November 8th – In and out of work early as I had a medical thing to get sorted, but needed to sign some paperwork. In total contrast to the day before, it was sunny, and with the sun on the back, a pleasing hint of a summer now passed.
Station Street in Darlaston is always interesting when the sun shines on it: usually in shadow from the tall, ageing factories, it really does demonstrate the sunny side of the street.
I was in the shade today, but it would be brighter, later.
November 7th – Long, long before the wonderful John Cooper Clarke was a sort of cult national treasure doing voice overs for oven chip adverts, he observed the everyday diesel spill on wet tarmac and made it chilling.
‘Revenge is not enough
There’s a dead canary on a swivel seat
There’s a rainbow in the road
Meanwhile on Beasley Street
Silence is the code’
I find easy, cheesy, greasy, queasy, beastly Beasley Street still chilling and an absolute classic, and after hearing it 30 odd years ago, I never looked at the urban terrace street in the same way again – including oil slicks flowing down the Darlaston Road and catching the light.
John Cooper Clark is one of the best performance poets Britain has ever had.
November 7th – The fierceness of the mature Black Country lady is legendary. If you value your kneecaps, don’t trespass…
November 6th – One of those cursed days when you don’t forget the camera, but you forget to put the card in, so it’s useless. Having to make do with the phone, I nipped into Walsall lunchtime from work in Darlaston, and on my way back, caught this remarkable shaft of sunlight on the canal near Bridgman Street.
It was a misty, soft sunlight day – presumably the remains of the firework-frenzy fug – and maybe that was what created it, but it was beautiful.
Just a shame I didn’t have a better camera to catch it with.
November 5th – Oh, and this. Up on the Chase at Rifle Range Corner, a wee accuracy error.
Most of the fire gates on the chase have their OS grid reference stencilled upon them. Helpfully, my bike GPS also give me a grid reference.
Checking with a paper map, they’re wrong, not the computer.
That’s a bit regrettable…
November 1st – Also growing well by the cycleways and roadsides of Telford is a surprisingly copious crop of puffball fungus.
Still young enough to be tasty, I made a mental note passing in a hurry, to on my return pull out my bag and gather some for tea.
Not everything about autumn is sad!
October 30th – Not a bad day for a Monday. I had to nip to a hospital appointment at lunchtime, so left work and cycled along a sun-dappled, peaceful canal to the centre of Walsall. Turning to leave the canal and ride on to Bridgman Street, I looked at the Town Arm Junction.
This place has changed beyond recognition in my lifetime. When I was a nipper it was grimy, surrounded by blackened, semi derelict factories; there was little wildlife and the waters were nothing more than a polluted stew.
Not all change is for the worse.
October 28th – There was another trip out though – with only moderate success. I wanted to photograph the Chasewater Railway halloween ghost train at Chasewater Heaths – this event for kids takes place every year and is great fun, and very challenging to photograph. This was the only usable picture, but it turned out well, I think.
This halloween spectacular – they turn the lights out, actors dress as ghouls and ghosts, and ghost tales are told on the train – is really popular and always fully booked.
Trying to capture the essence of it, like the event itself – is a bit of a tradition now.
October 26th – Another horrible, snatched image, but it shows a place I don’t go so much these days because it’s undergoing change which makes it hostile to cycling.
The Shire Oak Crossroads is an important junction in south Brownhills, with a landmark pub and atop a large hill. Carring to major routes, the traffic lights here have always been busy and daunting, and the junction is currently being remodelled, and is replete with barriers, closed footpaths and added, surprise potholes.
While it’s so unpredictable, it’s best avoided on a bike, particularly at night, as many drivers take wide corners or get confused with positioning.
Hopefully it’ll all work out better in the end.
October 26th – A snatched picture from a darkness errand to Stonnall on my way home – what smashing halloween pumpkins!
Sadly, one seems to have been split by the heat from the nightlight inside, but they were clearly well made – the large one is particularly excellent.
I’m not huge on halloween, to be honest, but I do love the inventiveness of it, particularly the carved gourds.
I spotted these near Sandhills and they genuinely made me smile!
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