October 14th – A day working from home, followed by a couple of hours of frantic errand-running. On the canal near Catshill, just by Lanes Farm at 5pm, the light was mellow, soft and golden. This is mad, it’s like August; in two weeks the clocks go back. What gives? Still, I’m not complaining one little bit… after a grey start to the week, the is just the ticket.
October 13th – Due to the unseasonably warm weather, some plants seem to be confused, and have started flowering again. I believe this antirrhinum shouldn’t be in bloom at this time of year, but there are several of these delightful yellow flowers on the canal bank between the Clayhanger and Black Cock bridges. I’m not sure even if the species is native, or an escapee from domestic gardens, where it’s more commonly known by the name snapdragon. In summer, it’s a favourite of gardeners as a bedding plant.
October 11th – I’ve been watching this tree change colour for a couple of weeks. It stands in the pasture near Little Aston Forge, on the bank of the Black Brook, and has gradually turned the most dramatic shade of yellow. I think it’s some species of ash, but haven’t got close enough to look. On this dark, dismal evening with dusk falling, it was a cheery sight as I cycled home against the wind.
October 10th – by the time I reached the top of Shire Oak Hill, dusk had fallen and the lights were coming on. This was dismal, I loathe and detest the enforced loss of light. Yet, even so, balancing the camera on the quarry gates and taking a timed shot of the view to Lichfield made for a wistful, evocative view of the Old Lady of the Vale. I will get used to it, but for a few days at least, I will mourn the coming darkness. Was it really summer a week ago?
October 9th – On the other side of the road, on the village side of what would have been the old railway embankment – lies this pond. This is the last vestige of Clayhanger Common’s brownfield past. This pond – now used as a settlement pond for land drainage before it weirs into the Ford Brook – is marked on maps as easy as 1884, and used to lie at the foot of the railway embankment, now long since gone. This limpid, placid pond is testament to a successful land reclamation. The clear waters of today would once have been brackish, polluted and full of refuse.
October 9th – Today was one of those headache-grey autumnal Sundays when evening falls quickly and everything seems kind of dead. I hate days like this. Escaping at 5pm, I took a spin around the common in Brownhills in a desperate attempt to brighten my mood. On Friday, I’d commented that the water level in the new pool in Clayhanger was very low, and that perhaps it was low enough for the stepping stones – laid to reach the central island when the pond was created in 1986 – to be usable again. A tootle round the pond confirmed this to be the case. The stones were laid out of large lumps of masonry the workers had to hand – mostly coping stones from the parapet of the old railway bridge that used to cross the canal nearby. Others lie dotted about in the undergrowth.
October 7th – After the dry summer, lots of bodies of water locally seem to be very low. Last week,end, I noticed Blithfield reservoir was a good few metres short of it’s usual level, and today, I noticed that the new pool near Clayhanger was low, too. When this pond was created25 years ago, there were stepping stones to a central island, which later became submerged. I wonder if the water level will get low enough to expose them again?
October 7th – A very changeable day. If you didn’t like the weather, all that was needed was to wait five minutes. Sun, wind, rain, had it all… here in Caldmore, Walsall, I’d stopped at a sweet centre to buy indian snacks. Just as I ducked into the store, the heavens opened. When I came out, I munched a samosa and watched the rain from under the canopy… in a couple of minutes, the sun was bright and warm again. I love Caldmore.
October 6th – Walsall was eerily quiet. I’ve spotted lots of potential night shots around here – I’ll need them for when the nights close in and I’m coming home in the dark. This is the only bit of Walsall’s risibly named ‘Civic Quarter’ I like; the Crossing at St Paul’s – a former church transformed into a shopping and faith centre. I like the square in front and the view of The Imperial – itself a former cinema turned into a pub. I like this square – such a shame that the Leicester Street area looks like an uncoordinated architectural mess.
October 6th – A late return from Telford gave me another chance to shoot Walsall in the dark. The weather had been awful, and Walsall was largely cold, wet and deserted. Spotting this view from the ramp on Walsall Station, I couldn’t resist it. Station Street is still a little bit of ‘old’ Walsall; despite the pedestrianisation and new buildings, I imagine this is a lot like Walsall before the town planners wrecked it.
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