Galleries

November 25th – Sadly, I took some photos this morning that weren’t good enough to use, so today, I just have these I took at Rushall Church on the way home from work. There’s been a church here since 1220; the current one – The Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel – being built around 1856, with the elegant, thin spire added later in place of an older, square one that was thought to have been centuries old. It’s a gorgeous church, tucked away in the side streets off the Lichfield Road in an almost rural location; at night it’s beautifully lit and brilliantly atmospheric, with the busy, crowded churchyard adding to the atmosphere. At 6pm I was undisturbed and the church and surrounding streets eerily quiet. A hidden gem.

November 24th – Tonight, as I came from Walsall Station (always go home with the wind behind you if possible), I noticed the Christmas lights had been switched on. This is a long way from last year, when council leader Mike ‘Blofeld’ Bird was making a big show that there was no budget for Christmas, before u-turning and passing around the upturned flat cap of councillor Anthony Harris and begging enough from business to pay for a tree. It seems our leader has realised austerity is not a vote winner, as this year there’s a full timetable of events planned. The switch on this year seemed to involve a crowd of happy young kids singing round the tree, which does look rather decent in front of the Crossing at St. Pauls. So much better than the lamp-post based wigwam Amey took the piss out of the town with for a few years…

November 24th – Spotted this odd scooter today parked up in Telford near the office blocks by the railway station. I’ve not seen anything like it before, and don’t recognise the logo, but then, I’m not a motorcyclist. I have no idea why this scooter has been designed this way – cornering must be really odd. I studied it for quite some time, but am still none the wiser. Anyone have any ideas?

November 20th – The daylight, such as it managed on this grim, mist-sodden day, gave up early and headed for the pub. At 4:15, it was nearly dark, and at Shenstone, the pumping station lights were on full blast – someone must have been working in there, they aren’t normally on. It’s nice to know that even on grim, grey, lightless Sundays, the essential services are working to keep things flowing smoothly.

November 20th – it’s an odd season, this. Coming back along the canal before heading towards Stonnall, I passed the gorse thicket by the Pier Street pedestrian bridge in Brownhills… remarkably, it’s in bloom. It’s been unseasonably warm and dry, surely these bushes don’t think it’s may again? From the ramp of the bridge, the damp spiderwebs made for an interesting contrast with the dark green foliage and yellow flowers.

November 20th – Spinning out this afternoon on what must have been the most un-photogenic day of the year so far, I took a snoop up round the top of Engine Lane where local riding instructor Stevie Ansell is preparing fields for use by her riding school. She does a huge amount of good work for kids in the community, and I welcome the move. Hopefully, more human presence will help moderate the behaviour of some of the illegal off-roaders around here, too. It’s nice to see Stevie has posted explanatory notices to tell passers by what’s going on. I wish her, her horses and pupils well.

November 19th – A grim day, really. A pleasant but chilly 50 miler around Weeford, Whittington, Harlaston, Lullington and Coton-in-the-Elms, but the mist never lifted once. I also, for the second time in a week, forgot my trusty little camera, so had to really on a phone for photographic support. The day really was this grey, but Staffordshire was a gorgeous as ever; large houses at Shenstone and Thickbroom, near Little Hay always enthral for their wonderful architecture, and the view over John Wyatt’s model village of Weeford from the elevated cemetery always enthrals, however grim the conditions.

November 18th – The night photos continue. Sorry if you’re getting bored with them, I am trying to vary them a bit, it’s just that I’m mostly on my bike right now when it’s dark, and today was no exception. I escaped for a spin over to Whittington at 4pm, and was captivated by the traffic when crossing the A38 footbridge at Weeford. Looking south, the top photo shows traffic on the A38 itself, Little Hay Lane and M6 toll, off to the right. The lower picture was taken on the flyover taking Jerry’s Lane over the A5 Bypass near Packington Moor, with Lichfield TV transmitter in the background. I’ve been trying variants of these for a while and these are the first such long-exposure shots I’ve been happy with. Oh well – should see some daylight tomorrow…

November 18th – Humphries House, in Brownhills, is being refurbished, much to the surprise of the residents of Brownhills. The 60’s high-rise block had two companions, Waine House and Bayley House, both now demolished, and it was felt for a while that Humphries House would soon go the same way. Walsall Housing Group, in their infinite wisdom, have chosen to refurbish and reclad the remaining residences instead. I noticed this morning as I passed by on the canal that insulation was being fitted beneath the new cladding, and the fitting of windows was now nearly complete. Don’t envy those guys in the cradle, I can tell you. Bet it’s chilly up there, too…

November 16th – bit of a dim moment today. Went out without my camera, completely by accident, and spent the day nervously wondering if I’d lost it somewhere. Coming home along the canal from a day of meetings in Telford and the Black Country, I passed the ‘new’ pool at Clayhanger. It seems to be slightly fuller than of late, but it’s sadly sullied by a large quantity of litter, mostly discarded beer cans, at the benches near the canal. I assume it’s the same bunch who have been causing a nuisance on Clayhanger Common. I just can’t understand the mentality of people who do this. 

Apologies for the poor quality photos, they were taken on a phone rather than a decent ..camera.