June 4th – heading home up the A461 Lichfield Road, fully laden with shopping, the wind was behind me and there was a gorgeous mackerel sky. It is said that ’…makerel sky, twenty-four houurs dry’, but also that ’…mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry’.
I stopped to photograph it near Lane’s Farm at the foot of Shire Oak Hill. It really was stunning.
June 4th – Sadly, a day full of other commitments and not enough time for much cycling. I did manage an hour out to Lichfield for some shopping, though. I headed up the canal to Lichfield Road, and in the process noticed that the devil wind was back, this time blowing from the east. The day was warm and clear, however, and the view to Hammerwich from the canal near Sandfields was as gorgeous as ever.
If you look closely, you can see the Hammerwich Windmill, Hammerwich Church and Lichfield Cathedral.
June 3rd – This is near the centre of Redditch. No shit. Buried on the Arrow Valley cycle route is this small hamlet of old houses. Encircled within a cocoon of greenery, they are bounded by the great, terrible sprawl of the new town. A very peculiar place with some surprising corners.
June 3rd – The day was birthed in light, banded shrouds of very shallow mist. The temptation to stop and just take pictures for hours wasn’t compatible with my need to get to work. I did manage a few atmospheric shots around Mill Green, however, which are posted over on my main blog.
Mornings like this are what cycling is about.
June 2nd – I noticed while wandering down to the train that this patch of forgotten weeds beside the access ramp at Four Oaks Station was, in fact, a thriving crop of oilseed rape. I can’t imagine anyone actually planting it, so I wonder how it got here – there aren’t any fields for some distance, and the seeds don’t blow on the wind. Was this an act of guerilla cultivation?
Whatever, it’s a cheerful sight and smells lovely.
June 2nd – Ah, it must be bin day in Four Oaks again. Remember, kids, this is one of the poshest, most opulent and wealthy bits of Birmingham, yet the footpaths are impassible to pushchairs and wheelchairs, refuse torn from bags by animals is scattered on the verges, and much of it doesn’t smell too good.
Birmingham is the second largest local authority in the country, and has a refuse collection system of the type one would find in a developing country. A disgrace, no more, no less.
June 1st – A great friend from Walsall recently commented that when he came back from holidays or distant journeys, crossing Shire Oak Hill in the car always made him and his family feel like they were nearly home. I love this view. Seeing it, like the one from Church Hill in Walsall, reminds you of what a tremendously green area Walsall actually is.
Nipping up to the Wood on the way home, I was reminded of this. Al, you’re a star.
June 1st – As the week matured, the weather, and the early mornings got better and better. The wind died and the sun came out. It was still grey today, but the meadow before Little Aston church was green and smelt sweet with pollen. Stopping by at 6:15am, with little traffic, I could hear beebuzz and birdsong. I didn’t want to go to work…
May 31st – It’s not just the barley and potatoes coming on in the fields now, this field of wheat in Lynn, near Stonnall, is looking fine after the recent rains. I doubt it will be long now before an early harvest.
May 31st – The weather really settled down today, and summer is definitely on the return. The air was chilly at 6:30AM in Four Oaks, but the light was gorgeous and the wind had died right down. I stopped to admire the architecture of this house in Lichfield Road, which I’ve passed many times. Is this stunning, or what?
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