the rain started – the kind of rain that’s so cold onto your forehead that it physically causes pain. Luckily, I was close to the canal in Walsall, and took refuge under the Bridgeman STreet canal bridge until it passed. As I got to work, the sun came out, just to take the mickey. Great.

January 25th – I’d like to claim credit for noticing this, but I didn’t, so can’t. Great pal [Howmuch?] spotted this and told me a few weeks ago. Today, as I rolled down Hatherton Street in the Butts, near Walsall  Town Centre, I recorded a fascinating little relic of the past. These buildings are due to be demolished to make way for a new factory, being moved in from elsewhere in the borough. Formerly offices and workshops, they’ve lain derelict for some years. As I took these pictures, construction workers were erecting hoardings around the site prior to its clearance commencing. Before they did, I had to photograph the above small sign, situated next to one of the boarded-up doors.

I know nothing about the Umbrella Manufacturing and Repairing Company, or what happened to them. But the thought crosses my mind: how long has it been since such a business could be economically viable in Walsall? A curious, odd little piece of history. Glad I caught it before it was lost forever.

January 21st – Another day of challenging weather. Showers, wind, bluster. Just as well I had stuff to do in the daytime and wasn’t feeling that a cycling opportunity was lost because of my other commitments. Spinning out for a lazy bimble round at 6pm, I spun up through Clayhanger, and thought how dark and quiet the village looked so early on a Saturday night. Clayhanger has always had a slightly Midwich-ish, cutoff air about it, being a wee island in the middle of urban greenspace, but tonight it felt quite distinct. Odd.

January 17th – Some of Walsall’s municipal cemeteries are in a woeful state. Ryecroft can be a bit grim in the less visited corners, Queen Street is disgustingly neglected, doubly so since it’s the resting place of local nursing heroine Sister Dora. James Bridge is no exception – a large burial ground wedged inbetween former factories, waste ground and the canal, it was never a picturesque location. It’s sad to see recently that an adjacent building waste processing plant has expanded operations, leaving relatives of the interred to complain of masonry dust coating the graves. Today, it wasn’t hard to see why it was happening. Why on earth was that noisy, pollutant yard given permission to operate in such a sensitive location?
On a side note, the older sections of James Bridge are amongst the most densely packed I’ve ever seen. There are a huge number of graves here. 

January 16th – I didn’t really feel well enough for work, but went anyway. I had suspected the cold, frosty, bright day would raise my spirits, and so it did. This is the kind of winter day I love: cold, slightly misty and sun-bathed. It took me a good 15 minutes longer to get to work today, but I didn’t mind. Wrapped up warm, it was lovely to be out. If only I had a bit more energy…

January 14th – A cold, clear, crisp, beautifully frosty winter day. At last. Normally, on days like this I’d wrap up warm and head for Cannock Chase. Sadly, I wasn’t up to that, so settled for a sunset pootle around Brownhills and Warrenhouse. The views from Barracks Lane over Home Farm were gorgeous, as was the dusk over the canal near Ogley Junction. I really regretted not being in better condition. I bet the Trent Valley was gorgeous tonight…

January 12th – An incredible sight this morning in Victoria Park, Darlaston. Trees in blossom. I have no idea what they are (the pink one looks like it’s a weird graft from the trunk) but surely, this must be some kind of record? The evergreen at the back also has bright yellow-green blooms. This year is all out of synch. I hope if winter does come, it doesn’t do these, the most optimistic of trees, any harm. They deserve only the best of seasons for coming out so soon.

January 10th – Back in Darlaston, I enjoyed the morning commute. It was temperate and bright, and although there was a headwind, it felt good to be outdoors. I hopped on the canal in Walsall and cycled to Bentley Bridge. On the way through Pleck, I noticed that the peculiar algal bloom that Roger ‘Ziksby’ Jones had noticed on the Rushall canal, was now growing here, too. I suppose it must be the mild winter. I wonder what it is exactly, and why it suddenly proliferates like this?

January 9th – Back to work. Stomach is still a shade on the uncomfortable side, but I’m miles better and just need to get my eating back to normal. I kicked off the new working year with a morning meeting in Lichfield. Ye Olde City is always odd on Monday mornings, and was virtually deserted when I left town at about 11am. I did notice, however, that a nascent cycle chic seems to be developing there; I spotted the tiny Trek ladies bike with the spray of flowers locked up in Tamworth Street. Have to admire the style. Meanwhile, at the other end of the cycling scale, I noted the huge flying-bedstead Pashley locked up again at Lichfield City Station. That bike is massive, and clearly well loved. Who the hell rides it, the Jolly Green Giant? His inside leg must be greater than the adjacent railings. That’s one lanky bloke…