September 18th – Autumn means a return to Cannock Chase. I prefer the forest in it’s autumnal state; it’s far quieter, with few venturing into the corners of the chase where I go. The pines and spruces turn a gorgeous, fluorescent yellow and everywhere smells of musty beauty. The wind was behind me as I sped through Hednesford and doubled back from Seven Springs via Colwich. A great afternoon ride.
September 16th – Pottering along the canal near Stubbers Green, I stopped to study the remains of the railway bridge that used to carry the spur line into Leighswood Colliery, later the site of Duckham’s Lubricants. It’s an interesting remnant, and several bridges crossed this canal in the space of a mile or so, all carrying railways into coal yards for loading. If one looks carefully, large sandstone capstones can be found in canal side undergrowth. I was intrigued to note that this bridge had a similar wooden plank insert under the deck as the Black Cock Bridge. They look of similar construction and age. The wood must have been as a cushion, I guess.
September 15th – Returning to Brownhills late in the evening, I thought I’d practise a bit of night photography. With the dark nights coming, there will be lots more of this.
I, like most of Brownhills, like Morris, the Brownhills Miner. I don’t think he was money well spent, and he’s done bugger all for the town except inflate a few egos, but he is an ingenious, clever sculpture. Shame about the hard hat, though – he wouldn’t have been wearing one in the time that Brownhills was mining, and that pick doesn’t look like any I’ve ever seen. The curious decision to illuminate him with gimcrack blue LED lights was also peculiar; it makes Morris look like a cheap Christmas decoration. Still, he compliments the lights on the hatchbacks cruising the High Street at that time of night.
September 15th – Business took me and the bike to Leeds. I’d never been here for more than a very short time before, and I really enjoyed it. Having finished my meeting, I had the afternoon to myself. The Cross-country trains cycle provision was as dire as ever, but the ability to put my bike into secure storage at Leeds Station was handy. Leeds turns out to be a beautiful, bustling city. With a far bigger shopping area than Birmingham, and a huge, lively warren of markets, I could have spent a lot more time here. I also took the time to investigate custom frame builder Bob Jackson Cycles, over in Bramley. I have a plan brewing.
September 13th – The Henry Boys Almshouses are a bit of a mystery to me, to my shame. Near the Corporation Street junction, they stand both proudly and secluded on the Wednesbury Road, just south of Walsall Town Centre.They really are gorgeous – a square crescent of red-brick and terracotta terraced bungalows with lots of decorative features. I suspect they may be connected to the General Hospital, which used to be on the other side of the road. Anyone know more?
September 12th – Walsall Council, in their infinite wisdom, have tar and chipped Green Lane in Walsall Wood. This treatment, now known as surface dressing, is evil for cyclists. For weeks, the surface of this road will be dogged by patches of loose chippings, ready to sweep my wheels from under me. I will suffer a pebble dashing as cars pass far to fast for the surface conditions and spit gravel at me. Shingle will gather in hollows and potholes, hiding them ready to catch the unwary cyclist.
It wouldn’t be so bad if a reasonable attempt had been made to fill all the surface defects before the new treatment was added. As it is, the road is now a mess, and much harder to ride on. The people behind this daft practice must be from the west, as the wise men came from the east…
September 12th – A day of fearsome winds, seemingly crafted on Satan’s back doorstep which tormented me all the way to Great Bridge. Fortunately, the wind honoured it’s bargain and blew me back up the canal through Moxley and Darlaston to Walsall, and it was in Moxley that I spotted something I never noticed before; right in the centre of this industrial, urban place, there’s a row of Hazel trees which are currently fruiting large hazelnuts. The squirrels are having a ball and discarded, nibbled shells litter the ground beneath. This is a truly remarkable thing – Moxley was once a very polluted place, and this is a sign of an improved environment. I’m still stunned, to be honest.
Setember 10th – I believe in random acts of kindness. I also believe in random acts of guerrilla planting. Myself and people who know me, at this time of year, engage in collecting the seeds and fruits of deciduous trees and shrubs – acorns, sycamore seeds, beech nuts, sloes, haws and so on – then spread them randomly on thin hedgerows, scrubs and wasteland. I’ve spread patches of cowslip on Clayhanger common, scattered wildflower seeds down the Goscote Valley, and collectively we’ve populated canal banks, footpaths and barren places with tree saplings.
We support the trees, because, well, the trees they need support. Do. It. Now.
September 4th – A great ride over Cannock Chase and Shugborough to blow the blues away. The forest was as beautiful as ever, and there was little sign yet of autumn encroaching. Shugborough was also lovely, but it seems these days you can’t stop for tea without buying an entry ticket, which is rather sad. More pictures on my main blog.
September 2nd – another harbinger of autumn is the change in landscape colour; gone now are the vivid, glowing, bright greens of high summer, receding are the golden shades of harvest. Appearing now is the dun-coloured freshly ploughed field, smelling earthy and shocking in it’s uniform brown hue. The first is at Lower Stonnal, the second a view over Stonnall from the Chester Road.
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