Galleries

#365daysofbiking Maturing:

October 2nd – Spotted on the canal in the during the morning commute, both the Walsall Wood swan family and the Walsall group. All in rude health and maturing to adulthood.

Woody the single cygnet at Walsall Wood this year is clearly thriving and he was happily browsing the weed with his parents never far way, his white plumage really coming on now.

More advanced, and loafing at the back of the factories on Pleck Road, the large Walsall family were having a communal chill out and preen session.

It never ceases to amaze me the positions swans are comfortable to get their legs into…

#365daysofbiking Spot on:

October 1st – Not seeing may fly agaric this year yet, which makes me wonder if it’s a bad season for them.

The classic red and white spotted toadstool is a real patch of brightness in the autumn, and is much loved and the subject of a huge amount of folklore.

Heading out to Chasetown before work to drop something off, I saw these in the usual spot before Wharf Lane Bridge in Brownhills, just on the heather sandy embankment by the towpath.

I love to see these fascinating fungi.

#365daysofbiking Hi deer:

September 30th – after a barren period of hardly seeing any, it was ace to meet the deer at Chasewater, just by the picnic area.

They expressed mild interest in me, but were not overly bothered by my presence.

It doesn’t matter how much I see of these guys – they’ll always be magical to me.

#365daysofbiking For those about to rock:

September 30th – The water level at Chasewater has been dropping since late summer, due to the valves being left open allowing the reservoir to drain into the canal. The drop in water level I was told was necessary to facilitate one of the periodic dam inspections that are required here, but also to undertake some maintenance on the causeway the bisects the lake from Jeffrey’s Swag, by carrying the railway and main footway to the North Heath.

Where the embankment has been collapsing, large rocks are being laid to make up for the loss, and presumably to form a barrier for further damage.

It looks like a proper job, too – not like the piles of concrete posts that were used for this purpose in the early 70s.

#365daysofbiking I trip through your wires:

September 29th – At Crestacre, on the top of Springhill overlooking Sandhills and Brownhills, the sky was a gorgeous combination of red, orange and blue, and set off the skyline of Brownhills beautifully, even if that did pretty much just consist of Humphries House. 

I was intrigued by the medium voltage electric lines in the foreground, and the set of jumper insulators on the pole’s left. I’ve never noticed them before, and wonder why they’re there?

#365daysofbiking Tree of life:

September 29th – Heading out at sunset after what was a pretty bad day, I swung up the canal through town, over Catshill Junction and over to Barracks Lane. The canal was beautiful and peaceful, and the only souls I saw were the waterfowl scudding around looking for food. 

Looking over the fields to Home Farm my favourite tree – the horse chestnut on the skyline just by the farm buildings – is beautifully golden, and glowed in the evening.

All round me now, the greenery is packing up and going for autumn. There’s no ignoring it.

#365daysofbiking Going it alone:

September 27th – On the canal near Walsall town centre, I was accosted, as one often is, but loud, bullying, aggressive beggars, of the kind that inhabit most urban canals.

In this case, it was a pair of cygnets. On their own without mum and dad, they were enjoying the sun and harassing any passing human for food. When I declined for the seemingly perfectly valid reason that I had none to offer, they swam off, complaining noisily.

Nice to see them in rude health and taking after their parents.

#365daysofbiking The dying of the light:

September 25th – Darkness has begun to impinge on my evening commute. Often finding I need lights nearing home, the golden hour is quickly shifting back towards 5pm. Soon the clocks will dog back, and the darkness will again be upon me. I hate that.

The harvest moon this year has been wonderful, though, so actually coming home in the dark had a reward – particularly with the thin cloud haunting the view.

Winter is coming.

#365daysofbiking Sweet thing:

September 25th – Again returning through Stonnall, I stopped to take a look are the venerable, reliably productive sweet chestnut that is always so beautiful on the corner of Main Street.

Always laden with nuts in their prickly, fur lined husks the tree is healthy and always fruits well; but sadly the climate in the UK isn’t favourable for producing sweet chestnuts, so the kernels are always small and thin.

They’re still beautiful, though.